Harvey Pekar, beloved comic book writer, prolific literary critic, jazz aficionado, file clerk and lovable grouch died yesterday in Ohio at age 70.
His best known work is his autobiographical comic book “American Splendor” that he started after meeting cartoonist Robert Crumb at a swap meet. The portrayal of a depressed, obsessive-compulsive, curmudgeonly jerk was offset by Harvey’s anxious intellectualism, self-reflective candor, and insightful commentary on every day life made it one of the most beloved and enduring comics of its time.
Pekar’s other work included “The Beats: A Graphic History” about the Beat poets, and “Our Cancer Year” which he co-wrote with his third wife Joyce Brabner about his year of battling lymphoma, for which he was awarded the 1995 Harvey for Best Graphic Album of Original Work.
RIP.
