As many of you probably heard, the great comic book writer Harvey Pekar died yesterday at the age of 70.  While it is a sad and tragic loss, he left behind a great catalog of comics and graphic novels.  While this is not a complete list of his comics, these are the five best representations of his work over the past 40 years.

1. The Best of American Splendor- This is the comic Harvey Pekar is most known for.  It is a window into his crazy mind and life.  Easily one of the best autobiographic graphic novels ever written.  This is responsible for influencing a generation of comic writers and artists.  There even was a movie of the same name released in 2003 about Harvey’s life.

2. Our Cancer Year- As the title suggests, this is not about a walk in the park.  Written with his wife Joyce Brabner, this is the story about Harvey discovering he had lymphoma and in need of chemotherapy.  While it is sad at times, this is a must read for anyone who has ever experienced a loved one battle with cancer.

3. Ego & Hubris: The Michael Malice Story- Breaking away from writing about his own life, Ego & Hubris is the story (told in the first person) of  Michael Malice.  This story is absolutely brilliant and shows that Mr. Pekar could write about more than just himself and do an amazing job at it.

4. Students for a Democratic Society- A Graphic History- If I was a U.S. history teacher, I would make this book required reading.  Harvey tells the history (and struggles) behind the organization Students for a Democratic Society (also known as SDS) in the 1960′s so well, you’d think this was another one of his autobiographical graphic novels (it’s not).  If you want to learn more about SDS, I highly recommend checking out the well made documentary The Weather Underground and the book The Way The Wind Blew by Ron Jacobs.

5. American Splendor: Our Movie Year- This is about as meta as you can get with a graphic novel.  This is Harvey’s story about the year when the movie of American Splendor was being filmed.  It starts when he sold the movie rights and talks about his talk show appearances and how he felt about the movie itself.  A very interesting read.

It’s always heartbreaking when a talented person passes on.  All we can do is celebrate their memory by enjoying all of the amazing work they have left behind.

Read what others are saying about Harvey Pekar:

• Can’t Stop The Bleeding
• Comic Mix
• The Comics Reporter
• Culture Mob
• The Daily Cross Hatch (and here)
• Forbidden Planet