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Harvey Pekar's Cleveland
“One of the very greatest works by that unique and irreplaceable American voice, the truly splendorous Harvey Pekar... graced by the impeccable and poignant artistry of Joseph Remnant.” -- From the introduction by Alan Moore"A must for graphic-novel, Americana, and localism buffs alike." -- Booklist (starred review)"Often insightful, and unafraid to show himself in an extremely uncomplimentary light, Pekar illustrates 70 years of recent history as seen through the eyes of one gloomy but talented pessimist... Remnant brings this very personal history to vibrant life with his own flair for the charm of the ordinary. Cleveland will stand as a must-have volume in Pekar’s body of work." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)A lifelong resident of Cleveland, Ohio, Harvey Pekar (1939-2010) pioneered autobiographical comics, mining the mundane for magic since 1976 in his critically acclaimed series American Splendor.Harvey Pekar’s Cleveland is sadly one of his last, but happily one of his most definitive graphic novels. It presents key moments and characters from the city's history, intertwined with Harvey's own ups and downs, as relayed to us by Our Man and meticulously researched and rendered by artist Joseph Remnant. At once a history of Cleveland and a portrait of Harvey, it's a tribute to the ordinary greatness of both."America’s poet-comic-laureate of curmudgeonhood is sorely missed, but thankfully, this posthumous book, like Hamlet’s father, is here to remind us of the great man, the great Pekar." -- Jonathan Ames, author and creator of HBO’s Bored to Death
129 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
24 people are currently reading
976 people want to read
About the author
Harvey Pekar
118 books256 followersHarvey Pekar was an American writer and comics creator whose groundbreaking autobiographical series American Splendor helped redefine the possibilities of graphic storytelling. Frequently called the poet laureate of Cleveland, he developed a body of work that approached everyday life with candor, humor, frustration, and philosophical reflection. Pekar’s voice became central to the evolution of comics into a medium capable of serious literary expression, and his influence extended to criticism, journalism, and popular culture through his essays, radio work, and memorable television appearances.
Pekar grew up in Cleveland, where his parents operated a small grocery store, and his early experiences shaped much of the sensibility that later defined his writing. His deep love of jazz led him into criticism, and through that world he befriended artist Robert Crumb. Their shared interest in music eventually led him to try writing comics. Pekar wrote his first scripts in the early seventies, sketching out stories with simple figures before passing them to Crumb and other underground artists who encouraged him to continue. With the first issue of American Splendor in 1976, Pekar began chronicling the small battles, anxieties, and fleeting moments that made up his daily life in Cleveland. His day job as a file clerk, his marriages, conversations with coworkers, frustrations with bureaucracy, and the struggle to make ends meet all became material for a series that often blurred the line between observation and confession. Over the years, he worked with a wide range of artists who interpreted his scripts in styles that mirrored the emotional tone of each story.
The success of American Splendor brought Pekar national attention. Collections such as The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar received strong critical praise, and his unpredictable, often confrontational appearances on late-night television became a defining part of his public persona. The 2003 film adaptation of American Splendor, in which Paul Giamatti portrayed him, earned major festival awards and introduced Pekar’s work to a wider audience. He continued to write graphic memoirs, biographies, collaborations, and cultural commentary, expanding his range while maintaining the blunt honesty that characterized his voice. Pekar’s work remains central to the development of literary comics, influencing generations of writers and artists who followed his example.
Pekar grew up in Cleveland, where his parents operated a small grocery store, and his early experiences shaped much of the sensibility that later defined his writing. His deep love of jazz led him into criticism, and through that world he befriended artist Robert Crumb. Their shared interest in music eventually led him to try writing comics. Pekar wrote his first scripts in the early seventies, sketching out stories with simple figures before passing them to Crumb and other underground artists who encouraged him to continue. With the first issue of American Splendor in 1976, Pekar began chronicling the small battles, anxieties, and fleeting moments that made up his daily life in Cleveland. His day job as a file clerk, his marriages, conversations with coworkers, frustrations with bureaucracy, and the struggle to make ends meet all became material for a series that often blurred the line between observation and confession. Over the years, he worked with a wide range of artists who interpreted his scripts in styles that mirrored the emotional tone of each story.
The success of American Splendor brought Pekar national attention. Collections such as The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar received strong critical praise, and his unpredictable, often confrontational appearances on late-night television became a defining part of his public persona. The 2003 film adaptation of American Splendor, in which Paul Giamatti portrayed him, earned major festival awards and introduced Pekar’s work to a wider audience. He continued to write graphic memoirs, biographies, collaborations, and cultural commentary, expanding his range while maintaining the blunt honesty that characterized his voice. Pekar’s work remains central to the development of literary comics, influencing generations of writers and artists who followed his example.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
March 13, 2022
I'd heard of Harvey Pekar. I had spent several years in a suburb of Cleveland and was interested in this comic. It was different. It is a look at the development of the city of Cleveland through the eyes of Mr. Pekar. Mr. Pekar is something of a loser, mainly working low end jobs, marrying and divorcing randomly horrid women and muttering about the decline of Cleveland from its heydey in the '40s into the '50s.
Mr. Pekar is not a terribly likable person. If you'd like to see Cleveland from the viewpoint of a poor working class guy-then this is a good book for you. It is a decent look at the changes coming to Cleveland and someone with a knowledge of the city would enjoy it. For everyone else? It may or may not appeal. I appreciated the historic look, but had no empathy for the main characters who are mostly awful.
