Product Description

Meet Harvey Pekar, a true American original. For over 25 years he's been writing comic books about his life, chronicling the ordinary and mundane in stories both funny and touching. Working as a hospital file clerk in Cleveland, his dead-on eye for the frustrations and minutiae of the workaday world mix in a delicate balance with his insight into personal relationships. Illustrating his stories are the cream of the underground comics world, including the legendary Robert Crumb. Pekar has been called 'the blue collar Mark Twain', and compared to Dreiser, Dostoevsky and Lenny Bruce. With American Splendor now an award-winning movie, Titan is proud to present this bumper edition of the comics that started it all...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #274194 in Books
• Published on: 2004-01-23
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

From the Publisher
Praise for the American Splendor movie:
Academy Award Nominee: Best Adapted Screenplay
Writers Guild of America Nominee, Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner Best Picture and Best Screenplay, National Society of Film Critics
Winner Best Picture, Sundance Film Festival 2003
Winner New Director's Award, Edinburgh Film Festival
5 Independent Spirit Award Nominations
5 Satellite Award Nominations

Customer Reviews

Splendid glimpse into the male mind in a comic book format
American Splendor: The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar is the largest published collection of the comic series, containing the complete text of American Splendor and More American Splendor. With an introduction by R. Crumb and art by Kevin Brown, Gregory Budgett, Sean Carroll, Sue Cavey, R. Crumb, Gary Drumm, Val Materick, and Gerry Shamray this is 320 pages of a classic American comic.

Pekar's work is a cerebral approach to the comic medium. Many of the panels have no dialog and only illustrate the external while the text reveals the thought stream of Pekar's mind. His ability to portray the inner workings of his thoughts, in a humorous and sympathetic manner, is the key to the success of his writings. The comic is a working class version of Seinfeld with a populist self-made intellectual as the leading character. Yet there is a Existentialist angst to this work that puts it in a class by itself.

Very Good, lacks continuity
After watching the movie American Splendor, I was intrigued by what this comic book had to offer. It's nothing like traditional comic books, and knew it had something to say about american society and life in general.

First of all, this book offers a range of short storys by Harvey Pekar. The stories are about his daily observation, social commentary and about his daily mundane life. The subjects explored in this book isn't too hard hitting, just about the pleasures, displeasures of life. Things to do with the american justice system, violence and crime. He writes in a down to earth manner, thus the reader is able to easily identify with him.

He is a quirky and sometimes humouristic writer. Often containing clever references in a clever prose, very similar to Woody Allen. A times he shows the catharsism and delicacy to handle engaging stories about his own feelings which often works very well. The book is illustrated beautifully with a range of artists who show unique expression and understanding of how to depict a story.

However where the book failed was its inability to capture any continuity in its narrative. I felt some stories would have worked much better if they were somehow melded into a continuence rather fragmented. Or perhaps extend some of the stories. This would have made it even more easier to read.

Overall a very good book which shows some sophistication in its execution of subject matter and narrative. The book is not suited for everyone, but anyone who is willing to read a different kind of comic book. Here it is!