As fans of both his work and the wonderful movie based on it, American Splendor, we were deeply saddened to hear of Harvey Pekar’s death. The writer who chronicled his life and struggles in a series of cult-favorite comics-turned-graphic novels was found dead in his home by his wife at 1 a.m. today. He was 70 years old.
Many (fans and detractors alike) will remember Pekar as a curmudgeon who wasn’t afraid to complain about the many things he hated — and they’re not wrong. But in the spirit of commemoration (and, okay, contrarianism), we’d like to celebrate this underground hero by enjoying some of the things he did like. Our top 10 Pekar picks are after the jump.
Obscure jazz
Twitter (but not computers)
Bagels, without cream cheese
Alison Bechdel “Alison Bechdel — she’s one of the best, one to watch out for.” — Pekar
Cleveland Heights
Emile Zola (and other realist novelists)
Trashing GE on Letterman
Lenny Bruce In fact, Pekar was in the process of creating a biography of the comedian.
