Just finished Harvey Pekar’s “American Splendor” opus. Great to have comic about the mundane. Interesting stuff, and groundbreaking in it’s time.
It also reminds me of myself a lot. Smart guy, sometimes (or often) think too much. I think I am easier to get along with though. And I have a partner that seems to like to keep me around.
The book is very good. ***1/2
I actually in this case prefer the movie. There is something about the way the movie is written which is far more character driven than Pekar’s usually shortish comics (longest one is 12 pages). I also think have Joyce Brabant in the movie (Pekar’s 3rd wife) as a major character really grounds his stories. He is in a sense more real in the movies.
So being able to do all these things makes the movie American Splendor a triumph. Haven’t seen many movies where they use both the real people from Cleveland and the actors and it moves seamlessly together. Tremendously well acted, directed and written. ****
Both are clearly excellent though. And sometimes it good enough to just be working, reading and listening to good music.