Mr. Pekar is not a terribly likable person. If you'd like to see Cleveland from the viewpoint of a poor working class guy-then this is a good book for you. It is a decent look at the changes coming to Cleveland and someone with a knowledge of the city would enjoy it. For everyone else? It may or may not appeal. I appreciated the historic look, but had no empathy for the main characters who are mostly awful.
October 18, 2012
I wish I could be more positive about one of Harvey Pekar's final books but I can't. "Cleveland" is too full of dry information, and re-heated stories Pekar has gone over before in other books.
The first 40 pages is the history of Cleveland and reads like an illustrated Wikipedia entry. This is a full third of the book. Pekar then proceeds to tell his life story in relation to Cleveland. He was born, raised, and spent his whole life in Cleveland. But his life story, particularly his childhood, etc. is already written about in his David Copperfield-esque "The Quitter".
Pekar skims over stuff most readers of his will be familiar with already: the griping about money and having to write his comics to keep his head above water post-retirement, how most indie comics don't make money, how he got started reviewing books and music, his start in comics and meeting R. Crumb, and meeting his wife Joyce Brabner.
The only stories I hadn't heard before were those of his second wife (nameless) who was more ambitious than Pekar and left him for an academic career in New England (something Pekar is still grouchy about - he refused to ever leave his "cushy" admin clerk job), and the story of his friend who ran a large used bookstore. Out of 120 pages though it's not enough new content especially when mixed in with a lot of stories he's told before and page upon page of dull history of a fairly ordinary city.
But that's probably why it suits Pekar so much - he is Cleveland. It has culture but it's essentially ordinary, much like the writer. Unfortunately Pekar is unable to make the book about his hometown particularly interesting because nothing really interesting or unique has ever happened in Cleveland. I love most of Pekar's work but "Cleveland" is an unsatisfactory and disappointing coda to an excellent writer. For better Pekar books, try his various "American Splendor" books to get a better picture of the man and his work.
The first 40 pages is the history of Cleveland and reads like an illustrated Wikipedia entry. This is a full third of the book. Pekar then proceeds to tell his life story in relation to Cleveland. He was born, raised, and spent his whole life in Cleveland. But his life story, particularly his childhood, etc. is already written about in his David Copperfield-esque "The Quitter".
Pekar skims over stuff most readers of his will be familiar with already: the griping about money and having to write his comics to keep his head above water post-retirement, how most indie comics don't make money, how he got started reviewing books and music, his start in comics and meeting R. Crumb, and meeting his wife Joyce Brabner.
The only stories I hadn't heard before were those of his second wife (nameless) who was more ambitious than Pekar and left him for an academic career in New England (something Pekar is still grouchy about - he refused to ever leave his "cushy" admin clerk job), and the story of his friend who ran a large used bookstore. Out of 120 pages though it's not enough new content especially when mixed in with a lot of stories he's told before and page upon page of dull history of a fairly ordinary city.
But that's probably why it suits Pekar so much - he is Cleveland. It has culture but it's essentially ordinary, much like the writer. Unfortunately Pekar is unable to make the book about his hometown particularly interesting because nothing really interesting or unique has ever happened in Cleveland. I love most of Pekar's work but "Cleveland" is an unsatisfactory and disappointing coda to an excellent writer. For better Pekar books, try his various "American Splendor" books to get a better picture of the man and his work.
April 21, 2012
I think this might be the last full book Harvey Pekar completed scripting before passing away. Joseph Remnant may have been my favorite Pekar collaborator since Crumb, and while this book does re-hash some standard Pekar mythology - appearances on Letterman, meeting and marrying Joyce - it's a solid look at both Cleveland as well as Pekar's place in the city.
March 24, 2013
Probably the only thing Harvey Pekar and I have in common is the city of Cleveland.
It's supposedly the hipster thing to do nowadays to declare Pekar a genius while admitting you've never read his work. Fine, guilty. But at least I'm not one of those folks who came to his work as a direct result of watching the American Splendor biopic (still haven't seen it, but soon). Anyway, my previous experiences of Pekar were his appearances on David Letterman in the 80s. (As a kid, it seemed for years that the only guests Letterman had were Pekar, Fran Lebowitz, and Howard Stern. More likely, these were the only guests that were memorable, having held my interest and attention.) The fact that he was from Cleveland and talked about Cleveland didn't mean that much to me at the time.
It's to my everlasting regret that I never came to underground comics at an earlier age. I just couldn't brave the densely-drawn comics in "that section" of the comics store where American Splendor, Heavy Metal, and others were shelved, near the porn comics. But better late than never, and I'm glad my first real taste was from Harvey Pekar's Cleveland.
The fact that the book gives a good-enough history of the City of Cleveland over the years is almost beside the point. It, like most of Pekar's work in American Splendor is really about Pekar alone and his observations. It just so happens that there are years where his observations on Cleveland and mine coincide.
When he talks about the things that happened in the late 80s/early 90s--Toby Radloff's 5 minutes of fame, the decline of Cleveland schools to the point where the State of Ohio took them over, the hospitals taking over the local economy, etc.--he's talking about a time when Cleveland was my home, during years when there was every chance that we might've bumped shoulders walking down Coventry, or up the steps of the main branch of the Cleveland Public Library. Some of the times that were his own, like the experience of running up the stairs of Cleveland's (Old) Arcade, I independently experienced (as did a lot of Clevelanders) 40-some years later. To me, Pekar isn't to be praised just for speaking general truth, but for speaking some truths that I can verify.
So, I have to give Cleveland a very biased 5* out of 5.
