A lifelong Cleveland resident, Harvey Pekar (1939-2010) pioneered autobiographical comics, mining the mundane for magic since 1976 in his ongoing American Splendor series. Harvey Pekar''s Cleveland is sadly one of his last, but happily one of his most definitive graphic novels. It combines classic American Splendor-ous autobiographical anecdotes with key moments and characters in the city''s history as relayed to us by Our Man and meticulously researched and rendered by artist Joseph Remnant. With an introduction by Alan Moore to boot! Published by ZIP Comics and Top Shelf Productions.
Harvey Pekar's Cleveland
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This may be the last published work we see of Pekar's, and it seems a fitting capstone: a tribute to the town he loved. The book starts with an overview of Cleveland history, and then moves into more American Splendor-style stories about Harvey's personal experience of the city he lived in. We get to re-visit a lot of favorite characters from American Splendor, at a sort of meta-level, as Harvey reminisces about the trajectory of his life. I can't help but think at some points in the book that this work missed out on a final editing run by Harvey. There are a few panels where the chronological order gets a little jostled and a few where the transitions feel a bit stilted. Hard to explain, but I'm sure that Joseph Remnant had to do a lot of the artwork without any oversight from Harvey, and the narrative structure is slightly (only slightly) less polished than we'd expect from Harvey Pekar as a result.
However, Joseph Remnant's artwork is excellent. It's reminiscent enough of Crumb's style to hearken back to Pekar's early work, but Remnant has his own refreshing style as well. He's great with faces and is meticulous in his architectural reproductions, which is a necessity for this historical work. It makes me sad to think we're likely not going to see any more new Pekar material after this (unless any unfinished projects see publication.) I went through this one slowly to relish it. Definitely a must-read for Pekar fans, and Cleveland fans. A great finish to a wonderful body of work. We'll miss you Harvey.
However, Joseph Remnant's artwork is excellent. It's reminiscent enough of Crumb's style to hearken back to Pekar's early work, but Remnant has his own refreshing style as well. He's great with faces and is meticulous in his architectural reproductions, which is a necessity for this historical work. It makes me sad to think we're likely not going to see any more new Pekar material after this (unless any unfinished projects see publication.) I went through this one slowly to relish it. Definitely a must-read for Pekar fans, and Cleveland fans. A great finish to a wonderful body of work. We'll miss you Harvey.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Harvey Pekar presents his hometown with insightful and engrossing detail, but would you expect something less from the author of the classic American Splendor comic series? This story fits right into his canon, reintroducing readers to the constant setting of his comics while showing Pekar's followers more tales from his life.
Pekar spares little in the range of this story, presenting the birth of Cleveland at the end of the 18th century, the promising growth of the city shortly after and its tragic urban decay during the 20th century. Still, the comic's finest moments are when we see this town through Pekar's lens, when the reader learns not only about the city but sees how life there was. Pekar uses the full range of his 70 years in the city to tell personal stories, sifting through the mundane to show readers the beauty in everyday life. Whether it's listening to the Cleveland Indians winning the World Series through a school intercom or observing the creation of the city's largest used bookstore, Pekar shows that there's always something interesting to see in our lives.
Joseph Remnant's art allows this story to flourish even further. The beautiful line shading and countless details shows an intense commitment to tell Pekar's story with the highest reverence. It's easily some of the best art to grace a Pekar comic.
Captivating till the very end, Pekar wraps up his story with an outlook on his town and what would come to be the last days of his life. It's a fitting close to a fantastic series of comics from one of the medium's finest writers.
Pekar spares little in the range of this story, presenting the birth of Cleveland at the end of the 18th century, the promising growth of the city shortly after and its tragic urban decay during the 20th century. Still, the comic's finest moments are when we see this town through Pekar's lens, when the reader learns not only about the city but sees how life there was. Pekar uses the full range of his 70 years in the city to tell personal stories, sifting through the mundane to show readers the beauty in everyday life. Whether it's listening to the Cleveland Indians winning the World Series through a school intercom or observing the creation of the city's largest used bookstore, Pekar shows that there's always something interesting to see in our lives.
Joseph Remnant's art allows this story to flourish even further. The beautiful line shading and countless details shows an intense commitment to tell Pekar's story with the highest reverence. It's easily some of the best art to grace a Pekar comic.
