Harvey Pekar is mostly known through the indie film based upon his autobiographical comix American Splendor. Long before becoming the darling of indie film, he schlupped his way to work at the local VA hospital, which gave him the job security to be a pioneer of slackers everywhere as well as creator of the longest-running self-published comix. Alongside Pekar’s verbal banter with friends and co-workers, artwork by R. Crumb, Greg Budgett, Gary Dumm, Kevin Brown and Gerry Shamray brings these ordinary folks to life in a way that makes Spiderman look like he’s got it easy.

The film version features Paul Giamatti as Pekar and Hope Davis as Pekar’s wife, Joyce Brabner. The real Harvey Pekar also pops up commenting on how Giamatti barely resembles the humble narrator himself. Even so, I could scarce think of a better actor to get under Pekar’s curmudgeonly skin.

Regarding the comix themselves, one of my favorite stories is called “Jury Duty.” The sheer boredom of this rite of passage as well as Pekar’s brutal honesty-which gets him excused from having to sit on an actual jury-shows the criminal justice system for the sham it really is. After all, those who care about humanity are the ones most likely to be excused when their names are called.

Still, this native son of Cleveland Heights has gone through much in his life. His ongoing battle with cancer was chronicled in his graphic novel, Our Cancer Year, to wide critical acclaim. I’ve had the pleasure to have met Harvey and Joyce at a San Diego ComicsCon when the theatrical play that pre-dated the film of the same name was performed in Harvey’s honor. The brilliant character actor Dan Castellaneta, whose dead-on performance was a wonderful gift to the man he portrayed, is something I could never forget.

I visited Cleveland when I was on the Great Peace March in 1986. I found it to be a clean but humble city. This was before the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was built. Even so, I felt rather safe walking alone on its streets. I felt safe in Cleveland, and if I could one day return to see all the changes that have taken place over the twenty years since I was there, I would.

I’d also like to say thanks to Harvey Pekar for being exactly the person he is. Without you, I would have never discovered just how great an ordinary life can be.