It's supposedly the hipster thing to do nowadays to declare Pekar a genius while admitting you've never read his work. Fine, guilty. But at least I'm not one of those folks who came to his work as a direct result of watching the American Splendor biopic (still haven't seen it, but soon). Anyway, my previous experiences of Pekar were his appearances on David Letterman in the 80s. (As a kid, it seemed for years that the only guests Letterman had were Pekar, Fran Lebowitz, and Howard Stern. More likely, these were the only guests that were memorable, having held my interest and attention.) The fact that he was from Cleveland and talked about Cleveland didn't mean that much to me at the time.
It's to my everlasting regret that I never came to underground comics at an earlier age. I just couldn't brave the densely-drawn comics in "that section" of the comics store where American Splendor, Heavy Metal, and others were shelved, near the porn comics. But better late than never, and I'm glad my first real taste was from Harvey Pekar's Cleveland.
The fact that the book gives a good-enough history of the City of Cleveland over the years is almost beside the point. It, like most of Pekar's work in American Splendor is really about Pekar alone and his observations. It just so happens that there are years where his observations on Cleveland and mine coincide.
When he talks about the things that happened in the late 80s/early 90s--Toby Radloff's 5 minutes of fame, the decline of Cleveland schools to the point where the State of Ohio took them over, the hospitals taking over the local economy, etc.--he's talking about a time when Cleveland was my home, during years when there was every chance that we might've bumped shoulders walking down Coventry, or up the steps of the main branch of the Cleveland Public Library. Some of the times that were his own, like the experience of running up the stairs of Cleveland's (Old) Arcade, I independently experienced (as did a lot of Clevelanders) 40-some years later. To me, Pekar isn't to be praised just for speaking general truth, but for speaking some truths that I can verify.
So, I have to give Cleveland a very biased 5* out of 5.
October 18, 2013
I really, really love Harvey Pekar. I've even met him. There is no one, and I do mean NO ONE, whose writing hits me straight through the heart like Harvey's. Always described as a "curmudgeon" or a grump, he's also got a pretty darn sweet side to him. This side is evident when reading this book. He's got a love of history and deep respect for the town that Cleveland was and is now. That city sure has some problems, especially where economics and race relations are concerned. It was once a thriving community with a strong appreciation of arts and literature. I found Cleveland's history to be really interesting as they had a few mayors before the depression who were basically socialists and did amazing things for the public. The depression hit and it seems they never fully recovered. But despite that, Harvey chose to stay. His books make it clear that he was fine with his government job and liked the security, despite how mundane working as a file clerk was. He kept writing and that kept him going.
Last week was Harvey's birthday. RIP, "our man". We miss you.
Last week was Harvey's birthday. RIP, "our man". We miss you.
September 4, 2020
This is a memoir by the late graphic novelist Harvey Pekar, drawn by Joseph Remnant, and with an impressive introduction by the graphic novel giant Alan Moore.
I thought it was a mesmerizing work - a page turner, actually - since Mr. Pekar's life in Cleveland held so many ups and downs, the reader wants to find out how the next episode in his life turned out and so forth. He had a wonderful if somewhat tortured/anguished life, and I could appreciate some of what he went through. He was obviously a very smart guy who didn't have a conventional career - instead spent decades at an easy yet secure office job. Nonetheless, he had an immensely interesting life outside of work (and even at work many of the people he met were interesting and made it into his graphic novels) -- hunting down interesting books at second-hand/thrift shops, and constantly expanding his store of knowledge. He was a prolific reviewer of books - and also accumulated a huge collection of music records. He was nonetheless anguished by the decline of his home town, and the book is interspersed with commentary on Cleveland, and an entire section explains how Cleveland started, grew and so forth. You would have to describe him as a happy-go-lucky yet brilliant observer of life in Cleveland - a one-of-a-kind quirky unconventional intellectual. I loved the sections of the book where he describes wandering around the city as a child - when the city was still vibrant and included shopping galleries and streets filled with shoppers. The book excels at presenting his process of growing up in the then bustling city - at a time when parents still allowed their kids to roam around. This was magic and the subsequent pathos of the city's steady decline is all the more tragic, given its former glory/prominence. The reader at least learns how great the city once was - not merely another decaying Rust Belt city. Unlike so many others who fled, Pekar stayed and managed to survive in Cleveland. The city was a hub of industry during the war, but after the postwar boom ended, there was corporate restructuring in the steel and railroad industry and many factories closed. Following the loss of industry, residents moved to suburbs with the construction of highways, in a typical Rust Belt pattern - or further afield, to the Sun Belt etc., and Cleveland didn't ever fully bounce back - not the way NY bounced back after a couple of decades of crime and depopulation. By now, Cleveland's population has fallen by around 600,000 residents since its peak of nearly a million in around 1960. So Pekar - born in the late 1930s, witnessed the rise and fall of Cleveland, as it hemorrhaged jobs and people, was ripped apart by riots and so forth. This happened to many cities of the Northeast - especially after de-industrialization set in. I thought the book, albeit sad, was excellent - both the text the drawings & the intro by Alan Moore. Pekar always bounced back, even if Cleveland didn't.
