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Heralded with such flattering titles as “mayor of the mundane”, and “The Cleveland Underdog”, Ohio native Harvey Pekar solidified himself as a graphic novel giant with American Splendor, a series of comics about little else other than the day-to-day monotony of his own insipid life. UCLA recently hosted another in its speaking engagements Titans of The Graphic Novel (the first having been with Neil Gaiman), and what the audience got seemed a wiser, more contemplative Pekar than the more chemically imbalanced and erratic one you might have seen on The David Letterman Show (see the video below for their much-publicized fight and Harvey’s banning from the show). And for all the wisdom he might have acquired in the first few of his twilight years, he was as curmudgeonly as ever — and the crowd loved him for it.

Predictably stream-of-consciousness, Pekar gave an extensive monologue on his life until now, as well as some insight into the development of  American Splendor. A collaboration between Pekar and renowned artist Robert Crumb, Splendor is widely considered the comic book for non-comic book fans; both the unfamiliar and aficionados alike have found solace in the true tales of an all-too ordinary man who spent 35 years of his life as a file clerk and never once asked for a promotion.

But perhaps the best part of watching Pekar talk was his interactions with co-host Alison Bechdel, creator of such underground comic hits as Fun Home, Dykes to Watch Out For, and Hot, Throbbing Dykes to Watch Out For. What we got was the same Harvey portrayed by Paul Giamatti in the movie version of Splendor; you realize that one of the best things about him is his rapport with others. I think that’s part of the reason people were laughing so hard — Harvey is so unintentionally funny, he rarely has to try to say anything to make you crack up. Tonight, on more than one occasion, Harvey laments his financial situation, which in addition to his health, seems his biggest and most formidable obstacle in life. To comfort him, Alison would periodically suggest things. Often Pekar’s response is little other than a grunt of acknowledgment. ” Idunno,” is one word; “Okay,” which seems more like a polite dismissal; “Meh” is even more common. From 1966 to 2001, Pekar stayed on what he calls the “lowest rung of the employment ladder”, and was dismayed to learn upon retiring that his pension wouldn’t be enough to survive on — largely because he had never asked for a promotion.

In no way overshadowed by Harvey, Alison’s promotion of  Fun Home, which is essentially tales of her dysfunctional upbringing by a closeted homosexual father, was also an in-depth prsentation of how a comic book is made:

She was with Harvey apparently because they both share an interest in the mundane, and also because Harvey loves her work and touts it on his own. But she showcased her work as a brilliant artist and writer, with a real knack for turning the ordinary into something that rivals even some of the best graphic novels I’ve led. Although the modern graphic novel has come a long way from the “capes and codpieces” credo of most comics, Pekar and Bechdel were among the first to take something as boring and insufferable as being a file clerk and make it as unputdownable as Watchmen and Justice League.

Words by Jeff Nau

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