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38-503: The comics have been adapted into a film of the same name and a number of theatrical productions . 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: 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

76-593: A superhero for trick-or-treating . Years later, Harvey is seen walking the Cleveland streets, and the real Harvey Pekar appears in a documentary-style setup. In 1975, Harvey visits a throat doctor, exhibiting hypochondria. His wife mocks their lifestyle and leaves him. At his file clerk job at a VA hospital , Mr. Boats offers advice from an Elinor Wylie poem. In a documentary scene, the real Harvey discusses his part-time used-record collecting/selling. Flashing back to 1962, Harvey meets shy illustrator Robert Crumb at

114-562: A dinner date, Joyce becomes ill at his apartment, leading to Harvey's care. Joyce suggests they skip courtship and marry. A week later, Harvey sees his colleague Toby Radloff eating in his car, heading to Toledo for a screening of Revenge of the Nerds . Harvey heads to Delaware to marry Joyce and help her move to Cleveland. The real Joyce Brabner discusses becoming a character in Harvey's stories. Married, Harvey and Joyce attend Revenge of

152-516: A file clerk. He reconnects with Alice Quinn, a former college acquaintance, and they discuss Theodore Dreiser 's novel Jennie Gerhardt , but he leaves feeling lonelier. Meanwhile, in Delaware, Joyce is frustrated with her partner in the comic book store, who has sold her copy of American Splendor No. 8. She begins corresponding with Harvey, who eagerly responds. They realize they are kindred spirits, and she travels to Cleveland to meet him. After

190-435: A hit, and Toby becomes an MTV star. In Cleveland, Harvey is recognized from Late Night , rather than American Splendor , which angers him. Joyce seeks fulfillment and travels to a peace conference without Harvey's permission. One night, Harvey discovers a lump on his groin. With Joyce away, Harvey returns to Late Night wearing an "On Strike Against NBC" shirt, causing chaos. Joyce returns, discovers Harvey's lump, and he

228-420: 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 , Leonardo Manco , José Marzan Jr. , Warren Pleece , Chris Samnee and Chris Weston . Pekar produced seventeen issues of American Splendor from 1976 to 1993 — usually each May — which, except for

266-499: 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

304-923: A variety of sources, including Entertainment Weekly , Cleveland Scene , The New York Times , Time Out New York , LA Weekly , Empire magazine, Gambit Weekly , the Music Maker Relief Foundation , the American Splendor film soundtrack CD, and the Sundance Film Festival Daily Insider . 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

342-553: A yard sale, bonding over jazz and comics. Returning to 1975, the now-famous Crumb visits Cleveland. Frustrated and single, Harvey has a sobering moment in the VA hospital's "deceased" files, leading him to write his own stories. Inspired by an incident at the supermarket, he stays up all night writing. At a diner, Harvey shows Crumb his comic scripts, and Crumb offers to illustrate them. Harvey publishes eight issues of American Splendor to critical acclaim but little financial gain, remaining

380-403: Is a portrait of a true underground original." On Metacritic , the film has a weighted average score of 90 out of 100, based on 42 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Roger Ebert awarded the film four stars out of four in his review, calling it a "magnificently audacious movie, in which fact and fiction sometimes coexist in the same frame." He remarked "the casting of Giamatti and Davis

418-445: Is diagnosed with lymphoma . She suggests making a comic book about it, but he resists. She enlists Fred, an artist, to illustrate the experience. Fred brings his daughter Danielle, whom Joyce adores. Harvey reluctantly agrees to participate and asks Fred to keep bringing Danielle. Harvey's treatment is grueling. He questions if he is real or a comic character and ponders the story's end if he dies. Harvey dreams of other Harvey Pekars in

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456-404: Is perfect", writing that they "mastered not only the looks but the feels and even the souls of these two people", as well as praising Friedlander's performance. He also found the film "delightful in the way it finds its own way to tell its own story", describing its presentation as "mesmerizing in the way it lures us into the daily hopes and fears of this Cleveland family." American Splendor won

494-1194: 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.... As things evolved, however, Crumb explained: "I didn't want to spend all of my time just drawing [Pekar's] 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". 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 , Drew Friedman , Michael T. Gilbert , Dean Haspiel , Paul Mavrides , Val Mayerik , Josh Neufeld , Ed Piskor , James Sherman , Don Simpson and Jim Woodring . The later Vertigo Comics-published issues employed

532-648: The American Splendor comics is that life doesn't really organize itself well". 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. Several issues (#14, #13, #18) give accounts of Pekar's becoming

570-721: The Sundance Film Festival , in addition to the Writers Guild of America Award for best adapted screenplay. The film was written and directed by documentarians Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini , and was filmed entirely on location in Cleveland and Lakewood in Ohio . At the 2003 Cannes Film Festival , the film received the FIPRESCI critics award. It was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at

608-408: The 2003 Academy Awards . American Splendor (film) American Splendor is a 2003 American biographical comedy drama film written and directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini . The film, which chronicles the life of comic book writer Harvey Pekar , is a hybrid production featuring live actors, documentary, and animation. It is based on the 1976–2008 comic book series of

646-537: The 2003 Academy Awards . Columnist Jaime Wolf wrote a laudatory review of the film in Slate , also drawing attention to formal parallels with Woody Allen 's Annie Hall and his other films. Harvey Pekar wrote about the effects of the film in various stories published in American Splendor: Our Movie Year (2004). Gary Dumm Too Many Requests If you report this error to

684-573: The Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Film at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival , in addition to the award for Best Adapted Screenplay from the Writers Guild of America . At the 2003 Cannes Film Festival , the film received the FIPRESCI critics award. American Splendor was given the Guardian New Directors Award at the 2003 Edinburgh International Film Festival . It was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at

