Word: pekar
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...American Splendor," the world's most low-key comic, has been around for twenty five years. Each issue contains several short non-fiction pieces written by Harvey Pekar, a Cleveland, Ohio native, and drawn by many different artists, including Robert Crumb. With his mostly autobiographical stories, Pekar has fearlessly pursued the mundanities of life: going to the market, shoveling snow, talking with co-workers, and elevated them to a work of art. The latest issue, published by Dark Horse comics, "American Splendor: Portrait of the Artist in His Declining Years," has been released as a "Special 25-Year Anniversary Issue...
...Pekar uses a simple but induplicable device to hold the reader's interest - sheer force of personality. Most everything in "American Splendor" revolves around Harvey Pekar. From outright autobiography to essays (or "rants" as he calls them) on subjects he cares about, over the twenty-five years Pekar has created a remarkable hot/cold effect with his self-portrayal...
...first page of the latest issue, a story called "Payback," drawn by Dean Haspiel, sets the usual Pekar tone when he writes: "I think if you feel rotten most of the time by a certain age, you're always gonna feel lousy . . ." The rest of the piece boils down to a long explanation for why Haspiel was asked to draw the strip. Yes, it's completely self-reflexive and self-involved, another Pekar trait. Basically you like it if you like Pekar...