I thought it was a mesmerizing work - a page turner, actually - since Mr. Pekar's life in Cleveland held so many ups and downs, the reader wants to find out how the next episode in his life turned out and so forth. He had a wonderful if somewhat tortured/anguished life, and I could appreciate some of what he went through. He was obviously a very smart guy who didn't have a conventional career - instead spent decades at an easy yet secure office job. Nonetheless, he had an immensely interesting life outside of work (and even at work many of the people he met were interesting and made it into his graphic novels) -- hunting down interesting books at second-hand/thrift shops, and constantly expanding his store of knowledge. He was a prolific reviewer of books - and also accumulated a huge collection of music records. He was nonetheless anguished by the decline of his home town, and the book is interspersed with commentary on Cleveland, and an entire section explains how Cleveland started, grew and so forth. You would have to describe him as a happy-go-lucky yet brilliant observer of life in Cleveland - a one-of-a-kind quirky unconventional intellectual. I loved the sections of the book where he describes wandering around the city as a child - when the city was still vibrant and included shopping galleries and streets filled with shoppers. The book excels at presenting his process of growing up in the then bustling city - at a time when parents still allowed their kids to roam around. This was magic and the subsequent pathos of the city's steady decline is all the more tragic, given its former glory/prominence. The reader at least learns how great the city once was - not merely another decaying Rust Belt city. Unlike so many others who fled, Pekar stayed and managed to survive in Cleveland. The city was a hub of industry during the war, but after the postwar boom ended, there was corporate restructuring in the steel and railroad industry and many factories closed. Following the loss of industry, residents moved to suburbs with the construction of highways, in a typical Rust Belt pattern - or further afield, to the Sun Belt etc., and Cleveland didn't ever fully bounce back - not the way NY bounced back after a couple of decades of crime and depopulation. By now, Cleveland's population has fallen by around 600,000 residents since its peak of nearly a million in around 1960. So Pekar - born in the late 1930s, witnessed the rise and fall of Cleveland, as it hemorrhaged jobs and people, was ripped apart by riots and so forth. This happened to many cities of the Northeast - especially after de-industrialization set in. I thought the book, albeit sad, was excellent - both the text the drawings & the intro by Alan Moore. Pekar always bounced back, even if Cleveland didn't.
July 16, 2012
I've lived in the Rustbelt Midwest/Biblebelt for about ten years now. I've never read Pekar before, but after hearing about him thought I'd give him a read. I guess I was looking for a bit of a kindred spirit. (Actually, now that I look at his bibliography here on Goodreads I realize I HAVE read him before...I read his book about the Beats a couple of years ago)
Anyway...there's some good stuff here. A few pieces of bleak humor that made me laugh out loud...There's also social commentary about the unfulfilled potential of the people and places of the Midwest...and the somewhat predictable / all-too-familiar story of Cleveland's 19th century rise and late-20th century fall.
But overall, I was just left with a sense of "meh".
Harvey's smart, depressed, and an underachiever -- but somehow manages to come across as simultaneously content with his lot in life and working hard to make the most of it. I guess there IS something remarkable about that...something we can all learn from it. The way individual ambitions rise and fall just as the ambitions of cities do.
But the writing here just seems so/so. For stretches of the book (particularly early on...when Pekar is giving an extended -- 40 page -- history of Cleveland...I felt I was just sort of slogging forward so I could get to the good stuff). And, sure, there WAS some good stuff. But then there were also pages on end that seemed to meander without really saying much.
But, yanno, it could be that this medium isn't a good fit for me. I remember recently giving three stars to Alison Bechdel's FUN HOME, too.
Anyway...there's some good stuff here. A few pieces of bleak humor that made me laugh out loud...There's also social commentary about the unfulfilled potential of the people and places of the Midwest...and the somewhat predictable / all-too-familiar story of Cleveland's 19th century rise and late-20th century fall.
But overall, I was just left with a sense of "meh".
Harvey's smart, depressed, and an underachiever -- but somehow manages to come across as simultaneously content with his lot in life and working hard to make the most of it. I guess there IS something remarkable about that...something we can all learn from it. The way individual ambitions rise and fall just as the ambitions of cities do.
But the writing here just seems so/so. For stretches of the book (particularly early on...when Pekar is giving an extended -- 40 page -- history of Cleveland...I felt I was just sort of slogging forward so I could get to the good stuff). And, sure, there WAS some good stuff. But then there were also pages on end that seemed to meander without really saying much.
But, yanno, it could be that this medium isn't a good fit for me. I remember recently giving three stars to Alison Bechdel's FUN HOME, too.
June 8, 2012
The story of Cleveland is the story of most large American cities, especially those that were once prosperous because of manufacturing and factories. So this is specifically about the rise and fall of one city but also universal, and it makes me feel a little bad and guilty about enjoying that 'Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism Video' on YouTube and that hilarious 30 Rock episode where Liz and Floyd dream the dream of moving from New York City to Cleveland. Cleveland really does have some noteworthy urban attractions like a great public library and citywide parks system.
Pekar highlights these attractions in a wistful way, and the story gradually changes from the history of the decline of the city to more about Pekar's life and his exploration of its meaning and what it means to be happy. It's similar to some of his other comics, but still a rarity: the overall question he contemplates is what it means to have a good life, and his answer is so mundane but at the same time so real. His life was being a file clerk, really being enmeshed in the city where he lived, and being totally engaged in obscure artistic pursuits (comics and jazz record reviewing) in his spare time. At the end of this graphic novel, he seems so grateful for the little things, like the fans who knock on his door, and his wife's newfound gardening hobby, that it made me feel better about some of the other darker-toned pieces he'd written elsewhere about his depression. For lack of a better term, it made me feel some 'closure' about his death from an accidental overdose in 2010.
Pekar highlights these attractions in a wistful way, and the story gradually changes from the history of the decline of the city to more about Pekar's life and his exploration of its meaning and what it means to be happy. It's similar to some of his other comics, but still a rarity: the overall question he contemplates is what it means to have a good life, and his answer is so mundane but at the same time so real. His life was being a file clerk, really being enmeshed in the city where he lived, and being totally engaged in obscure artistic pursuits (comics and jazz record reviewing) in his spare time. At the end of this graphic novel, he seems so grateful for the little things, like the fans who knock on his door, and his wife's newfound gardening hobby, that it made me feel better about some of the other darker-toned pieces he'd written elsewhere about his depression. For lack of a better term, it made me feel some 'closure' about his death from an accidental overdose in 2010.
