View source for American Splendor

{{short description|Autobiographical comic books written by Harvey Pekar}}
{{For|the 2003 film|American Splendor (film)}}
{{Infobox comic book title <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
|image               = American Splendor no 1.jpg
|imagesize           = <!-- default 250 -->
|caption             = Cover of ''American Splendor'' #1 (1976), art by [[Gary Dumm]] (pencils) and [[Greg Budgett]] (inks)
|schedule            = Yearly (1976–1991)<br />Irregular (1993–2008)
|ongoing             = y
|publisher           = Self-published (1976–1991)<br />[[Dark Horse Comics]] (1993–2002)<br />[[DC Comics]] (2006–2008)
|startmo             = May
|startyr             = 1976
|endmo               = September
|endyr               = 2008
|issues              = 39
|main_char_team      = [[Harvey Pekar]]<br />[[Joyce Brabner]]<br>[[Toby Radloff]]<br>Danielle Batone
|writers             = [[Harvey Pekar]]
|artists             = [[Robert Crumb]]<br />[[Gary Dumm]]<br />[[Greg Budgett]]<br />[[Brian Bram]]
|TPB                 = The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar
|ISBN                = 0-345-46830-9
|TPB1                = More American Splendor
|ISBN1               = 0-385-24073-2
|subcat              = DC Comics
|sort                = American Splendor
|addpubcat1          = Dark Horse Comics titles
|addpubcat2          = Vertigo Comics limited series
}}
'''''American Splendor''''' is a series of [[autobiographical comics|autobiographical]] [[comic book]]s written by [[Harvey Pekar]] and drawn by a variety of artists. The first issue was published in 1976 and the last one in September 2008, with publication occurring at irregular intervals. Publishers were, at various times, Harvey Pekar himself, [[Dark Horse Comics]], and [[DC Comics]].<ref name="vert-ency">{{Citation | last = Irvine | first = Alex | author-link = Alexander C. Irvine | contribution = American Splendor | editor-last = Dougall | editor-first = Alastair | title = The Vertigo Encyclopedia | pages = 21 | publisher = [[Dorling Kindersley]] | place = New York | year = 2008 | isbn = 978-0-7566-4122-1 | oclc = 213309015}}</ref>

The comics have been adapted into a film [[American Splendor (film)|of the same name]] and a number of [[#Theatrical productions|theatrical productions]].

== Origins ==
Despite comic books in the United States being traditionally the province of fantasy-adventure and other genre stories, Pekar felt that the medium could be put to wider use:

{{cquote|When I was a little kid, and I was reading these comics in the '40s, I kind of got sick of them because after a while, they were just formulaic. I figured there was some kind of a flaw that keeps them from getting better than they are, and then when I saw [[Robert Crumb]]'s work  in the early '60s, when he moved from Philadelphia to Cleveland, and he moved around the corner from me, I thought, 'Man, comics are where it's at'.<ref>Heater, Brian.[http://www.nypress.com/19/21/books/ "A Book called Malice", ''New York Press'' (2006).] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071121150143/http://www.nypress.com/19/21/books/ |date=2007-11-21}} Accessed Sept. 24, 2008.</ref>}}

Pekar's philosophy of the potential of comics is also expressed in his often repeated statement that "comics are words and pictures. You can do anything with words and pictures".<ref>Spurgeon, Tom. [http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/harvey_pekar_1939_2010/ "Harvey Pekar, 1939–2010"], ''The Comics Reporter'' (July 13, 2010).</ref> In an interview with ''Walrus Comix'', Pekar described how the idea of producing his own comic book developed. In 1972 when Crumb was visiting him in Cleveland, Pekar showed him his story ideas. Not only did Crumb agree to draw some of them but also offered to show them to other artists to draw. By 1975, Pekar decided to produce and publish his own comic book.<ref name="Walrus">[http://www.walruscomix.com/pekarinterview.html "WALRUS COMIX IS DEEPLY HONOURED TO PRESENT An Exclusive Interview with Comix Legend... HARVEY PEKAR"] {{webarchive | url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004201225/http://www.walruscomix.com/pekarinterview.html | date=2011-10-04}} Walrus Comix, accessed 10 Aug 2008.</ref>

Recurring character [[Toby Radloff]] first appeared in ''American Splendor'' #9 (1984), as did [[Joyce Brabner]]. Pekar and Brabner's adopted daughter, Danielle, was first introduced in ''American Splendor: Bedtime Stories'' (1999).

