The New American Splendor Anthology #[nn]

Harvey Pekar recalls a childhood moment when his love for baseball led him straight through a window—again. After his father warns him, the young boy swings his bat at a rock and sends it crashing through glass, setting off a chain of events he didn’t expect.

Harvey Pekar, ever the grump, confronts a magazine editor about a review of one of his books, only to find his voice fading as the day wears on. With Joyce Brabner and Caroline nearby, his frustration grows as his own words seem to slip away.

On a bitterly cold President's Day, Harvey Pekar finds himself reflecting on the meaning of the holiday as he navigates a quiet workday. With the office nearly empty, he dives into I. J. Singer’s Yoshe Kalb, letting the novel’s weighty themes unfold alongside his own musings. Joyce and Billy drift in and out of the scene, grounding the day in the familiar rhythms of everyday life.

In "Lost and Found," Harvey Pekar’s everyday misadventures take a turn when he and Joyce Brabner stumble upon a lost wallet, leading to a quiet moment of connection as they return it to its owner. Later, Joyce discovers a forgotten set of lottery tickets and the charm Harvey had misplaced, while a small mishap at a comic book store prompts Harvey to make amends with a thoughtful gesture.

In "Passport to Pimlico," Harvey Pekar finds himself caught between his past and present when a record-collecting friend from his youth shows up in the hospital where he works, prompting Harvey to confront his long-held attachment to his collection of 78s. As he grapples with the idea of letting go, he navigates uneasy conversations with Joyce, Linda, and Supervisor, while Jim Prohaska and Lou Kallie offer their own quiet perspectives on the weight of memory and change.

In "The Grand Finale," Harvey Pekar returns to David Letterman's show for one last chat, this time diving into politics with his usual unvarnished honesty. The conversation grows tense, leading Letterman to deliver a firm goodbye that marks the end of their on-air exchanges.

In "Weekend," Harvey Pekar’s quiet routine unravels with a confrontational encounter on the road, followed by a visit to a book dealer with Joe. The day takes another turn when a policeman stops him for speeding, turning an ordinary weekend into a series of tense, fleeting interactions.

In "Disjunctions," Harvey Pekar navigates a quiet day tinged with small anxieties: after dropping Joyce Brabner off, he cooks toast, reads a letter from an art school student, and visits a travel agency to book a flight—only to pause, suddenly aware he’s left the oven on. The story captures a moment of ordinary tension, where routine actions ripple with unspoken weight.

In a raw, intimate glimpse into Harvey Pekar’s college years, a simmering tension erupts when academic struggles lead to a moment of frustration—Harvey breaks a chair leg in a fit of anger. When his father, Pa, finds out, the confrontation escalates, pushing Harvey to the edge of a breaking point. With Al Cohen and Mrs. Pekar observing the storm from the sidelines, the story captures a pivotal, painful moment in a young man’s life, where pride, pressure, and family collide.

Harvey nervously navigates the interstate, uneasy about the long drive from Washington to Cleveland. At a gas station, his car sputters and dies, prompting Joyce to call a mechanic for help.

Harvey Pekar’s world starts to unravel when he realizes his glasses are missing—just a simple pair, but essential to his routine. In a quiet yet frantic spiral, his obsessive-compulsiveness takes over as he retraces his steps, each moment magnified by the panic of being unable to see clearly.

Herschel, a man navigating the quiet rhythms of his hospital job, is unsettled when a figure from his past walks through the doors—someone he hasn’t seen since he was a teenager. As he watches from a distance, torn between memory and silence, the weight of what might have been hangs between him and the man who once shaped his youth.

In a gritty 1950s neighborhood, tensions simmer between soda jerk Nazier Dicillo and Francis Pellegrine, whose past clash escalates into a dangerous promise: if Nazier catches Francis on the street, he’ll kill him. With the weight of pride and fear on his shoulders, Francis prepares to face the threat head-on the next day—no matter the cost.

In this quietly revealing two-page story from The New American Splendor Anthology, Ray shares a curious tale with Harvey about Don the Burp, a man from Cleveland whose interactions with strangers unfold in ways that defy easy explanation. The conversation unfolds with the kind of dry, observational humor that defines the series, leaving the meaning just out of reach.