Under the circumstances I found this short three page strip from 1978 (when Harvey was still in his late 30's) rather poignant, and thought I'd scan and share it.

compendious discuss | |
Definition: | (adjective) Containing or stating briefly and concisely all the essentials. |
Synonyms: | succinct, summary, compact |
Usage: | It was a sort of hand-book for women with grievances (and all women had them), a sort of compendious theory and practice of feminine free morality. |
![]() ![]() Wife CarryingInitially introduced as a joke in Finland, wife carrying has become a competitive sport in which male participants race through an obstacle course while carrying a female teammate. Carrying styles include piggyback, fireman's carry, and Estonian-style, in which the female participant hangs upside-down with her legs around the man's shoulders and her arms around his waist. Major wife carrying competitions are held throughout the US as well as in Sonkajärvi, Finland, where the winner gets what? More... Discuss |
![]() ![]() Dow Jones Averages Reaches Its Lowest Point of the Great Depression (1932)The Dow Jones Industrial Average, often referred to as the Dow, is the best-known and most widely followed market indicator in the world. Tracking the performance of 30 blue-chip US stocks—which sometimes change—the Dow is thought to reflect the overall condition of the US economy. In 1932, the Dow reached its lowest point of the Great Depression, closing at 41.22—down almost 90 percent since 1929. It did not return to pre-1929 levels until 1954. Who is the Dow named after? More... Discuss |
![]() ![]() John Davison Rockefeller (1839)After two years of high school, Rockefeller—the man destined to become, by some estimates, the richest person in history—got a job as a bookkeeper. A few years later, he formed a food handling firm that prospered in the American Civil War. In 1863, he entered the brand new oil business, and within 15 years, his company dominated the American petroleum industry. A noted philanthropist, he donated $550 million during his lifetime. It has been said that Rockefeller had what two ambitions in life? More... Discuss |
![]() ![]() Francis Bacon (1561-1626) Discuss |
13 comments:
Isn't it STRANGE how people do that after an "artist" passes ?
I remember I listened to Blizzard Of Oz and Dairy Of A Madman CONSTANTLY once I heard Randy Rhoads was killed....
I digress.
I enjoyed reading that, its quite dark yet carries a very clear message. I'm off to start planning my weekend!!
You'll have to lend me some - I could go for more of this.
I know your not much of a tights and fights fan - but if you get the chance check out Blackest Night Director's Cut . A behind the scenes take on the script, art and writing. A great insight into the comics format.
Heff - yeah why DO we do that?! Weird! I guess there are so many things going on in your life that some things drop to the back a bit, even though ou've not gone off them. Alas it takes a bolt like this to remind you.
JJ - yeah, it made me think a bit too! He was quite a thinker was ol Harv!
Mondo - Glad you liked, will drop you a box full soon! I'm not anti-superhero Mondo, and I do enjoy some titles (and some writers or some titles), but I'll always gravitate back to real life stuff eventually.
P
Wow that's set me up for the day. Better read the Beano now to get back onside.
Warble
Mmm, probably not the most cheery way to kick off a Friday morning but IT'S ALL SO TRUE, SO TRUE... all these QUESTIONS... (and Horrible Histories is on tomorrow morning, hooray!)
Warble\Cocktails - Hmmm, sorry gang! Harvey's stuff is never going to send anyone away with a spring in their step I'm afraid! I just though with him passing this week, this strip was quite relevant.
He was certainly a thinker, but he did suffer from clinical depression, so there is a certain 'glass half empty' to a fair bit of his work (but not all)... hence the 'groucy' reputation.
Hope it hasn't ruined your weekends!
P
I really like his style: his life after death speech is pure poetry. Is he still in print? I'll borrow them after Mondo!
Thanks JM, Believe it or not, over the years his style has been compared to Chekhov and Dostoevsky (although maybe a tad grumpier!). I'm really glad you liked that strip.
He's still in print, although there is no 'complete works' reprints as yet.
Amazon have a good selection, but try an pick up one called "American Splendor: The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar". A huge book that compiles two 'best of' volumes into 1 - some of his best stuff is in this one. If you get hooked there are two more really good 'best of' titles ('best of American Splendor' and 'The New American Splendor Anthology: From Off the Streets of Cleveland'), but I'd say that Life and Times one is a good starting point.
P
I liked that Piley - I loved the American Splendour film but strangely never checked out any more of his work. I will now though...
Nice one John, do let me know how you get on if you go for some... remember it's not all gold, but well worth looking in to.
Not something that you'd read to try and cheer yourself but I'm sure we've all had a few moments like this. Can't help feeling you'd need to be in a certain state of mind to fully appreciate this but good stuff all the same. I can feel another trip to Amazon coming on.
I think we've all had day's like the one Pekar was having in this strip. Like Heff says when some one we admire dies we return to thier work. I see it as a homage , i played a few Rainbow tracks real loud when Ronnie James Dio passed on. It's natural to want to celebarte thier fine work.
Carl.
Post a Comment