== Themes ==
The stories in ''American Splendor'' concern the everyday life of Pekar in [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]], told in a brutally frank style akin to the writing of [[Henry Miller]].<ref name="nytimes.com">"{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/arts/design/13pekar.html|title=Harvey Pekar, 'American Splendor' Creator, Dies at 70 |first=William|last=Grimes|work=The New York Times|date=July 12, 2010}}</ref> Pekar's stories eschew traditional narrative structure, focusing on small moments and observations. As [[Robert Pulcini]], co-writer and co-director of the ''[[American Splendor (film)|American Splendor]]'' film, said: "The whole point of the ''American Splendor'' comics is that life doesn't really organize itself well".<ref>Interview in ''Film and Comic Books'', edited by Ian Gordon, Mark Jancovich, and Matthew P. McAllister (Univ. Press of Mississippi, 2007).</ref>

Situations covered include Pekar's job as a file clerk at a Veteran's Affairs hospital and his relations with colleagues and patients there. There are also stories about Pekar and his relations with friends and family, including his second wife, Lark (issues #5, #7), his third wife, [[Joyce Brabner]] (issue #9 onward), and their adopted daughter, Danielle. Other stories concern everyday situations such as Pekar's troubles with his car, money, his health, and his concerns and anxieties in general.<ref name="vert-ency"/> Several issues (#14, #13, #18) give accounts of Pekar's becoming a recurring guest on the [[NBC]] television show ''[[Late Night with David Letterman]]'', including a 1987 interview segment in which Pekar criticized Letterman for ducking criticism of [[General Electric]], the parent company of NBC. ''American Splendor'' sometimes departs from Pekar's own life, with stories about jazz musicians (#23), the artists for his comics (#25), and a three-issue miniseries ''American Splendor: Unsung Hero'' (#29–31), which chronicles the Vietnam experience of Pekar's African-American co-worker Robert McNeill.

== Artists ==
Pekar was not an artist himself, incapable of "drawing a straight line", according to a line in the [[American Splendor (film)|film version of his story]],<ref>''American Splendor'' (Fine Line Features/HBO Films, 2003).</ref> so he recruited his friend, underground comics artist [[Robert Crumb]], to help launch ''American Splendor''. As Crumb described it:
{{cquote|"...[H]e didn't draw at all. He never even tried to learn. But he understood comics very well, and the rhythm of comics.... He was deeply into comics so he had a feel for how to tell a story in comic book form.... He was a great comic book writer".<ref name=CrumbOnOthers>R. Crumb (compiled by Alex Wood). [https://www.crumbproducts.com/Crumb-On-Others-Part-7_ep_63.html "Crumb On Others Part 7"], CrumbProducts.com (December  2013). Retrieved July 6, 2021.</ref>}}

As ''[[The Complete Crumb Comics]]'' co-editor Robert Fiore wrote about the Pekar/Crumb collaborations:
{{blockquote|[I]n ''American Splendor'', Crumb's work stood out for ... the way he really made Pekar's voice SING. His style embodied Pekar's voice.... He turned Pekar's scripts into pure comics, into something that would have been inferior in any other medium.... But I think what makes all of their collaborations work so well is the fact that Crumb is as sympathetic a collaborator as Pekar ever had. It's not just the fact that Crumb draws better than everybody else, he knew ''what'' to draw. Just as Pekar knew what to write....  Their mutual understanding of each other helped me appreciate each as artists and voices....<ref name=Fantagraphics>Fiore, Robert. [https://blog.fantagraphics.com/harvey-pekar-r-i-p/ "Harvey Pekar, R.I.P.,"] Fantagraphics blog (July 13, 2010).</ref>}}

