American Splendor

American Splendor
American Splendor #1 (1976). Art by R. Crumb, Gary Dumm, Robert Armstrong, Greg Budgett, Willy Murphy, and Brian Bram. Written and published by Harvey Pekar.
Publication information
Publisher	Harvey Pekar Dark Horse Comics DC Comics
Schedule	Yearly (1976-1991) Irregular (1993-2008)
Format	Ongoing series
Publication date(s)	May 1976 – September 2008
No. of issues	39
Main character(s)	Harvey Pekar Joyce Brabner Toby Radloff Danielle Batone
Creative team
Written by	Harvey Pekar
Artist(s)	Robert Crumb Gary Dumm Frank Stack
Collected editions
The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar	ISBN
More American Splendor	ISBN

American Splendor is a series of autobiographical comic books written by Harvey Pekar and drawn by a variety of artists. The first issue was published in 1976 and the most recent in September 2008, with publication occurring at irregular intervals. Publishers have been, at various times, Harvey Pekar himself, Dark Horse Comics, and DC Comics.

The comics have been adapted into a film of the same name and a number of theatrical productions.

Despite comic books in the United States being traditionally the province of fantasy-adventure and other genre stories, Pekar felt that the medium could be put to wider use:

When I was a little kid, and I was reading these comics in the '40s, I kind of got sick of them because after a while, they were just formulaic. I figured there was some kind of a flaw that keeps them from getting better than they are, and then when I saw Robert Crumb's work in the early '60s, when he moved from Philadelphia to Cleveland, and he moved around the corner from me, I thought 'Man, comics are where it's at'.

Pekar's philosophy of the potential of comics is also expressed in his often repeated statement that 'comics are words and pictures. You can do anything with words and pictures'. In an interview with Walrus Comix, Pekar described how the idea of producing his own comic book developed. In 1972 when Crumb was visiting him in Cleveland, Pekar showed him his story ideas. Not only did Crumb agree to draw some of them but also offered to show them to other artists to draw. By 1975, Pekar decided to produce and publish his own comic book.

The stories in American Splendor concern the everyday life of Pekar in Cleveland, Ohio. Situations covered include Pekar's job as a file clerk at a Veteran's Administration hospital and his relations with colleagues and patients there. There are also stories about Pekar and his relations with friends and family, including his third wife Joyce Brabner and their adopted daughter Danielle. Other stories concern everyday situations such as Pekar's troubles with his car, money, his health, and his concerns and anxieties in general. Several issues (#14, #13, #18) give accounts of Pekar's becoming a recurring guest on the NBC television show Late Night with David Letterman, including a 1987 interview segment in which Pekar criticized Letterman for ducking criticism of General Electric, the parent company of NBC. American Splendor sometimes departs from Pekar's own life, with stories about jazz musicians (#23), the artists for his comics (#25), and a three-issue miniseries American Splendor: Unsung Hero (#29-31), which chronicles the Vietnam experience of Pekar's African-American co-worker Robert McNeill.