24 Hour Comics Reviewing Day, Hour Eighteen: American Splendor #2

AMERICAN SPLENDOR #2: This comic is fun. So, Bully (you're saying), how can you say you don't really like a comic book in which nothing really happens (ahemANTMANahem) and still give American Splendor a big fat green fun? If there's a definition of a generally plotless comic, it's got to be Harvey Pekar's long-running American Splendor series. No superheroes, no intense action, no fisticuffs...just a regular joe's regular life. He's not battling supervillains, but Harvey does face off against an overflowing toilet, a failed auto inspection, trying to find an address while driving in a snowstorm and much more. I can appreciate the quiet desperation and small triumphs of Harvey's life, but John tells me that it's even more appropriate when you get to be near Harvey's age and a victory over a plumbing problem is a major deal. "I know exactly what lying awake at night obsessing about having to fix a gurgling toilet is like, Bully," he tells me, and gosh, John oughta know. But even if your days are not filled with bills and bureaucracy, even if you're a happy little stuffed bull like me whose life is all candy beans and multiple Monopoly sets and marathon Cash in the Attic TV-watching sessions, you can still appreciate this for Harvey's keen and sharp dialogue and the fantastic assortment of moody and apt artwork in this issue—I especially enjoyed Eddie Campbell's contribution. Although it's not listed on the cover of this book, Vertigo's American Splendor is only a limited series, but I hope it's successful enough to warrant another miniseries in the future: even with the attention from the wonderful film starring Paul Giamatti, Harvey Pekar deserves a wider audience. He can definitely count a little stuff bull among his fans now. And PS: Happy Birthday, Harvey!