American splendor The life and times of Harvey Pekar : stories

Pekar has become a cult figure of the non-superhero comics world, transcending his beginnings in the 1970s underground comics scene with his unique narrative of Everyman's Ordinary Life that somehow engrosses and uplifts. He's an irascible yet lovable antihero, frank about his own warts as well as everyone else's. Pekar lets you know that real life isn't what the media tells you, but you can deal with it and keep going-a message both reassuring and empowering. Pekar's autobiographical oeuvre numbers at least 15 paperback compilations; these two anthologies are good for libraries just beginning to collect his work. Beyond these, Our Cancer Year (coauthored with wife Joyce Brabner), The Quitter, and American Splendor: Our Movie Year treat special periods in his life, while Ego & Hubris: The Michael Malice Story and American Splendor: Unsung Hero branch out into other people's lives. All of Pekar's work belongs in older teen and adult collections, with strong language and occasional nudity and sex.-M.C. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.