Harvey Pekar, the much loved and admired creator of the AMERICAN SPLENDOR comics, has died at the age of 70. Pekar was an underground comics star that finally crossed over into the mainstream with the movie adaptation of his life, which starred Paul Giamatti as the young Pekar and Harvey himself in linking material. That film opened up the eyes to many more people to Pekar's work, and a new series of American Splendor comics was thus published by DC Vertigo.Pekar's wry eye for humour and emotion in the most mundane of moments and activities was a breath of fresh air to the comics industry when he first emerged. His stories of everyday life were illustrated in the early days by comics legend Robert Crumb, and saw him develop both a strong writing style and a wide ranging fanbase.
He beat cancer a few years ago, which was the basis for the highly acclaimed book 'Our Cancer Year', and alongside works such as 'The Quitter', Harvey has left behind an extremely admirable legacy. His works speak to the reader on a very ordinary level, and the clarity of his dialogue has always rung true. His comics are about as close to real life as comics get.
That said, the comics world has lost one of its most unique peers, a very honest man who had few illusions about his own personality. Rest in peace, Harvey. You were one of a kind.
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