He's just drawn that way
In the world of comic books, Harvey Pekar is a genre unto himself. For more than 30 years, this cranky, working-class stiff from Cleveland has been writing about his humdrum life in a series ironically titled ''American Splendor." No one really noticed until a few years ago, when an indie film based on Pekar's strip was released to rave reviews. ''American Splendor," starring Paul Giamatti and Hope Davis, didn't make Pekar a household name, but it did make the 66-year-old retired file clerk a decent pile of dough. Pekar has just released ''The Quitter," a graphic novel about his unsatisfying adolescence and early adulthood. We reached the anti-superhero in Cleveland.
Q. Harvey, after the success of the movie, did your life change?
A. Nah, man, my wife stayed the same.
Q. No, Harvey, your life. Did your life change?
A. Nah, that stayed the same, too.
Q. But you made some money, right?
A. I guess. The money gets spent on my wife or it's put in the bank for my kid. I'm satisfied the way I am. I got the same standard of living I've had my whole life. I retired after 37 years with the federal government, 35 years with the VA hospital.
Q. You must have been pleased that the movie ''American Splendor" was good.
A. Yeah, sure. I was surprised. I just wanted to get paid. For the thing to actually be good blew my mind.
Q. What was it like seeing yourself on the big screen? I thought Giamatti captured you pretty well.
A. It was fine. I mean I'm used to it. People draw me all the time, and I've had three plays based on my work. I don't want to sound blasé, but I'm 66, so I've gone through a little [expletive].
Q. As a comic book guy, were you ever into superheroes?
A. Nah, man, I was like 11 years old when I gave up on superheroes. I don't take that Superman stuff seriously. If a guy's 15 years old and serious about Superman, I'd have my doubts about him. I saw where comics were really an underutilized medium. I just wrote about my life. It was sort of like a journal.
Q. Tell me about ''The Quitter."
A. It wasn't difficult to write. I think about this stuff all the time -- how I [expletive] my life up. I used to ruminate about it constantly. Things that happened to me years ago are fresher than stuff that happened a few weeks ago.
Q. As a kid, you were one tough SOB.
A. I didn't get that much of a kick out of beating people up. I only did it to get approval.
Q. You have any celebrity friends? That happens sometimes when guys like you get discovered.
A. Nah, I wish I did, man. It could only work to my benefit. I heard stories that Bob Dylan walked out of a comic book store in Toronto with my comic books, but he hasn't called. I know Leonardo DiCaprio's dad, George, so I've met Leo a couple of times. George used to print his own underground comics, and my friend Robert Crumb introduced us.
Q. You're kind of a celebrity now.
A. It's stopping. After the movie, I used to make speeches at colleges, and I'd clean up. I'd get 5,000 bucks. I would have done it for 50 bucks.
Q. My favorite ''Splendor" stories were about your interest in jazz and your record collection. You still have all those LPs?
A. I got thousands of them, man. They're stuffed in little corners and I can never find what I want. My wife is constantly badgering me to put them on the lawn.
Q. And what about boxing? You still watch it?
A. Nah. My wife yells at me because I like it. It wouldn't be worth the hassle. I'm looking for peace and quiet in my last years. I concede to my wife on every point.
MARK SHANAHAN 
