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American Splendor
American Splendor: Unsung Hero
Few authors are able to capture an honest snapshot of everyday life the way Harvey Pekar can. From ruminations on jazz musicians to back problems and traffic tickets, Pekar writes in a clear, unsentimental voice that not only explores the mundane, but celebrates it as well. This time out, Pekar focuses his sharp literary eye on Robert McNeill, an ordinary man who's lived an extraordinary life. McNeill recounts his time spent as a G.I. in Vietnam, on a tour through that surreal and horrific landscape that even now, thirty years later, we're struggling to define. Unsung Hero is a tale of cynicism and endurance, tempered by McNeill's distinct sense of humor and Pekar's touching wit.
"This volume collects issues one through three of the Dark Horse comic-book series American splendor : unsung hero"
96 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 2003
2 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
About the author
Harvey Pekar
118 books258 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 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 5, 2019
This is the story of Robert McNeill, a black enlisted Vietnam soldier, as relayed by Harvey Pekar. Normally, Pekar is at the center of his own work, and the reader understands that what he or she is reading is being colored by the prism of Pekar's own neurosis. In this case, it's refreshing to have Pekar tell someone else's story.
McNeill was a colleague of Pekar's at the Cleveland VA facility where they both worked. Presumably Pekar and McNeill talked to each other and over time the idea for telling the story of "Unsung Hero" came to pass.
The style of the writing appears to be taking McNeill's statements about his time in Vietnam more or less verbatim from a conversation and basically drawing the panels to match them. There's no narrator other than McNeill, whose voice is compelling. His story is not unlike other Vietnam stories you may have read, though seeing it through the eyes of a black American does certainly add a twist that isn't usually present in these stories. Reading about the interactions between the black soldiers than white officers was one of the strongest parts of the book.
I'm glad McNeill's story was recorded. The art is passable and does its job in helping move the story forward. This is certainly a worthwhile graphic novel and I would rate it among Pekar's best work.
McNeill was a colleague of Pekar's at the Cleveland VA facility where they both worked. Presumably Pekar and McNeill talked to each other and over time the idea for telling the story of "Unsung Hero" came to pass.
The style of the writing appears to be taking McNeill's statements about his time in Vietnam more or less verbatim from a conversation and basically drawing the panels to match them. There's no narrator other than McNeill, whose voice is compelling. His story is not unlike other Vietnam stories you may have read, though seeing it through the eyes of a black American does certainly add a twist that isn't usually present in these stories. Reading about the interactions between the black soldiers than white officers was one of the strongest parts of the book.
I'm glad McNeill's story was recorded. The art is passable and does its job in helping move the story forward. This is certainly a worthwhile graphic novel and I would rate it among Pekar's best work.
August 25, 2025
I'm just somewhat familiar with Harvey Pekar thanks to some old issues of Weirdo. He's done a Studs Terkel adaptation and this seems like a further venture into oral history. This one made me think of the movie Apocalypse Now and the only-hinted-at stories of the Black GIs on the river and in the bridge scene. Decorated Marine Robert McNeill's account adds to the literature of Black soldiers serving in Vietnam during a tumultuous time at home.
The artwork served the purpose of someone reminiscing about events thirty years in the past.
The artwork served the purpose of someone reminiscing about events thirty years in the past.
March 28, 2018
I have read a number of comics written by Harvey Pekar, and this was absolutely the best. It is the story of a black G.I.'s experiences in the Vietnam War, and it was very focused and interesting. Many of Pekar's stories are autobiographical or tend to kind of wander, but this was straight biography and very compelling. His best work.
April 5, 2018
Pekar tells the story of Robert McNeil, who went to Vietnam as an 18-year-old black man in 1969. The art's only passable, but Pekar nails the script, treating it almost as a transcript - as if we're sitting at a table with McNeil listening to his story. It's compelling and human - perfect for Pekar.
August 10, 2018
Excellent no BS Vietnam with the politics of being a black soldier.