June 15, 2017
Harvey Pekar's swan song, and his parting love song to Cleveland. After years of becoming famous for his oddball slice of life anecdotes, toward the end of his life he did historical things like The Beats and Israel... and did sort of summary reflections on his life like The Quitter, which has some infor that gets repeated in Cleveland... he always seems so quirkily grumpy, so angry at the world, but here he tries in every way he can to celebrate Cleveland and his life there. The artwork is terrific, maybe the best I have seen to match his work, by Joseph Remnant.
May 8, 2012
I'm a huge Harvey Pekar fan, and this book is no exception. I love Pekar's tone and ability to reach beyond the page and really talk to you as if you're sitting down having a conversation. Joseph Remnant's art is a great fit, with lots of nice touches. It's funny, and touching, and gruff. It also made me a bit misty-eyed, knowing that Harvey is no longer with us.
March 3, 2021
Harvey Pekar's last work, an homage to his beloved home town. Recommended for anyone who cares about Cleveland or wants to see a truth about the many misconceptions of a great city.
June 20, 2012
"People don't come here to the Midwest to dream - they are here because it's cheap, and they stay because it's cheap..." - Jimi Izrael
The graphic novel Cleveland by the late famed comic artist Harvey Pekar shows the soul of Cleveland and how his entire life has always been bound to the city...having been born and raised there.
Though the pace of the book is a tad slow-paced with some of the historical narratives that tend to drag, it is compensated with interesting anecdotes that Pekar has on the quotidian lives of lifelong residents of Cleveland whom he has known personally.
Personally, I could somehow identify with the story, having lived in the outer suburbs of Cincinnati myself (in case you don't know, Cincinnati is the 3rd largest city in Ohio after Columbus and Cleveland). Hence there are a lot of similarities between the "souls" of these two Midwest cities. Such as how the residents of Cleveland and Cincinnati perceive themselves as living a somewhat mundane and monotonous lives. Or the way that both Cleveland and Cincinnati have their own fair share of racial tensions and their fondness for the Ohio River (in Cincinnati's case) or Lake Erie (in Cleveland's case) that somewhat also gives an identity to the each city.
The graphic novel Cleveland by the late famed comic artist Harvey Pekar shows the soul of Cleveland and how his entire life has always been bound to the city...having been born and raised there.
Though the pace of the book is a tad slow-paced with some of the historical narratives that tend to drag, it is compensated with interesting anecdotes that Pekar has on the quotidian lives of lifelong residents of Cleveland whom he has known personally.
Personally, I could somehow identify with the story, having lived in the outer suburbs of Cincinnati myself (in case you don't know, Cincinnati is the 3rd largest city in Ohio after Columbus and Cleveland). Hence there are a lot of similarities between the "souls" of these two Midwest cities. Such as how the residents of Cleveland and Cincinnati perceive themselves as living a somewhat mundane and monotonous lives. Or the way that both Cleveland and Cincinnati have their own fair share of racial tensions and their fondness for the Ohio River (in Cincinnati's case) or Lake Erie (in Cleveland's case) that somewhat also gives an identity to the each city.
September 7, 2014
Harvey Pekar's final (posthumous) work, and it's pretty satisfying. Growing up in the midwest I've always considered Cleveland to be a fairly minor city, but Pekar's history shows how the city was once one of the largest and important American industrial areas. It really tells the story the post-industrial U.S. in general -- think Detroit, Pittsburgh, and many more, primarily midwestern cities. It's the story of inception, industrial growth, glory years, changing demographics ('white flight' to the suburbs), decline, and now possible recovery.
Told through Harvey's eyes and family history, this seemingly dry subject takes on a vibrant life and sort of reads like an extended obituary, possibly due to the newsprint nature of comics. The illustration is proto-crumb, which always does him justice. In any case, I hope more young artists come up to take his place in this unique style of graphic novel -- we seem to be inundated by super-hero experts (what's new?) but very few who can or want to tell simple stories about their lives. Is that boring? I think Harvey proved that it doesn't have to be. He will be missed.
P.S. don't forget to save your drafts. For some reason I thought GR did this automatically but I lost a much longer review. Probably for the best, haha.
Told through Harvey's eyes and family history, this seemingly dry subject takes on a vibrant life and sort of reads like an extended obituary, possibly due to the newsprint nature of comics. The illustration is proto-crumb, which always does him justice. In any case, I hope more young artists come up to take his place in this unique style of graphic novel -- we seem to be inundated by super-hero experts (what's new?) but very few who can or want to tell simple stories about their lives. Is that boring? I think Harvey proved that it doesn't have to be. He will be missed.
P.S. don't forget to save your drafts. For some reason I thought GR did this automatically but I lost a much longer review. Probably for the best, haha.
July 30, 2012
I really liked this one. Maybe from being underwhelmed by reading the short story collections previously but this one hit all the right notes. It reads like a final summation of his life, as related to the city he spent that life in. The historical information about the city is great and the autobiographical stuff is just as great. Something that struck me odd though is despite not being overly long, there are bits that repeat. It seems like a mistake but it really ends up giving the feeling that you're having a chat with Harvey. It made this one feel more personal than his other writing and really elevated it for me. Great stuff, it's a shame it's one of his last.