As things evolved, however, Crumb explained:
{{cquote|"I didn't want to spend all of my time just drawing <nowiki>[</nowiki>Pekar's<nowiki>]</nowiki> stuff. So, he very quickly realized that and got other artists to draw his stuff too. He chased down all kinds of artists to draw his comics".<ref name=CrumbOnOthers />}}

In addition to Crumb, Pekar's most well-known and longest-running collaborators included [[Gary Dumm]], [[Greg Budgett]], [[Spain Rodriguez]], [[Joe Zabel]], [[Gerry Shamray]], [[Frank Stack]], Mark Zingarelli, and [[Joe Sacco]]. Other notable ''American Splendor'' illustrators include [[Alison Bechdel]], [[Joyce Brabner]], [[Brian Bram]], [[Chester Brown]], [[Alan Moore]], [[David Collier (cartoonist)|David Collier]], [[Drew Friedman (cartoonist)|Drew Friedman]], [[Michael T. Gilbert]], [[Dean Haspiel]], [[Paul Mavrides]], [[Val Mayerik]], [[Josh Neufeld]], [[Ed Piskor]], [[James Sherman (comics)|James Sherman]], [[Don Simpson (cartoonist)|Don Simpson]] and [[Jim Woodring]]. The later Vertigo Comics-published issues employed a new crop of artists, including [[Ty Templeton]], [[Richard Corben]], [[Hunt Emerson]], [[Eddie Campbell]], [[Gilbert Hernandez]], [[Ho Che Anderson]], [[Hilary Barta]], [[Bob Fingerman]], [[Rick Geary]], [[David Lapham]], [[John Lucas (comics)|John Lucas]], [[Leonardo Manco]], [[José Marzan Jr.]], [[Warren Pleece]], [[Chris Samnee]] and [[Chris Weston]].