April 7, 2025
pekar takes a backseat in the mutt jeep to tell the story of robert mcneill, a black soldier in the vietnam war
April 21, 2009
Unlike most American Splendor comics Unsung Hero turns its focus away from author Harvey Pekar to his co-worker Robert L. McNeill and the story of his experience in the Vietnam War as a U. S. Marine. Pekar frames the story with scenes of him taking notes from McNeill as he tells Harvey all about it. This sets up the easy language of the book. Although tempting to refer to it as conversational speaking because of the manner of talking used, it lacks any dialog from Pekar at all and maintains first person narrative but very much in a style of a person telling a story directly to another.
Unsung Hero's story of an average Black man's perspective of the Vietnam War establishes the most remarkable aspect of it. Details of racial politics in the military reveal that even after the peak of the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X racism and racial tension amongst Americans in the military remained strong and even similar to the stories of Black men in the U. S. military during World War II. However, racial unity through Black power made things somewhat different for Vietnam. Racial conflict in America escalated radical politics among Blacks in the military and even prompted propaganda to Black U. S. military telling them it's not their war.
However, don't let me mislead you, this is not an academic account of race in the Vietnam War. All these things come about in Unsung Hero as McNeill's personal experience of the racial politics. For instance, he admits annoyance with a practice among Black Marines of greeting each other with a particularly long handshake called "the dap." Pressure to practice the dap came at the risk of being thought of as a sell out, or "Uncle Tom." The story plunges more personal depths as McNeill describes his fear in "the Bush," his experiences with readily available drugs, and venereal disease. This becomes particularly striking in his description of nerve wracking day counting before leaves and the end of his tour.
Better artists drew for American Splendor than David Collier. However, his lax, sketchy style blends with the cool narrative of the story. Honestly not the best match, but at least the art doesn't distract the reader, which the worst of the artists for this comic have done. I'm sure Collier wouldn't enjoy this description of his work but its not-so-greatness actually allows the greatness of the story and writing to take a front seat, which is what it really needs to do. Pekar often speaks of desiring film contracts. I think Unsung Hero would make the best Vietnam War movie ever made.
Unsung Hero's story of an average Black man's perspective of the Vietnam War establishes the most remarkable aspect of it. Details of racial politics in the military reveal that even after the peak of the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X racism and racial tension amongst Americans in the military remained strong and even similar to the stories of Black men in the U. S. military during World War II. However, racial unity through Black power made things somewhat different for Vietnam. Racial conflict in America escalated radical politics among Blacks in the military and even prompted propaganda to Black U. S. military telling them it's not their war.
However, don't let me mislead you, this is not an academic account of race in the Vietnam War. All these things come about in Unsung Hero as McNeill's personal experience of the racial politics. For instance, he admits annoyance with a practice among Black Marines of greeting each other with a particularly long handshake called "the dap." Pressure to practice the dap came at the risk of being thought of as a sell out, or "Uncle Tom." The story plunges more personal depths as McNeill describes his fear in "the Bush," his experiences with readily available drugs, and venereal disease. This becomes particularly striking in his description of nerve wracking day counting before leaves and the end of his tour.
Better artists drew for American Splendor than David Collier. However, his lax, sketchy style blends with the cool narrative of the story. Honestly not the best match, but at least the art doesn't distract the reader, which the worst of the artists for this comic have done. I'm sure Collier wouldn't enjoy this description of his work but its not-so-greatness actually allows the greatness of the story and writing to take a front seat, which is what it really needs to do. Pekar often speaks of desiring film contracts. I think Unsung Hero would make the best Vietnam War movie ever made.
March 30, 2013
Unsung Hero is one of Harvey Pekar’s first forays into a long-form graphic novel, coming shortly after his retirement from the VA and some years before the more expansive books such as The Quitter that he wrote at the end of his career. In telling the story of one of his co-workers’ experiences in the Vietnam War, he essentially follows the format and concept of some of the shorter pieces in American Splendor, with the author as a neutral observer of one of the fascinating people who populate his world. It is very much like his 1980 short comic “Kaparra,” from American Splendor #5, but with the space to fully explore a complex storyline.
