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Harvey Pekar died this morning.
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Harvey Pekar's life was not an open book. It was an open comic book.
Pekar chronicled his life and times in the acclaimed autobiographical comic-book series, "American Splendor," portraying himself as a rumpled, depressed, obsessive-compulsive "flunky file clerk" engaged in a constant battle with loneliness and anxiety.
Pekar, 70, was found dead shortly before 1 a.m. today by his wife, Joyce Brabner, in their Cleveland Heights home, said Powell Caesar, spokesman for Cuyahoga County Coroner Frank Miller. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death. Pekar and his wife, Joyce Brabner, wrote "Our Cancer Year," a book-length comic, after Pekar was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer in 1990 and underwent a grueling treatment.
via Cleveland.com
Harvey Pekar is easily my biggest creative influence, and he's largely responsible for opening the doors for those of us who draw autobiographical comics. I first heard about him when he and Joyce were on Fresh Air, promoting the American Splendor movie (which I would argue is the best comic book adaptation yet made). At the time, I thought it was interesting, but nothing much came of that until I was living in Maine, saw one of his collections at the library, and was instantly hooked. He had a gift for making everyday minutia engaging, even dramatic at times. Even when there actually was something dramatic happening (like in Our Cancer Year) the focus was on the everyday details.
Thanks to Harvey Pekar, I feel like I've spent time in Cleveland Heights before I was even born. Some of his memories are now my memories (as they are the memories of all of his readers), and I like to think that he's going to live on in this way.
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