== Publication history ==
Pekar produced seventeen issues of ''American Splendor'' from 1976 to 1993 — usually each May<ref>Koehler, Robert. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-10-19-ca-2689-story.html "STAGE REVIEW: 'American Splendor' Mines the Ordinary"], ''Los Angeles Times'' (October 19, 1990).</ref> — which, except for the last few issues, he also self-published and self-distributed. By keeping back issues in print and available (contrary to the industry practice of the time), Pekar continued to receive income on previously completed work, although at the time some of them were published, according to his ''[[Comics Journal]]'' interview (1985), he was losing thousands of dollars per year on the books.<ref>Schillig, Chris. [http://www.the-review.com/news/article/3343481 "Comic book chronicler Harvey Pekar speaks at Mount Union"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726013253/http://www.the-review.com/news/article/3343481 |date=2011-07-26}}, The Alliance Review, February 22, 2008, accessed July 12, 2010.</ref> Starting in 1994, additional ''American Splendor'' were published by [[Dark Horse Comics]], although these issues are not numbered. They include the two-issue ''American Splendor: Windfall'' and several themed issues such as ''American Splendor: Transatlantic Comics'' and ''American Splendor: On the Job''. In September 2006, a four-issue ''American Splendor'' mini-series was published by the [[DC Comics]] imprint [[Vertigo (DC Comics)|Vertigo]]. A second four-issue miniseries was published by DC in 2008.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ List of ''American Splendor'' issues
|-
! Number
! Date of Publication
! Pages (including cover)
! Artists
! Publisher
|-
|  1 || May 1976 || 52 || [[Brian Bram]], [[Greg Budgett]], [[Robert Crumb]], [[Gary Dumm]], [[Lad Jeric]] || Harvey Pekar
|-
|  2 || April 1977 || 60 || Bram, Budgett, Crumb, Dumm || Harvey Pekar
|-
|  3 || 1978 || 56 || Budgett, Crumb, Dumm || Harvey Pekar
|-
|  4 || 1979 || 60 || Crumb, Dumm, [[Michael T. Gilbert]], [[Gerry Shamray]] || Harvey Pekar
|-
|  5 || 1980 || 60 || Budgett, Crumb, Dumm, Shamray || Harvey Pekar
|-
|  6 || 1981 || 60 || Budgett, Dumm, Michael T. Gilbert, Shamray || Harvey Pekar
|-
|  7 || June 1982 || 60 || [[Kevin Brown (comics)|Kevin Brown]], Budgett, [[Sean Carroll (comics)|Sean Carroll]], [[Sue Cavey]], Crumb, [[Rick Dahl]], Dumm, [[Jack Millie]], Shamray || Harvey Pekar
|-
|  8 || 1983 || 60 || Brown, Budgett, Cavey, Crumb, Dumm, Shamray || Harvey Pekar
|-
|  9 || 1984 || 60 || Carroll, Crumb, Dumm, [[Philip Fried]], [[Barry Hoffman]], [[Bill Knapp (comics)|Bill Knapp]], [[Val Mayerik]], [[May Midwest]], [[Mitch Sonoda|M. Sonoda]] || Harvey Pekar
|-
|  10 || 1985 || 60 || [[Bill Crook (comics)|Bill Crook]], Dumm, Knapp, Mayerik, Sonoda, [[Joe Zabel]] || Harvey Pekar
|-
|  11 || 1986 || 60 || [[Joyce Brabner]], Budgett, Dumm, Knapp, Mayerik, [[Spain Rodriguez]], [[Ed Wesolowski]], Zabel || Harvey Pekar
|-
|  12 || 1987 || 60 || Budgett, [[Gilbert Clark]], Crumb, Dumm, [[Drew Friedman (cartoonist)|Drew Friedman]], Mayerik, Shamray, [[James Sherman (comics)|James Sherman]], Spain, [[Frank Stack]], Wesolowski, Zabel || Harvey Pekar
|-
|  13 || 1988 || 60 || Budgett, Dumm, Friedman, [[Rebecca Huntington]], [[Paul Mavrides]], Mayerik, [[Don Simpson (cartoonist)|Don Simpson]], Stack, Wesolowski, Zabel || Harvey Pekar
