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The critically acclaimed 2003 film American Splendor was a fictionalized account of Pekar's life and work on a comic book of the same name.

American Splendor the comic book is a grumpy account about Pekar's self-proclaimed "downtrodden life" as a blue-collar Clevelander. Pekar set out to write comic books of substance to appeal to adults. He succeeded by detailing his 35-year career as a file clerk in Cleveland's veterans' hospital, his battle with cancer, and his life as a foster parent, among many other things.

Pekar was famously banned from David Letterman's show after several appearances in the mid-1980s after wearing a shirt that said "On Strike Against GE" on the show. (General Electric is affiliated with Letterman's network, NBC.)

“Essentially all I've wanted this to be is a journal of a life, because I think that sort of thing is worth recording.”
— Harvey Pekar

Come hear the man WKSU, a Cleveland-area public radio station, describes as "the ideal embodiment of life in Cleveland: a working-class Joe with a worldview that attains the impossible by being optimistic and pessimistic nearly simultaneously."

At 7 p.m. on February 28 in the Mershon Auditorium, Pekar will discuss his work and life with Dr. Jared Gardner of the English department.

The event, sponsored by Ohio State's Cartoon Research Library and the Wexner Center for the Arts, is free.

(text/images: University Marketing Communications)

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