Although the story is not his own, it is impossible to overstate Mr. Pekar’s skill as a storyteller, which especially comes to the fore when dealing with subject matter so different from his other work. The story of U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Robert McNeill is told in a deeply honest and complex manner that, to its extreme credit, manages to avoid the type of glib message and contrived narrative that infects war stories from Band of Brothers to Born on the Fourth of July. McNeill is portrayed simultaneously as a poor Marine who uses drugs and spends time in the brig and a man capable of remarkable courage in combat against the North Vietnamese; a man who is, by his own admission, too young to fully understand the politics behind the war and yet who is deeply affected by race and class consciousness; a man whose ambivalence towards a country that has treated his people so poorly is balanced by his extreme loyalty to his buddies and genuine pride in his unit. People like this are everywhere in wars. It is a testament to Harvey Pekar’s rare talent that he has managed to capture this fact where so many have failed.
Unsung Hero is far too obscure relative to its merit. Read it at once.
Although the story is not his own, it is impossible to overstate Mr. Pekar’s skill as a storyteller, which especially comes to the fore when dealing with subject matter so different from his other work. The story of U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Robert McNeill is told in a deeply honest and complex manner that, to its extreme credit, manages to avoid the type of glib message and contrived narrative that infects war stories from Band of Brothers to Born on the Fourth of July. McNeill is portrayed simultaneously as a poor Marine who uses drugs and spends time in the brig and a man capable of remarkable courage in combat against the North Vietnamese; a man who is, by his own admission, too young to fully understand the politics behind the war and yet who is deeply affected by race and class consciousness; a man whose ambivalence towards a country that has treated his people so poorly is balanced by his extreme loyalty to his buddies and genuine pride in his unit. People like this are everywhere in wars. It is a testament to Harvey Pekar’s rare talent that he has managed to capture this fact where so many have failed.
Unsung Hero is far too obscure relative to its merit. Read it at once.
September 5, 2010
Forget the author listed here -- this is the Vietnam War memoir of a black man, Robert McNeill, as told to Harvey Pekar. And unforgettable it is -- especially the passages where McNeill's paranoia escalates to seeming delusion, only to bear bloody fruit. Or the interlude in Bangkok, which includes the usual comfort women etc., actually has a fascinating emotional core, as he sees several of his friends turn into lotus-eaters and/or smitten suitors there. The pivotal heroic moment -- which we know all about since the Navy Commendation is reprinted at the beginning -- sneaks up on us quickly, and of course it's both less and more heroic than the Navy ever let on.
Great art from David Collier too, here both his drawing and lettering are reminiscent of Lynda Barry, seemingly "sloppy" at times but radiating with wonderful compositional invention and radiating waves of fear and bravery.
Great art from David Collier too, here both his drawing and lettering are reminiscent of Lynda Barry, seemingly "sloppy" at times but radiating with wonderful compositional invention and radiating waves of fear and bravery.
August 30, 2011
This one’s a winner. I am strongly interested in the Vietnam War era, so this edition of American Splendor really held my attention. The story and artwork explored the human toll that war takes with tales of horror and heroism. Readers will be pleased with this multilayered depiction of the Vietnam War from the point of view of a nineteen-year-old black soldier.
Personally I caught just one mistake. A panel depicting a soldier reaching for a dead man’s firearm read:
I grabbed one of the M-16 rifles from one of the Vietnamese in the trench and started firing that.
However, the illustration clearly shows the rifle is an AK-47. The American M-16 and the Soviet AK-47 are two very different-looking rifles and it’s not easy to confuse them.
Personally I caught just one mistake. A panel depicting a soldier reaching for a dead man’s firearm read:
I grabbed one of the M-16 rifles from one of the Vietnamese in the trench and started firing that.