|-
|  14 || 1989 || 60 || [[Alison Bechdel]], Budgett, [[Stephen DeStefano]], Dumm, [[Linda Dumm]], [[William Fogg]], Friedman, Huntington, Mavrides, Simpson, Stack, Wesolowski, Zabel || Harvey Pekar
|-
|  15 || 1990 || 60 || [[Chester Brown]], Dumm, Knapp, [[Alan Moore]], [[Carol Sobocinski]], Spain, Stack, [[Rick Taylor (comics)|Richard G. Taylor]], Wesolowski, Zabel, [[Mark Zingarelli]] || Harvey Pekar
|-
|  16 || Nov 1991 || 60 || Dumm, Sobocinski, Spain, Stack, [[Jim Woodring]], Zabel || Harvey Pekar in association with [[Tundra Publishing]]
|-
|  17 || 1993 || 60 || Dumm, Mavrides, [[Joe Sacco]], Shamray, Sobocinski, Stack, [[John Stats|J. R. Stats]], [[Alex Wald]], Woodring, Zabel || [[Dark Horse Comics]]
|-
|  (18) ''A Step Out of the Nest'' || Aug 1994 || 36 || Dumm, Zabel || Dark Horse
|-
|  (19) ''Windfall'' 1 || Sep 1995 || 44 || Dumm, [[Josh Neufeld]], Stack, Zabel || Dark Horse
|-
|  (20) ''Windfall'' 2 || Oct 1995 || 44 || Dumm, [[Scott A. Gilbert]], Neufeld, Sacco, Stack, Zabel || Dark Horse
|-
|  (21) ''Comic-Con Comics'' || Aug 1996 || 28 || Dumm, Scott A. Gilbert, Neufeld, Zabel || Dark Horse
|-
|  (22) ''On the Job'' || May 1997 || 28 || Dumm, Sacco, Stack, Zabel || Dark Horse
|-
|  (23) ''Music Comics'' || Nov 1997 || 28 || Sacco || Dark Horse
|-
|  (24) ''Odds and Ends'' || Dec 1997 || 28 || Dumm, [[Sam Hurt]], Neufeld, Sacco, Shamray, Zabel || Dark Horse
|-
|  (25) ''Transatlantic Comics'' || Jul 1998 || 28 || Stack, [[Colin Warneford]] || Dark Horse
|-
|  (26) ''Terminal'' || Sep 1999 || 28 || Dumm, Sacco, Stack || Dark Horse
|-
|  (27) ''Bedtime Stories'' || June 2000 || 28 || [[David Collier (cartoonist)|David Collier]], [[Dean Haspiel]], Neufeld, Sacco, Spain, Stack || Dark Horse
|-
|  (28) ''Portrait of the Author in his Declining Years'' || Apr 2001 || 28 || Collier, Dumm, Haspiel, Neufeld, Sacco, Stack || Dark Horse
|-
|  (29) ''Unsung Hero'' 1 || Aug 2002 || 28 || Collier || Dark Horse
|-
|  (30) ''Unsung Hero'' 2 || Sep 2002 || 28 || Collier || Dark Horse
|-
|  (31) ''Unsung Hero'' 3 || Oct 2002 || 28 || Collier || Dark Horse
|-
|  (32) 1 || Nov 2006 || 36 || [[Hilary Barta]], Budgett, Dumm, [[Glenn Fabry]], Haspiel, [[Ty Templeton]] || [[Vertigo (DC Comics)]]
|-
|  (33) 2 || Dec 2006 || 36 || [[Eddie Campbell]], [[Richard Corben]], Haspiel, [[Leonardo Manco]], [[Chris Samnee]], [[Chris Weston]], [[Chandler Wood]] ||  Vertigo
|-
|  (34) 3 || Jan 2007 || 36 || [[Zachary Baldus]], Budgett, [[Giuseppe Camuncoli]], Dumm, [[Hunt Emerson]], [[Rick Geary]], Haspiel, Neufeld, Templeton, [[Steve Vance]] ||  Vertigo
|-
|  (35) 4 || Feb 2007 || 36 || [[Ho Che Anderson]], Baldus, Budgett, Dumm, Emerson, [[Bob Fingerman]], Geary, Haspiel, [[Gilbert Hernandez]] || Vertigo
|-
|  (36) Vol 2 1 || June 2008 || 36 || Baldus, Barta, [[Philip Bond]], Haspiel, [[Mike Hawthorne]], [[David Lapham]], [[John Lucas (comics)|John Lucas]], [[Ed Piskor]], Weston || Vertigo
|-
|  (37) Vol 2 2 || July 2008 || 36 ||  Baldus, Budgett, Dumm, Emerson, Haspiel, [[Lora Innes]], Lapham, [[José Marzan Jr.]], Neufeld, [[Darick Robertson]], Templeton || Vertigo
|-
|  (38) Vol 2 3 || Aug 2008 || 36 || [[John Cebollero]], [[Darwyn Cooke]], Geary, Haspiel, [[Sean Murphy (artist)|Sean Murphy]], Neufeld, [[Warren Pleece]], Samnee || Vertigo
|-
|  (39) Vol 2 4 || Sep 2008 || 36 || Budgett, Dumm, Geary, Haspiel, Robertson, Templeton || Vertigo
|}