This is my first time seeing Joseph Remnants art and I have to say it's pretty great. Very much in the R. Crumb mode, but minus the obsession that makes R. Crumb great but a bit overwhelming at times. It allows the book to fit right in with the best of Pekars work while still having a flair of it's own. I'm looking forward to checking out more from this artist and plan on seeking out his self published work.
This is my first time seeing Joseph Remnants art and I have to say it's pretty great. Very much in the R. Crumb mode, but minus the obsession that makes R. Crumb great but a bit overwhelming at times. It allows the book to fit right in with the best of Pekars work while still having a flair of it's own. I'm looking forward to checking out more from this artist and plan on seeking out his self published work.
July 8, 2012
I'm a sucker for all things Pekar and for all things Cleveland, thus five stars is the obvious rating. Seriously though, the book is broken into two parts - a nice history of the rise (and fall) of Cleveland and Pekar's experiences as a Clevelander. He tells it like it is - challenging, ugly, but with some glimmering moment - much like his outlook on life. Harvey has always felt like a weird uncle to me, totally inappropriate at times, wildly brilliant at others - but over all, a powerhouse of knowledge and part of the family. Us Midwesterners (and Clevelanders, especially) gotta stick up for our hometowns, cause no one else is gonna do it for us.
If there's anything else left in his vault, I hope they release it - I miss this guy.
If there's anything else left in his vault, I hope they release it - I miss this guy.
September 6, 2012
Harvey Pekar is Cleveland…and here he tells the city’s tale…much of which is his story. From this city’s founding to growing up in Cleveland in the ’40s and ’50s to his adult life in ’60s and up, Harvey tells the story of the city he calls home and the city he loves.
Harvey Pekar’s Cleveland was published by Top Shelf and Zip and features art by Joseph Remnant. Pekar died in 2010 and this is one of the few big new collections being released after his death. The book features an introduction by Alan Moore and an epilogue by Jimi Izrael.
Harvey’s life was his comic and his comic was his life. It is fitting that he dove into the city that created him for one of his final works. It feels like a nice swan song for a guy who emphasized he didn’t write super-hero comics…since Cleveland isn’t a super-hero city (ask Howard the Duck). It is pretty straightforward and ends with a bit of a whimper…just like Harvey would have wanted it. He wasn’t about the big bangs and dramatic conclusions.
The first half of the story is very historical, and it does jump around a bit which sometimes is jarring. It really feels like stream of consciousness on Pekar’s part where historical aspects of the city of Cleveland sometimes remind him of something he wants to mention…even if it is mentioned later or a bit out of context. I found this portion of the book interesting, but I would have loved to see Harvey tied more into the telling of the history of Cleveland.
The second part of the story involves Harvey’s growing up in Cleveland. A lot of this material was covered in issues of American Splendor and in the film, but especially since it is one of his last works, it feels appropriate that he tells his life story again. Real fans can go back into the American Splendor archives for expanded aspects of the story, and the casual reader gets a nice background on Harvey and his life.
Part of Harvey’s writing is the artists he brings in to illustrate his words. Joseph Remnant does a great job with the telling and is perfect to bring out Harvey. I wish Crumb had somehow come involved in this story especially since Harvey was an important part of Pekar’s history, and I still would love to see Harvey’s friends and family come together for a retrospective of Harvey...kind of a finale to American Splendor showing Harvey might be gone but his life continues.
Harvey Pekar’s Cleveland is definitely worth checking out. It is a quick read and even if you have no interest in the historical aspect of Cleveland, there is plenty of Harvey Pekar in the story. Pekar’s work was an interesting aspect of comics and storytelling and Cleveland shows how his voice will be missed.
Harvey Pekar’s Cleveland was published by Top Shelf and Zip and features art by Joseph Remnant. Pekar died in 2010 and this is one of the few big new collections being released after his death. The book features an introduction by Alan Moore and an epilogue by Jimi Izrael.
Harvey’s life was his comic and his comic was his life. It is fitting that he dove into the city that created him for one of his final works. It feels like a nice swan song for a guy who emphasized he didn’t write super-hero comics…since Cleveland isn’t a super-hero city (ask Howard the Duck). It is pretty straightforward and ends with a bit of a whimper…just like Harvey would have wanted it. He wasn’t about the big bangs and dramatic conclusions.
The first half of the story is very historical, and it does jump around a bit which sometimes is jarring. It really feels like stream of consciousness on Pekar’s part where historical aspects of the city of Cleveland sometimes remind him of something he wants to mention…even if it is mentioned later or a bit out of context. I found this portion of the book interesting, but I would have loved to see Harvey tied more into the telling of the history of Cleveland.
The second part of the story involves Harvey’s growing up in Cleveland. A lot of this material was covered in issues of American Splendor and in the film, but especially since it is one of his last works, it feels appropriate that he tells his life story again. Real fans can go back into the American Splendor archives for expanded aspects of the story, and the casual reader gets a nice background on Harvey and his life.
Part of Harvey’s writing is the artists he brings in to illustrate his words. Joseph Remnant does a great job with the telling and is perfect to bring out Harvey. I wish Crumb had somehow come involved in this story especially since Harvey was an important part of Pekar’s history, and I still would love to see Harvey’s friends and family come together for a retrospective of Harvey...kind of a finale to American Splendor showing Harvey might be gone but his life continues.
Harvey Pekar’s Cleveland is definitely worth checking out. It is a quick read and even if you have no interest in the historical aspect of Cleveland, there is plenty of Harvey Pekar in the story. Pekar’s work was an interesting aspect of comics and storytelling and Cleveland shows how his voice will be missed.