However, the illustration clearly shows the rifle is an AK-47. The American M-16 and the Soviet AK-47 are two very different-looking rifles and it’s not easy to confuse them.
August 25, 2013
I don't think everything that Pekar does is brilliant, but this book engrosses. It is the true story of a black man in the Viet Nam war, a decorated war hero, but it is more than that. It is an accessible story that is raw and authentic, conversational and unglorified. Most in wars are tight-lipped about what happened, so I am quite glad that Mr. McNeill was willing to open up so much, reveal how things happened, how the troops felt, how they trained, how they approached their daily lives, and best of all, how they coped. Being a graphic novel heightens the conversational tone, which in this case balances a line between a novel and a movie.
January 26, 2015
The story was top-notch, but the artwork resembled pieces you tend to see at high school exhibits. The perspectives were totally off in many of the panels and the overall work was sloppy. This includes the lettering. What's extra weird is that many of Collier's other works are solid, but this was such a mess it's hard to think it was intentionally amateurish.
Overall, it is a shame because accompanied with stronger art this could have been among his best works.
Overall, it is a shame because accompanied with stronger art this could have been among his best works.
April 18, 2015
This volume of American Splendor is about Robert McNeill and what happened to him as a Marine in Viet Nam. Well and simply told, Mr. McNeill joined the army in his teens as an escape and soon ended up in active combat. Harvey Pekar worked as a File Clerk at the Cleveland VA for many years, and from the panels, Mr. McNeill is co-worker who told his story to him, knowing he wrote American Splendor. I hope someday, the story of The Ban of (the) Brothers is given more attention.
October 3, 2009
Memior of a black marine in Vietnam War told to Harvey Pekar. Unlike Pekars other volumes it is not wordy or self centered.
Themes inlcude Racisms, view from the bottom, tactics for avoidingcombat, relationships with Vietnamese civilians, "bullet with my name", and nightmares.
Chapters separated by personal photos of the Marine.
Themes inlcude Racisms, view from the bottom, tactics for avoidingcombat, relationships with Vietnamese civilians, "bullet with my name", and nightmares.
Chapters separated by personal photos of the Marine.
January 17, 2016
Great memoir that highlights the youth of most Vietnam-era soldiers, interracial tensions within and outside the ranks, and the casual violence that defined the 60s and 70s. Engaging anecdotal tone. Graphic novels usually have trouble holding my attention, but this one was a pleasure start to finish.
September 24, 2007
This is a nice change for Pekar, moving away from his autobiographical comics to focus on an under-reported historical story which he obviously researched carefully. I hope that Pekar will do some more of these types of non-fiction pieces.
August 21, 2010
The first graphic novel I've read by Harvey Pekar, and I'll be reading more. Really, this is a Vietnam story that most of us have heard before in books and movies, but it's so well done that it gets a high rating from me.
June 21, 2012
One of the most engaging tellings of a soldier's time in Vietnam I have ever experienced. As the story reached its climax, I was fully enveloped in the moment, and when it was all over, I felt quite relieved. An excellent tale, told with a ton of heart.
January 12, 2010
ok, not a big fan of war stories/vietnam. read for comic book reading group discussion, normally wouldn't pick something like this.
January 19, 2010
A great tale
September 7, 2010
I've noticed that Harvey Pekar tends to fare better when he's telling his own story versus that of someone else. This was okay.
February 20, 2011
Didn't particularly love it, but it was a good reinforcement of the uselessness of American imperialism.
March 18, 2012
This was a great memoir of someone who went through the Vietnam war. An unforgettable story.
April 4, 2014
Outstanding read. Real-life person Robert McNeill tells the story of his service in Viet Nam to Harvey Pekar.
June 27, 2014
If you like Pekar, you'll like this. An interview with a Vietnam Vet who works at the VA, illustrated in a Crumb-like style. All the humor and pathos you expect.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews