Comics legend Harvey Pekar dies

Harvey Pekar, the comic book writer who created the celebrated autobiographical series American Splendor, has been found dead at the age of 70. The Cleveland native Pekar, a friend of underground comics pioneer R. Crumb, launched American Splendor: From Off the Streets of Cleveland to examine his own life and thoughts in comic book form. The series, which won the American Book Award, became a key influence on many artists and writers in expanding the scope of comics to include everyday life and the creator as a character. When he was diagnosed with cancer in 1990, he and his wife turned the illness and the treatment into a comic book, "Our Cancer Year." He was also well-known to world audiences as a regular guest on Late Night With David Letterman, and American Splendor was turned into an award-winning film in 2003.

Cleveland.com