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“Who is Harvey Pekar?” asks the film “American Splendor.” The question comes from an early issue of “American Splendor,” Pekar’s groundbreaking autobiographical comic book, on which the film is based. For over 30 years now, Pekar has been telling his readers about his life. How does he answer that question?
“I tell ‘em I’m a writer,” says Pekar. “I write a lot about everyday life. I kind of push people’s faces into their lives. I’m not into escapism. That’s what I tell ‘em, mainly.” Pekar, like his work, is direct. Yet look closely, and interesting contradictions appear. It’s hard to overstate his influence on the development of a certain strain of American comics. He pointed the way for a generation of cartoonists, now pushing into the territory of the literary novel.
“You can call me any time, about anything,” says Pekar during our telephone conversation. “When this movie started up, I left my name in the phone book, and I would get a few calls. Sometimes they’d say, ‘Oh, man, I just saw the DVD of “American Splendor” and I just wanted to tell you, I really liked it.’ They wanted to tell me their name, and then hang up. Or then, somebody would have a question or something. A whole spectrum of calls.”
Following the critical and commercial success of the film (which Pekar likes a great deal), a reissued anthology of earlier work sold well, leading to a promising publishing arrangement. “I got a deal with Random House, a four comic-book deal. These are all gonna be trade paperbacks. It’s gonna be about 150 pages long,” Pekar explains. He also notes a forthcoming collection of material, due in fall. This book will relate to him and his family’s experiences in the wake of the film. It’s expected to be out sometime after his appearances at Bumbershoot, but is not the only upcoming project.
“I’m working on a story that could be looked upon as a sort of a prequel to ‘American Splendor.’ It’s got a lot of stuff about from when I was born to when I was in my twenties.” He is working on the 96-page project with comic artist Dean Haspiel in mind, who was instrumental in connecting Pekar to the movie people. “This may be one of the most painfully self-revelatory things I’ve worked on. Probably the most,” muses Pekar. “It’s just reliving really bad experiences.”
Harvey Pekar will be appearing at Bumbershoot twice. At 1pm Monday, September 5, Pekar will give a one-hour talk in the Bagley Wright Theatre. He’ll also be appearing on a panel, “Indie Comix and Graphic Novels,” with local creator Peter Bagge, Portland artist and writer Craig Thompson (who swept the Harveys this year for his work on 2003’s “Blankets”), and “La Perdida’s” Jessica Abel. Fantagraphics potentate Gary Groth will moderate at 8pm Sunday, September 5, also in the Bagley-Wright Theatre.
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