722-601: The Letterman show in 1993 & 1994.) The film's original production budget was $ 1.5 million, and as the film was coming together, HBO gave the filmmakers more money for post-production, animation, and music. Mark Suozzo wrote the film's score. Music played in the film mostly reflects Pekar's affection for avant-garde jazz and American music from the 1920s and 1930s. A couple of songs by American Splendor illustrator Robert Crumb and his band are also featured. The American Splendor (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

760-447: The Nerds with Toby, which Harvey finds insipid. Back at their apartment, Joyce complains about Harvey's possessions but their argument is interrupted by a theater producer wanting to adapt American Splendor into a play. After its Los Angeles debut, Harvey's success grows, complicated by Joyce's emotional struggles and desire for children. A producer offers Harvey a guest spot on Late Night with David Letterman . Harvey's appearances are

798-492: The Vietnam experience of Pekar's African-American co-worker Robert McNeill. Pekar was not an artist himself, incapable of "drawing a straight line", according to a line in the film version of his story , so he recruited his friend, underground comics artist Robert Crumb , to help launch American Splendor . As Crumb described it: "...[H]e didn't draw at all. He never even tried to learn. But he understood comics very well, and

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836-467: The film, and his old network of NBC did not allow the filmmakers to use footage of Pekar's disastrous fourth and sixth appearances on Late Night (aired July 31, 1987 and August 31, 1988, respectively), though they had no problems with the other Pekar appearances that are shown in the film. The supposed "final appearance" was done using oblique camera angles and a voiced-over audio of the incident. (In actuality, Pekar returned for two more appearances on

874-539: The film; some scenes use artwork replicated by cartoonist Doug Allen . Animated sequences were produced by Gary Leib . At one point, Pekar meta-references the structure of the film by doing a voice-over for a one-shot of Paul Giamatti playing him by saying "There's our guy. Well, it's me. Or the guy playing me. Though he don't look nothing like me, but whatever." (Pekar and Brabner had been approached previously by actors interested in playing Pekar on film, including Rob Schneider .) David Letterman refused to appear in

912-461: 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. Recurring character Toby Radloff first appeared in American Splendor #9 (1984), as did Joyce Brabner . Pekar and Brabner's adopted daughter, Danielle,

950-527: 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. Starting in 1994, additional American Splendor were published by Dark Horse Comics , although these issues are not numbered. They include

988-412: The main character never really looks the same because he's drawn by so many different artists. We wondered how to stay true to the material, and that's the concept we came up with. The structure came out of that very naturally. It wasn't something that we labored over." Berman added that upon meeting Pekar they felt compelled to include him in the film: "We also got to know Harvey even before we wrote

1026-420: The most part) overlapping: 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

1064-475: The phone book. A year later, Harvey and Joyce sign the completed Our Cancer Year , and he is declared cancer-free. They adopt Danielle, and Harvey adjusts to parenthood. The real Harvey retires from the VA hospital, and the staff holds a retirement party where Joyce, Danielle, and Harvey embrace. The film was originally intended to be screened on HBO . The script was written before the September 11 attacks ,

1102-626: 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". As The Complete Crumb Comics co-editor Robert Fiore wrote about the Pekar/Crumb collaborations: [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

1140-413: The same name written by Pekar and the 1994 graphic novel Our Cancer Year written by Pekar and Joyce Brabner . The film stars Paul Giamatti as Pekar and Hope Davis as Brabner. It also features appearances from Pekar and Brabner themselves (along with Pekar's long-time co-worker Toby Radloff ), who discuss their lives, the comic books, and how it feels to be depicted onscreen by actors. The film

1178-470: The screenplay. We actually went to Cleveland and spent time with Harvey and Joyce, and spoke to them on the phone a lot. Once we spent some time with both of them, we were like, 'Oh my God, we have to put them in the movie!' That was a case where we were still using our documentary instincts and had to figure out a way to include him in it that was a natural fit for the material." Artwork from actual American Splendor comics and Our Cancer Year appears in

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1216-570: 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 . A second four-issue miniseries was published by DC in 2008. Many stories from American Splendor have been collected into trade paperbacks from various publishers, their material not (for

1254-431: The year when Pekar was diagnosed with cancer; and The Quitter ( DC/Vertigo , 2005), illustrated by Dean Haspiel , which deals with Pekar's youth. Theatrical productions based on American Splendor have been mounted over the years: In 2003 a 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

1292-491: Was cast right afterward, and shot in about a month in the fall of 2001. Though Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini had directed documentaries before, American Splendor was their first narrative feature. Of the film's alternating of fictional portrayals with real-life appearances by Pekar and his friends and family, co-writer/co-director Pulcini recalled, "It really was the only way that made sense to tell that story because we were handed this stack of comic strips where

1330-419: Was filmed entirely on location in Cleveland and Lakewood in Ohio . American Splendor premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2003, and was released in the United States on August 15, by Fine Line Features . The film received critical acclaim. It was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 76th Academy Awards . On Halloween 1950, 11-year-old Harvey Pekar refuses to dress up as

1368-598: Was first introduced in American Splendor: Bedtime Stories (1999). 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 . 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, said: "The whole point of

1406-432: Was released by New Line Records in 2003, and featured the following songs: The following songs — in whole, or in part — are used diegetically in the film: On Rotten Tomatoes , the film has a 94% rating based on reviews from 186 critics, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Exhilarating both stylistically and for its entertaining, moving portrayal of an everyman, American Splendor

1444-503: 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'. 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". In an interview with Walrus Comix , Pekar described how

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