American Splendor by Vertigo

[50Cent #II (1st print)]

Anyone notice Vertigo came out with a new American Splendor series with issue #1 last week?  Not often a UG series goes mainstream (Vertigo is DC, isn't it?).

[Sir Real]

Thanks for the heads-up.  Adding now...

[ProJunior]

Anyone notice Vertigo came out with a new American Splendor series with issue #1 last week?  Not often a UG series goes mainstream (Vertigo is DC, isn't it?).

     Yep, it IS DC, all right.  Is this different from the Vertigo Amer. Splendor series that came out a yr. & a half. ago?  There were 4 in that series, all of which I have.  They're dated Nov., 06, Dec., 06, Jan., 07 & Feb., 07.  One strange thing is that in the back somewhere in each one it's stated that everything in the comic is fiction whereas we all know that everything Pekar ever wrote (AFAIK, anyway) was basically true & autobiographical at that, so how do they get away with this?  In any case, if this is a new series I want to get in on it.  I have almost everything he put out (except for the trade PB anthologies, which I don't need anyway).

-ProJunior

[Brother J]

Anyone notice Vertigo came out with a new American Splendor series with issue #1 last week?  Not often a UG series goes mainstream (Vertigo is DC, isn't it?).

     Yep, it IS DC, all right.  Is this different from the Vertigo Amer. Splendor series that came out a yr. & a half. ago?  There were 4 in that series, all of which I have.  They're dated Nov., 06, Dec., 06, Jan., 07 & Feb., 07.  One strange thing is that in the back somewhere in each one it's stated that everything in the comic is fiction whereas we all know that everything Pekar ever wrote (AFAIK, anyway) was basically true & autobiographical at that, so how do they get away with this?  In any case, if this is a new series I want to get in on it.  I have almost everything he put out (except for the trade PB anthologies, which I don't need anyway).

-ProJunior

The new series is Volume 2, with the numbering re-set to #1.

[Visitor Q]

I met Toby Radloff before, strange but nice guy. I have pictures, not sure if I posted them on here before or not but he signed some of my Splendors.

Jason

[ProJunior]

The new series is Volume 2, with the numbering re-set to #1.

    OK, THAT explains it.  It was rather unclear but now it makes sense & after I discovered that those 4 issues are already in the Wiki here I realized that he must've been talking about something else.  I still wonder about that disclaimer that "everything is fiction" when obviously it's NOT.

-ProJunior

[Brother J]

The new series is Volume 2, with the numbering re-set to #1.

    OK, THAT explains it.  It was rather unclear but now it makes sense & after I discovered that those 4 issues are already in the Wiki here I realized that he must've been talking about something else.  I still wonder about that disclaimer that "everything is fiction" when obviously it's NOT.

-ProJunior

It's the typical disclaimer DC has in the back of every comic they do. It's to ward off any lawsuits from someone claiming they were defamed in a comic book. Even if the stories are based on truth, the disclaimer protects DC because they can say the stories are only "based on actual happenings".

[ProJunior]

It's the typical disclaimer DC has in the back of every comic they do. It's to ward off any lawsuits from someone claiming they were defamed in a comic book. Even if the stories are based on truth, the disclaimer protects DC because they can say the stories are only "based on actual happenings".

Thanx for the clarification.  I hadn't realized that.  I'm a big fan of Pekar, I've got almost all his stuff.  I even had some correspondence with him for maybe a coupla yrs. or so back in the late 70s when I was living in Hawaii.  I helped him with a graphic in one of his early issues.  Now that there's a new one of his comics out I'll have to track down a copy.  Guess I'll check Amazon.com first ...

-ProJunior

[50Cent #II (1st print)]

Issue #2 come out this week.

[ProJunior]

Issue #2 come out this week.

    GREAT!  I'm on it!

-ProJunior

[over40artist]

I will need to look into those, too. Big fan of Harvey's and have most of his stuff. I bought but still haven't read "Our Movie Year."

[ProJunior]

Big fan of Harvey's and have most of his stuff. I bought but still haven't read "Our Movie Year."

     You should definitely read it ASAP.  It's excellent.  I got it just a few months back & read it right away.  His experiences in various foreign countries promoting his movie are especially interesting.

-Projunior

[ProJunior]

Just uploaded the cover to the new American Splendor, Vertigo series, Vol. 2, No. 1.  It's listed as cvr_americansplendorvvol.2no.1.jpg.  If that needs to be changed, please feel free as I don't know the proper terminology usage in all cases.  I'l like to put up a new page entry for it but I haven't figured that out yet & don't have time right now.  Anyway, the scan is in the "Covers" section under "A."

-Projunior

[over40artist]

Big fan of Harvey's and have most of his stuff. I bought but still haven't read "Our Movie Year."

     You should definitely read it ASAP.  It's excellent.  I got it just a few months back & read it right away.  His experiences in various foreign countries promoting his movie are especially interesting.

Thanks for the encouragement, ProJunior. After 7 or 8 months of non-stop hell in my personal life, I think I am finally getting to a place where I might have time to indulge in Pekar's book. I've seen the movie, of course, and have always been keen on reading his perspective of the whole experience. I had no idea he had even visited any foreign countries to promote the movie, so I'm sure that will prove to be a highlight for me.

When I first encountered Pekar's work in American Splendor, I thought it was mildly amusing and intermittently insightful, but basically a snooze-fest. It took about a year or so of collecting before I went back to his work and really began to understand it. From that point, it rapidly evolved and now I consider him one of the true geniuses and a critical pioneer of modern comic books.

[ProJunior]

Thanks for the encouragement, ProJunior. After 7 or 8 months of non-stop hell in my personal life, I think I am finally getting to a place where I might have time to indulge in Pekar's book

  Wow, sorry to hear about THAT!

. I've seen the movie, of course, and have always been keen on reading his perspective of the whole experience. I had no idea he had even visited any foreign countries to promote the movie, so I'm sure that will prove to be a highlight for me.

Yeah, it's the last story in the book, starting on p. 151:  "Around the World & Back to Earth."

When I first encountered Pekar's work in American Splendor, I thought it was mildly amusing and intermittently insightful, but basically a snooze-fest. It took about a year or so of collecting before I went back to his work and really began to understand it. From that point, it rapidly evolved and now I consider him one of the true geniuses and a critical pioneer of modern comic books.

I agree.  I loved his stuff from the first issue.  I discovered Amer. Splendor shortly after I moved to Hawaii from Japan in 1976.  I liked it so much I wrote him a fan ltr. & we started a correspondence that lasted for a few yrs.  When he found out I knew Japanese he asked me how to write the Chinese characters for the Japanese word for "chemistry" (pronounced "kagaku"), so I wrote them out & sent them to him & they appeared in Issue No. 6 in the story "Once Again to Oregon" where he meets a Japanese chemist on the plane.  The artist, Gary Dumm, did a pretty good job reproducing the characters, altho he messed up a little with the 3 lines on top of the 2nd one.  It'll do in a pinch, tho.  <g>  You can see them in the attachment.  Anyway, that's my only direct influence on an underground comic.  He never gave me credit for it in the book or elsewhere but I can live with that.   

-Projunior