Harvey Pekar changed the face of comics when his American Splendor series replaced traditional slam-bang superhero action with slice-of-life tales of his own very ordinary existence in Cleveland, Ohio, as a file clerk, jazz-record collector, and philosophical curmudgeon. Much as Seinfeld famously transcended sitcom conventions by being âa show about nothing,â Pekarâs deadpan chronicles of regular lifeâpeppered with wry and caustic reflectionsâhave transformed comics from escapist fantasy into social commentary with voice balloons.
Huntington, West Virginia âOn the Flyâ is prime Pekar, recounting the irascible everymanâs on-the-road encounters with a cross section of charactersâa career criminal turned limo-driving entrepreneur, a toy merchant obsessed with restoring a vintage diner, comic-book archivists, indie filmmakers, and children of the sixtiesâall of whom have stories to tell. By turns funny, poignant, and insightful, these portraits Ă la Pekar showcase a one-of-a-kind master at work, channeling the stuff of average life into genuine American art.
Huntington, West Virginia "On the Fly" - Harvey Pekar
Harvey Pekar changed the face of comics when his American Splendor series replaced traditional slam-bang superhero action with slice-of-life tales of his own very ordinary existence in Cleveland, Ohio, as a file clerk, jazz-record collector, and philosophical curmudgeon. Much as Seinfeld famously transcended sitcom conventions by being âa show about nothing,â Pekarâs deadpan chronicles of regular lifeâpeppered with wry and caustic reflectionsâhave transformed comics from escapist fantasy into social commentary with voice balloons.
Huntington, West Virginia âOn the Flyâ is prime Pekar, recounting the irascible everymanâs on-the-road encounters with a cross section of charactersâa career criminal turned limo-driving entrepreneur, a toy merchant obsessed with restoring a vintage diner, comic-book archivists, indie filmmakers, and children of the sixtiesâall of whom have stories to tell. By turns funny, poignant, and insightful, these portraits Ă la Pekar showcase a one-of-a-kind master at work, channeling the stuff of average life into genuine American art.