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3 unusual facts about American Splendor


American Splendor

Besides Crumb, other notable American Splendor illustrators include Alison Bechdel, Brian Bram, Chester Brown, Alan Moore, David Collier, Gary Dumm, Frank Stack, Drew Friedman, Dean Haspiel, Val Mayerik, Josh Neufeld, Spain Rodriguez, Joe Sacco, Gerry Shamray, Jim Woodring, Joe Zabel, Ed Piskor, and Greg Budgett.

In 2003 a movie adaptation featuring Paul Giamatti playing Pekar (as well as appearances by Pekar himself) and Hope Davis as his wife was released to critical acclaim and first honors at the Sundance Film Festival in addition to the Writers Guild of America Award for best adapted screenplay.

Our Cancer Year

Published in 1994 by the New York Press publisher Four Walls Eight Windows, Our Cancer Year (an offshoot of the cult favorite comic book series American Splendor) relates the story of Harvey's struggle to overcome cancer, as well as serving as a social commentary on events of that year.


Brian Bram

Brian Bram, born May 9, 1955 in Chicago and raised in Deerfield, Illinois, played a minor role in the underground comix movement with his contributions to American Splendor, the comic book series written and published by Harvey Pekar.

Gary Dumm

From 1977 until Pekar's 2010 death, he worked on Pekar's autobiographical comic series, American Splendor, where he appeared alongside such notable comics artists as Robert Crumb, Joe Sacco, and Gerry Shamray.

Gerry Shamray

Gerry Shamray has illustrated many issues of American Splendor, Harvey Pekar's autobiographical comics.

Heroes, Inc. Presents Cannon

These comics, along with such titles by other publishers as Star Reach (1974), Big Apple Comix (1975), and American Splendor (1976), helped bridge the gap between the countercultural underground comics and traditional mainstream fare, providing genre stories for an adult audience.

Mark Ordesky

During a five-year stint as President of Fine Line Features, a specialty films division of New Line, Mark acquired acclaimed films such as Once Were Warriors (film), Saving Grace and State and Main, as well as Oscar nominees Before Night Falls, Tumbleweeds, The Sweet Hereafter, and American Splendor.

Toby Radloff

Toby Radloff (born December 12, 1957) is a former file clerk who became a minor celebrity owing to his appearances in Cleveland writer Harvey Pekar's autobiographical comic book American Splendor.


see also

Brian Bram

Underground cartoonist Jay Lynch introduced him to Pekar who hired him to illustrate stories in the first issue of American Splendor.

Bram contributed to the first two issues of American Splendor, along with artists Gary Dumm, Gregg Budgett, and Robert Crumb.

Conway, Massachusetts

Brian Bram, illustrator for Harvey Pekar's American Splendor

Gary Dumm

Much of Dumm's work on American Splendor was as an inker, embellishing the pencils of Greg Budgett and Joe Zabel.