American comic book writer, music critic and media personality
Harvey Pekar
Born
Harvey Lawrence Pekar (1939-10-08)October 8, 1939 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Died
July 12, 2010(2010-07-12) (aged 70) Cleveland Heights, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation
Comic book writer
filing clerk
music
literary critic
Genre
Underground comics Alternative comics
Subject
Autobiography
Years active
1959–2010
Notable works
American Splendor Our Cancer Year
Notable awards
Inkpot Award, 1986
American Book Award, 1987
Harvey Award, 1995
Eisner Award Hall of Fame, 2011
Spouses
Karen Delaney
(m. 1960; div. 1972)
Helen Lark Hall
(m. 1977; div. 1981)
Joyce Brabner
(m. 1984)
Harvey Lawrence Pekar (/ˈpiːkɑːr/; October 8, 1939 – July 12, 2010)[1] was 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.
Frequently described as the "poet laureate of Cleveland",[2][3] Pekar "helped change the appreciation for, and perceptions of, the graphic novel, the drawn memoir, the autobiographical comic narrative."[4] Pekar described his work as "autobiography written as it's happening. The theme is about staying alive, getting a job, finding a mate, having a place to live, finding a creative outlet. Life is a war of attrition. You have to stay active on all fronts. It's one thing after another. I've tried to control a chaotic universe. And it's a losing battle. But I can't let go. I've tried, but I can't."[5]
Among the awards given to Pekar for his work were the Inkpot Award, the American Book Award, a Harvey Award, and his posthumous induction into the Eisner Award Hall of Fame.
^"United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch Familysearch.org Accessed 19 Mar 2013, Harvey L Pekar, 12 July 2010.
^Bourdain, Anthony (July 13, 2010). "The Original (Goodbye Splendor)". Travel Channel.
^"Harvey Pekar Dies: Comic book writer was 'poet laureate of Cleveland'" by Marc Tracy, Tablet, July 12, 2010
^"HARVEY PEKAR: Remembering the man — and legacy — one year later" by Michael Cavna, The Washington Post, 7/13/2011
^"Harvey Pekar" (obituary), The Daily Telegraph, July 13, 2010
Harvey Lawrence Pekar (/ˈpiːkɑːr/; October 8, 1939 – July 12, 2010) was an American underground comic book writer, music critic, and media personality...
1, 1952) is an American writer of political comics and the widow of HarveyPekar. Brabner recalls "read[ing] comics when I was five or six years old –...
American Splendor is a series of autobiographical comic books written by HarveyPekar and drawn by a variety of artists. The first issue was published in 1976...
became a minor celebrity owing to his appearances in Cleveland writer HarveyPekar's autobiographical comic book series American Splendor. Radloff has a...
Our Cancer Year is a nonfiction graphic novel written by HarveyPekar and Joyce Brabner and illustrated by Frank Stack. Published in 1994 by Four Walls...
creating Billy Dogma, The Red Hook, and for his collaborations with writer HarveyPekar on his American Splendor series as well as the graphic novel The Quitter...
a group of young bohemians such as Buzzy Linhart, Liz Johnston, and HarveyPekar. Dissatisfied with greeting card work, he tried to sell cartoons to comic...
independent comics. He was also a performance artist. Comics writer HarveyPekar details a DiCaprio performance in Los Angeles in February 1988 where...
and lost the appeal as well. Malice's early life was the subject of HarveyPekar's 2006 biographical graphic novel Ego & Hubris: The Michael Malice Story...
documentary that featured HarveyPekar reading one of his American Splendor stories. Important influences included Harvey Kurtzman, Will Eisner, Jack...
Bulgarian newspaper published until 1872 Macedonia (comics), a 2007 book by HarveyPekar and Heather Roberson SS Macedonia (1911), a Greek passenger liner that...
Levy Thunderpants Johnson J. Johnson Pete Hewitt 2003 American Splendor HarveyPekar Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini Paycheck Shorty John Woo Confidence...
Ralf Koenig Harvey Kurtzman Touko "Tom of Finland" Laaksonen Milo Manara Suehiro Maruo Frank Miller Alan Moore Al Rio Terry Moore HarveyPekar Spain Rodriguez...
particularly for his work illustrating the comics of HarveyPekar. Most of Budgett's work on Pekar's American Splendor and other comics has been in partnership...
Giamatti in the movie adaptation of the HarveyPekar comic American Splendor as the comic book version of Pekar's real-life wife, Joyce Brabner. For this...
Parker (politician) (1834–1892), lumber merchant and politician in Quebec HarveyPekar, American underground comic book writer This disambiguation page lists...
based on the comic book series American Splendor by HarveyPekar and Our Cancer Year by HarveyPekar and Joyce Brabner City of God – Bráulio Mantovani based...
surname include: HarveyPekar (1939–2010), American underground comic book writer, music critic and media personality Jaroslav Pekař (born 1944), Czech...
Zarchy: Big Band Trumpeter". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 25, 2010. HarveyPekar (December 9, 2005). "Tommy Dorsey - The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing"...
featured in the opening credits of Hot in Cleveland. Graphic artist HarveyPekar, writer of American Splendor, regularly featured the tower in his comics...
for his work illustrating the comics of HarveyPekar. From 1976 until Pekar's 2010 death, he worked on Pekar's autobiographical comic series, American...
RailsConf (2007) Portland, Oregon "Fair Game: Hasan Elahi, Rachelle Garniez, HarveyPekar". Archived from the original on September 26, 2007. Retrieved July 25...
the American Splendor film, Toby's friend, American Splendor author HarveyPekar, was less receptive to the movie, believing it to be hopelessly idealistic...
one next to HarveyPekar. They struck up a conversation. This led her to a collaboration with the late Cleveland-based cartoonist HarveyPekar, the author...
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