== Collected editions ==
Many stories from ''American Splendor'' have been collected into [[trade paperback (comics)|trade paperbacks]] from various publishers, their material not (for the most part) overlapping:
* ''American Splendor: The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar'' (Doubleday, 1986) {{ISBN|0-345-46830-9}}
* ''More American Splendor'' (Doubleday, 1987) {{ISBN|0-385-24073-2}}
* ''The New American Splendor Anthology'' ([[Four Walls Eight Windows]], 1991) {{ISBN|0-941423-64-6}}
* ''American Splendor Presents: Bob & Harv's Comics'', with R. Crumb ([[Four Walls Eight Windows]], 1996) {{ISBN|1-56858-101-7}}
* ''American Splendor: Unsung Hero'', with David Collier (Dark Horse, 2003) {{ISBN|1-59307-040-3}}
* ''Best of American Splendor''  (Ballantine Books, 2005) {{ISBN|0-345-47938-6}}
* ''American Splendor: Another Day'' (DC/Vertigo, 2007) {{ISBN|978-1-4012-1235-3}}
* ''American Splendor: Another Dollar'' (DC/Vertigo, 2009)

==Graphic novels and other collections==
Pekar wrote two larger works that carry the ''American Splendor'' label: ''Our Movie Year'' ([[Ballantine Books]], 2004) and ''Ego & Hubris: The Michael Malice Story'' (Ballantine, 2006). ''Our Movie Year'' is a collection of comics written about or at the time of the ''American Splendor'' film; it includes an original piece illustrated by [[Ed Piskor]], as well as material originally published in a variety of sources, including ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', ''[[Cleveland Scene]]'', ''[[The New York Times]]'', ''[[Time Out New York]]'', ''[[LA Weekly]]'', ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine, ''[[Gambit Weekly]]'', the [[Music Maker (label)|Music Maker Relief Foundation]], the ''American Splendor'' film soundtrack CD, and the ''[[Sundance Film Festival]] Daily Insider''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comics.org/issue/817799/|title=American Splendor: Our Movie Year (December 2004): Random House, 2004 Series|work=[[Grand Comics Database]]|access-date = Apr 30, 2024}}</ref> ''Ego & Hubris'' is a biography of the early life of the author [[Michael Malice]].

Pekar also wrote two graphic novels which are not officially labeled ''American Splendor'' but which should arguably be considered part of it: ''[[Our Cancer Year]]'' ([[Four Walls Eight Windows]], 1994), co-written with Pekar's wife [[Joyce Brabner]] and illustrated by [[Frank Stack]], covering the year when Pekar was diagnosed with cancer; and ''The Quitter'' ([[DC/Vertigo]], 2005), illustrated by [[Dean Haspiel]], which deals with Pekar's youth.

* {{cite comic|title=[[Our Cancer Year]]|writer=Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner |artist= Frank Stack |publisher=[[Four Walls Eight Windows]]|date= 1994}} {{ISBN|1-56858-011-8}}
* {{cite comic|title=American Splendor: Our Movie Year |writer=Harvey Pekar|artist=various|publisher=Ballantine Books |date= 2004}} {{ISBN|0-345-47937-8}}
* {{cite comic|title=The Quitter |writer=Harvey Pekar|artist=Dean Haspiel |publisher=DC/Vertigo |date=2005}} {{ISBN|1-4012-0399-X}}
* {{cite comic|title=American Splendor Presents: Ego & Hubris - The Michael Malice Story |artist=[[Gary Dumm]] |writer=Harvey Pekar| publisher=Ballantine Books |date= 2006}} {{ISBN|0-345-47939-4}}

== Adaptations ==
===Theatrical productions===
Theatrical productions based on ''American Splendor'' have been mounted over the years:
* '''September–October 1985'''<ref>TH. "Harvey Pekar's ''American Splendor'' on the Boards", ''The Comics Journal'' #101 (August 1985), p. 26.</ref> – Adapted and directed by Conrad Bishop, with Herb O'Dell as Harvey. Produced by [[The Independent Eye]] in [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania]]
* '''November 1987''' – Adapted by [[Lloyd Rose]] and directed by [[James C. Nicola]],<ref name=Koehler>Koehler, Robert. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-04-ca-2493-story.html "Pekar Finally Gets a Peek at 'Splendor': Stage: The underground-comic author can now say that he's pleased with the dramatic adaptation of his work, nine months after it opened"], ''Los Angeles Times'' (July 4, 1991).</ref> with [[Richard Bauer]] as Harvey, Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Mr. Boats, and Brigid Cleary and Anderson Matthews in supporting roles. Produced by [[Arena Stage]] in the Old Vat Room in [[Washington, DC]]<ref>Richards, David. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1987/11/05/splendor-lost-in-america/ff1d1717-a831-4858-8e9b-de60db61c793/ "'SPLENDOR' LOST IN AMERICA"], ''Washington Post'' (Nov. 5, 1987).</ref>
* '''September 1990 – September 1991''' – Adapted and directed by Vince Waldron, with [[Dan Castellaneta]] as Harvey, Andy Wilson as Mr. Boats, and Richard Kuhlman, Steve Sheridan, [[Monica Horan]], David O'Shea, and [[Siobhan Fallon Hogan]] in supporting roles. Produced at the Theatre/Theater in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], [[California]]<ref name=Koehler /> (and represented in fictionalized form in the [[American Splendor (film)|''American Splendor'' movie]], with [[Donal Logue]] as Harvey and [[Molly Shannon]] as Joyce)
* '''2024 - 2025''' – Composed by [[Scott Fields]] "Pekar" is a musical suite of stories from American Splendor comic books. Development of the suite was started with [[Joyce Brabner]] in 2021. The 95-minute-long suite includes eight stories, with instrumental interludes. The instrumentation is female voice, accordion, marimba, guitar, and tuba. The premier is set for November 14, 2024 in Cologne, Germany with performances in nine other German cities in 2025. Pages from the corresponding comics are projected as supertitles.