Captivating till the very end, Pekar wraps up his story with an outlook on his town and what would come to be the last days of his life. It's a fitting close to a fantastic series of comics from one of the medium's finest writers.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By purerockfury
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The flow of posthumous Harvey Pekar material is bittersweet. It is nice to be able to await a new book he took part in authoring, though we all know that it will end sooner than later. However, due to his somewhat sudden passing, one can notice that parts were partially filled in after the fact. Despite this, upon seeing that "Cleveland" was in stores, I was immediately drawn to the attractive packaging. Top Shelf always gives their graphic novels the royal treatment from binding down to the choice of paper they use. It is clear that they treat each book as an individual release to be appreciated for content rather than a mass produced paperback. As a result, "Cleveland" is a work of craftsmanship and beautiful to hold in your hands.
When you delve into the content, the tone is akin to American Splendor. This is a once-great city that has fallen on hard times as seen through the eyes of a man who existed entirely within its core. From his birth until his passing, Harvey Pekar watched Cleveland morph and change many times over, never straying from his love of home. Even through passages the appear sullen or bitter, it is clear that he felt Cleveland to be unnecessarily overlooked by outsiders. It is this combination of personal storytelling and urban history that really takes the reader inside the parts of Cleveland that often go ignored. Though short, this tribute to both the man and his city are worth your time.
When you delve into the content, the tone is akin to American Splendor. This is a once-great city that has fallen on hard times as seen through the eyes of a man who existed entirely within its core. From his birth until his passing, Harvey Pekar watched Cleveland morph and change many times over, never straying from his love of home. Even through passages the appear sullen or bitter, it is clear that he felt Cleveland to be unnecessarily overlooked by outsiders. It is this combination of personal storytelling and urban history that really takes the reader inside the parts of Cleveland that often go ignored. Though short, this tribute to both the man and his city are worth your time.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
LEGEND
Incredible denouement by and of the comic book master.
Harvey holds nothing back, reminding us how important an innocuous bookstore is; to a city, a neighborhood, and... Read more
Harvey holds nothing back, reminding us how important an innocuous bookstore is; to a city, a neighborhood, and... Read more
Published 1 month ago by C. Sheboy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Felt Very Cleveland all over again.
You got to be from Cleveland to understand the book. I live in California now.
Reading the book sure reminds me of the old days back in Cleveland again. Read more
Reading the book sure reminds me of the old days back in Cleveland again. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Leonard M. Green
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Primer on Cleveland and Pekar
If you know someone who likes either Harvey Pekar or Cleveland, this is an excellent gift idea. It traces Harvey's own story in tandem with that of the city he called home. Read more
Published 3 months ago by LibraryThingReviewer
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fond Remembrance
This book was a gift for my brother who had the opportunity to meet and work with Harvey Pekar. It is, as the title implies, an ode to the city Pekar loved. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Daniel O'Rourke
4.0 out of 5 stars
personal ode to Cleveland
Pekar wrote a concise political, social, economic and personal history of Cleveland. Some of the reviewers on Amazon complained that the history was dry and that Harvey was... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Frank L. Greenagel Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars
great collection for a fan!
another great piece of work to add to our collection! harvey is truly missed and will always be remembered!!! must have
Published 4 months ago by victoria stefan
5.0 out of 5 stars
cleveland
Exactly as expected. Was a gift for a longtime Cleveland resident and they were very happy with it. Very Good.
Published 4 months ago by Margene Ryberg
5.0 out of 5 stars
Harvey Pekar Was Cleveland
Harvey Pekar's Cleveland is what may be the famed graphic novelist's last published work. In a way it defines the often maligned city of Cleveland as much as it does Harvey... Read more
Published 5 months ago by D. Scott
3.0 out of 5 stars
Cleveland doesn't rock
I wish I could be more positive about one of Harvey Pekar's final books but I can't. "Cleveland" is too full of dry information, and re-heated stories Pekar has gone over before in... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Noel
3.0 out of 5 stars
Harvey Pekar's Cleveland
From the glowing reviews on this page, I was expecting this book to be quite interesting and well-crafted, especially with my bias coming from NW Ohio. Read more
Published 7 months ago by J.L.