February 24, 2018
This is my review from the library website
Harvey Pekar, along with R. Crumb (with whom he often collaborated) is disputably one of the most influential people in the world of independent comics. While R. Crumb and many others in the Underground Comix movement of late sixties San Francisco started to open up the medium, Pekar's later influence was huge. In the seventies, in cultural opposition to the corporate dominance of the comic medium with stories of superheroes, which still pervades, Pekar started writing American Splendor, a comic about his everyday life as a file clerk at a VA hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. Modern autobiographical comics owe much to Pekar's honestly, lack of glamour, and realistic storytelling. American Spendor found majesty and happiness in everyday occurences, highlighting the everyday ups and downs of the episodes of Pekar's life. Pekar himself never favored himself as an artist, so he'd write and storyboard the comics and have friends render them in graphic form.
Pekar wrote from the seventies up until his death in 2010 and now works of his that had been finished are starting to be released posthumously. Harvey Pekar's Cleveland is the first of such. In this work, Pekar parallels his experiences and his long life in Cleveland with the longer history of Cleveland overall and its place in the American landscape. Pekar juxtaposes rises and falls in his own life with rises and falls in the history and perception of Cleveland. With Pekar rooting for his underdog city, though discussing it with honestly, this comic will appeal to those interested in the breadth of what comics can be about, autobiographical comics, and lovers of cultural histories and geographies of rust belt cities like Cleveland (and Detroit and Ypsilanti, for that matter). If you love this, YDL carries many other titles of Pekar's, including American Splendor, a collection of all the classic American Splendor comic stories, The Quitter, the story if Pekar's life growing up, as well as many other works by him.
Harvey Pekar, along with R. Crumb (with whom he often collaborated) is disputably one of the most influential people in the world of independent comics. While R. Crumb and many others in the Underground Comix movement of late sixties San Francisco started to open up the medium, Pekar's later influence was huge. In the seventies, in cultural opposition to the corporate dominance of the comic medium with stories of superheroes, which still pervades, Pekar started writing American Splendor, a comic about his everyday life as a file clerk at a VA hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. Modern autobiographical comics owe much to Pekar's honestly, lack of glamour, and realistic storytelling. American Spendor found majesty and happiness in everyday occurences, highlighting the everyday ups and downs of the episodes of Pekar's life. Pekar himself never favored himself as an artist, so he'd write and storyboard the comics and have friends render them in graphic form.
Pekar wrote from the seventies up until his death in 2010 and now works of his that had been finished are starting to be released posthumously. Harvey Pekar's Cleveland is the first of such. In this work, Pekar parallels his experiences and his long life in Cleveland with the longer history of Cleveland overall and its place in the American landscape. Pekar juxtaposes rises and falls in his own life with rises and falls in the history and perception of Cleveland. With Pekar rooting for his underdog city, though discussing it with honestly, this comic will appeal to those interested in the breadth of what comics can be about, autobiographical comics, and lovers of cultural histories and geographies of rust belt cities like Cleveland (and Detroit and Ypsilanti, for that matter). If you love this, YDL carries many other titles of Pekar's, including American Splendor, a collection of all the classic American Splendor comic stories, The Quitter, the story if Pekar's life growing up, as well as many other works by him.
December 26, 2022
Celebrity deaths don't hit me that hard usually, with a couple exceptions:
1. Harvey Pekar: I think because I liked his stuff so much, but also because it felt like he never really got as much credit as he deserved in his lifetime. Like knowing a famous painter was fuckin' awesome, but nobody recognized it until after he was dead, and as he was dying, you were just like, "How is this fair?"
2. Amy Winehouse: I don't know why exactly. I wasn't like a megafan or anything. Maybe just because she was so young. She was born the same year I was, so maybe it was a little like, "Damn, that seems early."
3. George Perez: He just seemed like a super nice guy. I always thought his shirts, made by his wife, were really adorable. That's #CouplesGoals right there.
4. Kevin Conroy: I always loved Batman The Animated Series, and he was one of those dudes that nobody had a single bad thing to say about. Of people who played Batman for an entire feature, he's definitely the most underrated and underappreciated.
5. Stan Lee: I was on vacation with friends when I found out. Actually, THEY found out, and one of my friends was like, "Don't tell him, he'll just be sad." Weirdly, I'd just purchased a Spider-Man comic that same day, Spectacular Spider-Man #310 by Chip Zdarsky, which is a wonderful standalone comic, and it kind of gained this added meaning for me. I still have it, even though I'd folded it in half to read on the train.
6. My Grandma: Hey, fuck you, not my fault you don't know the greats.
1. Harvey Pekar: I think because I liked his stuff so much, but also because it felt like he never really got as much credit as he deserved in his lifetime. Like knowing a famous painter was fuckin' awesome, but nobody recognized it until after he was dead, and as he was dying, you were just like, "How is this fair?"
2. Amy Winehouse: I don't know why exactly. I wasn't like a megafan or anything. Maybe just because she was so young. She was born the same year I was, so maybe it was a little like, "Damn, that seems early."
3. George Perez: He just seemed like a super nice guy. I always thought his shirts, made by his wife, were really adorable. That's #CouplesGoals right there.
4. Kevin Conroy: I always loved Batman The Animated Series, and he was one of those dudes that nobody had a single bad thing to say about. Of people who played Batman for an entire feature, he's definitely the most underrated and underappreciated.
5. Stan Lee: I was on vacation with friends when I found out. Actually, THEY found out, and one of my friends was like, "Don't tell him, he'll just be sad." Weirdly, I'd just purchased a Spider-Man comic that same day, Spectacular Spider-Man #310 by Chip Zdarsky, which is a wonderful standalone comic, and it kind of gained this added meaning for me. I still have it, even though I'd folded it in half to read on the train.