===Film===
{{main article|American Splendor (film)}}
In 2003 a [[American Splendor (film)|film adaptation]] featuring [[Paul Giamatti]] playing Pekar (as well as appearances by Pekar himself) and [[Hope Davis]] as his wife was released to critical acclaim and first honors at the [[Sundance Film Festival]],<ref>[http://history.sundance.org/events/38 2003 Sundance Film Festival], Sundance Institute Digital Archive. Accessed July 25, 2019.</ref> in addition to the [[Writers Guild of America Award]] for best adapted screenplay.<ref>Reuters. [http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movies/02/22/sprj.aa04.wag.awards.reut/index.html "Hollywood writers honor Coppola, 'Splendor'"], CNN.com (February 22, 2004).</ref> The film was written and directed by documentarians [[Shari Springer Berman]] and [[Robert Pulcini]], and was filmed entirely on location in [[Cleveland]] and [[Lakewood, Ohio|Lakewood]] in [[Ohio]]. At the [[2003 Cannes Film Festival]], the film received the [[International Federation of Film Critics|FIPRESCI]] critics award.<ref name = FIPRESCI>{{cite web
| url=http://www.fipresci.org/awards/2003
| title=FIPRESCI – Awards: 2003
| access-date=2018-01-02}}</ref> It was also nominated for [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]] at the 2003 [[Academy Awards]].<ref>King, Susan. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-feb-05-wk-video5-story.html "Oh, the splendor of an unlikely hero"], ''Los Angeles Times'' (FEB. 5, 2004).</ref>

== Further reading ==
* {{cite magazine|title=From Off the Streets of Cleveland: The Life and Work of Harvey Pekar|first=Donald M.|last=Fiene|work=[[The Comics Journal]]|number=97|date=April 1985|pages=65–70}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Sources ==
* {{gcdb series|id= 32010 |title=American Splendor}} (Harvey Pekar)
* {{gcdb series|id= 43343 |title=American Splendor}} (Dark Horse Comics)

== External links ==
* [http://www.joshcomix.com/pekar-artists/ Harvey Pekar's Artists] at Josh Neufeld's website
* [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6393736 Radio interviews with Pekar], [[National Public Radio|NPR.org]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080915031337/http://www.landmarktheatres.com/mn/americansplendor.html An article about issue #7]
* [http://www.toonopedia.com/splendor.htm ''American Splendor'' at Toonopedia]. [https://archive.today/20240525202756/https://www.webcitation.org/66ftbvORJ?url=http://www.toonopedia.com/splendor.htm Archived] from the original on April 4, 2012.

{{Underground comix}}

[[Category:Autobiographical comics]]
[[Category:1976 comics debuts]]
[[Category:Slice of life comics]]
[[Category:Comics anthologies]]
[[Category:Underground comix]]
[[Category:American comics adapted into films]]
[[Category:Comics by Robert Crumb]]
[[Category:Comics set in Ohio]]
[[Category:Cleveland in fiction]]
[[Category:Comics set in hospitals]]