“I met Robert Crumb in 1962; he lived in Cleveland for a while. I took a look at his stuff. Crumb was doing stuff beyond what other writers and artists were doing. It was a step beyond Mad.”

American underground comic book writer, music critic, and media personality

Harvey Lawrence Pekar was an American underground comic book writer, music critic, and media personality. He is best known for his autobiographical comic series American Splendor. Pekar wrote about his own life in a plain, direct style that helped define the feel of American Splendor. The series later inspired a 2003 film of the same name, and his work also reflected his interests as a critic and public personality.