6. My Grandma: Hey, fuck you, not my fault you don't know the greats.
September 19, 2022
I loved Harvey Pekar's writing for comics. 10 Years after his death, here's one of his last, full of local history, life review, and a modicum of hard-earned joy. Here, it's about the connections to home in Cleveland, Ohio.
My folks met there in this time frame, then left out for Atlanta, Georgia. I've visited once or twice, one or two of these well-described neighborhoods, but wish I had gone book-hunting in these stores with Harvey.
His collaborator wonderfully portrays these scenes: I'm looking out for his own comics. Pekar's collaborators are a wide-ranging bunch, with Crumb almost (but not quite) overshadowing them; this artist is thematically inspired by the material and Crumb's illustration style. It is almost as if Crumb's wordless "Short History..." comics sequence grew a connection to a real set of places, then a set of stories.
Highest recommendation.
My folks met there in this time frame, then left out for Atlanta, Georgia. I've visited once or twice, one or two of these well-described neighborhoods, but wish I had gone book-hunting in these stores with Harvey.
His collaborator wonderfully portrays these scenes: I'm looking out for his own comics. Pekar's collaborators are a wide-ranging bunch, with Crumb almost (but not quite) overshadowing them; this artist is thematically inspired by the material and Crumb's illustration style. It is almost as if Crumb's wordless "Short History..." comics sequence grew a connection to a real set of places, then a set of stories.
Highest recommendation.
April 22, 2012
Another rambling, garrulous book from Pekar, stronger than The Quitter, but still a bit shapeless and randomly edited, with uneven and flickering emphasis on topics both political and personal. JR's artwork has the lumpen, crumpled, Crumb-like look, often quite effective in spite of its familiarity. The book ambles and gets around and finally, simply, ends, up in the air as is so often the case with Pekar. But it's hard to dislike, and hard to regret having read, because of its insistent localism, its louche charm, and, of course, its big-hearted honesty. A testament!
December 15, 2017
Remnant does a beautiful job with this book. His art is a wonderful accompaniment to the history of Cleveland and the biographical sketch of Pekar's life. In my opinion, from my reading over American Splendor over the years, Remnant ranks up there with R. Crumb for the quality of art in illustrating Pekar's stories. Frank Stack would be a close third. After reading this book I sought out Remnant's comic book series Blindspot (Kilgore) and recently read his Cartoon Clouds ( Fantagraphics). His work is among the best of this generation.
August 1, 2012
Wait wait wait - Harvey Pekar being almost vaguely positive about something! His tumbledown city even? Does he repeat himself a couple times? Yep! Does he talk about his favorite bookstores too much! Yep! Do I like it, do I think it's kind of refreshingly nice of him to be only moderately negative about everything? Yeah! Four stars for you, grumpy old dead dude.
May 27, 2016
The first part, a broad history of Cleveland from its founding to the present, was just a little dry. The heart of the book, Pekar's autobiographical history of Cleveland, is as delightful as anything from American Splendor and succeeds with the message that Cleveland, and cities like it, are worth saving.
October 15, 2020
Pekar's early pre-fame work is my favorite, when you really had the sense that you were the confidant of a nondescript file clerk in Cleveland. It’s a Beautiful synthesis of biography and history of Cleveland. Pekar has, oddly, written a warm and intimate memorial to both himself and the city he loved.
June 27, 2018
An extensive look into the history of Cleveland in comic form followed by a biography of sorts of Pekar's life. Most of Pekar's life I already knew but I have to say the history of Cleveland was really interesting. I liked the drawing and thought the whole book was informative.
March 14, 2018
A curmudgeonly love letter to the author’s roots and the history of his city.
June 10, 2018
This was my first Harvey Pekar book. I really liked his easy-going style. Joseph Remnant's art was fantastic and really suited Pekar's writing.
March 7, 2024
This book meanders its way through Cleveland's history and episodes from Pekar's life with the rambling cadence of a stroll through an old neighborhood.
Even with so much of the focus on historical facts, Pekar finds plenty of moments to delight in the splendor of being alive.
He was a very sensitive person, which I think led the public who knew him from his Letterman appearances (if they knew him at all) to pin him as "just" a curmudgeon, but his heart and his work were as attuned to joy and beauty as they were to struggle and injustice, and he writes about each subject with the openness and vulnerability of a person who doesn't know how to be any other way.
Reading Pekar always reminds me just how much purpose and possibility there is to be found in the life of a "regular guy" like me.
Even with so much of the focus on historical facts, Pekar finds plenty of moments to delight in the splendor of being alive.
He was a very sensitive person, which I think led the public who knew him from his Letterman appearances (if they knew him at all) to pin him as "just" a curmudgeon, but his heart and his work were as attuned to joy and beauty as they were to struggle and injustice, and he writes about each subject with the openness and vulnerability of a person who doesn't know how to be any other way.
Reading Pekar always reminds me just how much purpose and possibility there is to be found in the life of a "regular guy" like me.
December 15, 2017
I'm pretty disappointed in this book. I started reading it being a proud Clevelander and now I'm like Harvey was just another mediocre white man who held slightly racist views as usual. I should have known because it's nothing new when white men write about their experiences in Cleveland it has serious racist undertones. I will say one thing, I'm happy he gave some interesting history about my city. History that I never knew anything about so for that reason, and that reason alone I gave it an extra star...otherwise I'd give it one star on my review.
August 14, 2025
I’d read an illustrated Harvey Pekar history of every major US city. 🌆
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