American Splendor (1976) Issue #17 American Splendor (2006) Issue #4 From 1986 to 1988, Pekar appeared six times on Late Night Show before he was banned from the show. CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Harvey Pekar's life was not an open book. His best friend is a self-confessed nerd. The story features Harvey Pekar, as himself, as the played by actor Paul Giamatti and as the comic book persona that he has created based on himself.

The ban did not hold, and Pekar appeared once more on Late Night Show in … Harvey Pekar returns to celebrate 30 years of autobiographical comics with his newest volume collecting the 4-issue acclaimed miniseries.

Both Robert Crumb (Self-Loathing Comics), who defined the underground comics of the 1960s, and Harvey Pekar (Cancer Year), whose autobiographical comic (American Splendor) launched an entire movement in the 1980s, have transformed American alternative comics. Harvey Pekar's series. One of his most infamous recurring guests on the show was comic book writer Harvey Pekar. Pekar is downbeat, depressed, in a dead end filing job, rather bitter.

It was an open comic book.