Harvey Pekar’s mundane tales appear in new collection

Harvey Pekar, the beloved Jewish curmudgeon from Cleveland, attained some renown with appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman and being portrayed by Paul Giamatti, and appearing as himself, in the 2003 film American Splendor. For those uninitiated in the world of Pekar, the former V.A. hospital clerk writes stories from his daily life, which usually have some greater relevance and are published in comic book format, brought to black-and-white life by some of the most talented illustrators in the genre. The new book of cartoons, American Splendor (Vertigo), is a collection of some of the best cartoon strips over the last couple of years. Harvey gets a haircut, sprains his wrist, and fixes the front bumper on his “1993 Geo Prism” (sic). It’s unbeatable stuff.  — Mordecai Specktor