Acclaimed cartoonist Harvey Pekar, basis of both the comic and the film \American Splendor,"" entertained an audience Monday night at the State Historical Society as part of the Spotlight Series sponsored Wisconsin Union Directorate.
Getting off to a humorous start, Pekar walked out on stage barely a second after the introductory speech, then stepped back behind the curtain and waited for a reintroduction.
""Thanks a lot for showing up on this rotten night,"" Pekar said, setting the tone for the evening.
Pekar led the audience through his strange odyssey to become a comic-book writer, starting with his loss of interest in them as a child due to the ""intrinsically limited"" story lines. His interest was rekindled by the work of cartoonist Robert Crumb, which Pekar praised as ""a real graphic novel before they invented the term.""
Inspired by this, Pekar began to create his own autobiographical comic, based on his experiences working as a file clerk in Cleveland, Ohio. He collaborated with Crumb in 1972 to create ""American Splendor,"" with Crumb working off Pekar's storyboard sketches.
""I wanted to focus on everyday quotidian life, going through the day,"" Pekar said. ""A good novel could be written about all of us ... I think everybody's interesting.""
Pekar also illustrated as well the process of having a biographical film made, with the idea being pitched back and forth for several years before production finally began. While filming, Pekar was suffering from depression and a relapse of cancer. The success the film received at several film festivals cheered him considerably.
""I'd shaken off more of that fog,"" Pekar said. ""One day you're a nobody and the next day you see your picture in The New York Times. It just floored me.""
Pekar outlined his plans to keep busy in the future, with the success of the film granting him a new book contract, invitations to Australia and Ireland, and a contract with DC Comics to do a story arc.
""It's a heady wine,"" Pekar joked. ""I'm not sure if I'm up to it, but I'm gonna give it my all, because I could really use the bread.""
Audience members revealed they were impressed by Pekar's sardonic humor, as well as the calm manner he displayed.
""He reminded me of my grandpa,"" UW-Madison freshman Galen Poor said, ""in a passive, angry sort of way.""
""It's a very subtle form of humor that took a night to appreciate,"" UW-Madison freshman Jon Atwell said. ""He's just a regular guy.\
