Harvey Pekar tells the story of his childhood as the son of
Jewish immigrants. Through his tumultuous adolescence as a
neighbourhood tough guy on the streets of Cleveland, his disastrous
four-week stint in the Navy and the earliest stages of his
life as a writer...
Those
of you that have read my reviews of Harvey Pekar's other releases
(American
Splendor: Our Movie Year and Best
of American Splendor) will know that I am no
fan of his work. I just can't understand why the anal ramblings
of one self-centred individual have found affection in the
hearts of so many people.
The
Quitter surprised me - I actually enjoyed it. But then
this probably has a lot to do with the fact that much of Pekar's
trademark whinging is missing from this collection. Okay,
it's still there, but in much less quantity than in previous
tales.
This
collection looks at Pekar's childhood and follows his life
until he becomes a young man. There were actually segments
of his life that I hadn't read about before. One of my biggest
complaints about Pekar is that he keeps on telling the same
old story over and over again. He's a little like that mad
uncle that you can't stand - the one who always trots out
the same old stories after a few beers. And each time he tells
you his well worn anecdote, he sits back as though it's the
first time he's told it - because he's too self-obsessed to
remember, or care, that you've heard it a thousand times.
We've
heard all of your stories, and none of them are really that
entertaining! This collection should have been the only one
published. Let's hope that Pekar quits now, while he's ahead.
Dean Haspiel's art work is by far the best thing about this
collection.
Nick
Smithson
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