Mr. Pekar took a radically different track from the superhero-laden comics that had dominated the industry. He instead specialized in the lives of ordinary people, chronicling his life as a file clerk in Cleveland and his relationship with his third wife, Joyce Brabner. His 1994 graphic novel, “Our Cancer Year,’’ detailed his battle with lymphoma.
The dreary cover shows him sprawled beside his wife on a snowy curbside with shopping bags on the ground. “Harvey, forget about the groceries, honey. Let’s get you inside first,’’ she says.
Mr. Pekar never drew himself but depended on collaborations, most notably his friend R. Crumb, who helped illustrate the first issue of the ironically titled “American Splendor,’’ published in 1976. It was made into an acclaimed 2003 film starring Paul Giamatti as Mr. Pekar. The most recent “American Splendor’’ was released in 2008.
“Harvey was one of the most compassionate and empathetic human beings I’ve ever met,’’ Giamatti said in a statement. “He had a huge brain and an even bigger soul. And he was hilarious. He was a great artist, a true American poet, and there is no one to replace him.’’
Mr. Pekar’s his insights and humor were often a bit on the dark side.
Lucy Shelton Caswell, curator of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at Ohio State University, said it was inaccurate to describe his work as “cult.’’
“His work was accepted by the mainstream,’’ Caswell said. “It was bought by public libraries and read widely.’’
“He will be remembered as an innovator who wrote stories about ordinary things that were then illustrated by some of the most notable cartoonists of the late 20th century,’’ Caswell said.
In 2003, the New York Film Critics Circle honored “American Splendor’’ as best first film for the directing-writing team of Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini. Part feature and part documentary and with occasional animated elements, the film’s tearing down of the fourth wall — with Giamatti, as Mr. Pekar, often appearing alongside the writer — paralleled his comic’s realism.
Mr. Pekar, himself, introduces the film and the character based on him: “This guy here, he’s our man, all grown up and going nowhere. Although he’s a pretty scholarly cat, he never got much of a formal education. For the most part, he’s lived in . . . neighborhoods, held . . . jobs and he’s now knee-deep into a disastrous second marriage. So if you’re the kind of person looking for romance or escapism or some fantasy figure to save the day, guess what? You’ve got the wrong movie.’’
