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With the release of American Splendor, the indie hit
film based on the comic of the same name, the world discovered
Harvey Pekar in earnest. Once Pekar
was content merely to flirt with fame. But when fame wanted
a commitment, he found himself a household name... sort of.
And, to tell you the truth, it's starting to bug the hell
our of him...
American
Splendor: Our Movie Year has got to be about the most
boring, self-indulgent collection of stories I've ever read.
Firstly,
is anyone really interested in the writings of a man who constantly
moans and, when faced with a problem, like the largest power
cut in America, thinks firstly about himself and very rarely
of others? Maybe, but not this reviewer.
Secondly,
didn't Titan think to employ an editor to read through this
dull collection before they thrust it on to the market? Obviously
not as there are numerous stories here that just tell the
same tale over and over again - like how Pekar sat on a plane
with Al Gore, what American Splendor is all about (we
only need to be told once, not half a dozen times); and how
the movie got made.
Pekar's
rise to fame is, I gathered from reading this collection,
more down to luck than any actual talent. His comic books
never made any money and his movie script was totally rewritten
by others who knew what they were doing.
In
the end, as this collection revolves around Pekar, whether
you like this release or not will depend on whether or not
you find him a likeable character. I didn't, and as a consequence
really did not enjoy this at all.
The
R. Crumb illustrations (only a few pages) and the computer
generated characters from Waiting for a Jump are the
only positive points in an otherwise dull collection of tales.
Nick
Smithson
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