Harvey Pekar
Harvey Pekar
Harvey Lawrence Pekarwas an American underground comic book writer, music critic, and media personality, best known for his autobiographical American Splendor comic series. In 2003, the series inspired a well-received film adaptation of the same name...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionComic Book Artist
Date of Birth8 October 1939
CountryUnited States of America
amount art comics dawned forms history limited tremendous
It dawned on me that comics were not an intrinsically limited medium. There was a tremendous amount of things you could do in comics that you couldn't do in other art forms - but no one was doing it. I figured if I'd make a try at it, I'd at least be a footnote in history.
anyone funny
We're as interesting and funny as anyone else.
establish far liked people work
It didn't take long to establish myself, as far as people thinking my work was good. They liked it from the start.
people valuable
Some of the most valuable stuff I do has to do with my dissenting from the general opinion about people in movements.
comic looks typical work
My work looks like a comic book in form, but it's not a typical comic book in content. I write autobiographical stuff.
motions people work
I worry about getting work, and then when I get it, I worry about doing it well. I don't want to just go through the motions and give people stuff. This stuff is really important to me.
flailing fully jazz liked looking modern realized time
I was 16 years old, and I was just flailing around, looking for an interest. I heard, you know, these jazz records. They were modern records, at the time in the '50s, and I realized that I didn't fully get what was going on. But I liked a lot of what I heard.
level screw wondering work
I want to keep doing as much work as I can, and I want to keep the level high. I'm wondering if something is going to happen to me to screw it up.
major stuff
I've just been writing stuff down as it comes to me. I haven't thought, 'Let me write some major opus here.'
comics gotten regular
I've gotten more and more cut off from the regular comic-book world, from straight comics and stuff like that. Once in a while, I'll take a look at something.
call calls writes
Don't call me a curmudgeon. Everyone who writes about me calls me a curmudgeon. I don't know why.
life people satirical splendid
American Splendor... that's a satirical name. People who would look at it wouldn't think my life was splendid at all. They'd think it was kind of funky.
amazing awkward caused colonial deserve endured frightens horrible israel jews number unusual
Israel's creation was politically amazing and caused by a number of unusual events. And I understand. For centuries, Jews endured horrible suffering, and like other people, deserve the right to self-determination, but the way Israel is going now frightens me. Jews make awkward colonial overlords.
downhill revival
Things improved a little bit in the '80s; there was kind of a revival of alternative comics, but then they went downhill in the '90s.