Author: josh

Josh Neufeld is the writer/artist of the bestselling nonfiction graphic novel A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge (Pantheon). In addition, he is the illustrator of the bestseller The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media (W.W. Norton). He was a 2013 Knight-Wallace fellow in journalism at the University of Michigan. Neufeld lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and daughter.

August 8, 2019American Splendor, Dean Haspiel, Harvey Pekar, Interviews, Josh Neufeld, Joyce Brabner

AS Bonus: Genuine Nerd TOBY RADLOFF

Josh & Dean chat with Toby Radloff, a key figure in both American Splendor the comic and the movie. (Josh illustrated a couple of Toby Radloff stories.) Toby talks about working with Harvey Pekar at the VA Hospital, what the job of a file clerk was, and hanging with Harvey on weekends. He discusses what it felt like to be a character in American Splendor, and his "delusions of grandeur" after appearing on MTV and in the Killer Nerd films. Toby weighs in on his favorite moments in the film and Judah Friedlander's portrayal of him. The interview concludes with Toby's touching tribute to Harvey, and a mention of the various Cleveland monuments to Pekar's legacy.
August 5, 2019American Splendor, Dean Haspiel, Episodes, Harvey Pekar, Josh Neufeld, Joyce Brabner

AS 18: Skipping the Whole Courtship Thing

American Splendor scene #18 (44:33 to 49:07) — Harvey takes Joyce to his apartment, where it is abundantly clear that he has a “serious problem with cleanliness.” Joyce shrugs if off, and they sit down on the couch and begin to get… intimate. Suddenly Joyce is overcome with a bout of nausea and vomiting. A concerned Harvey offers her chamomile tea. Charmed, Joyce suggests they “skip the whole courtship thing and get married”!
July 29, 2019American Splendor, Dean Haspiel, Episodes, Harvey Pekar, Interviews, Josh Neufeld, Joyce Brabner

AS 17: A Burp, a Whistle, and a Cough (with Val Mayerik)

American Splendor scene #17 (41:38 to 44:32) — Joyce travels to Cleveland to meet Harvey in person — but will he be a “hairy ape” or a “young Brando?” The real Harvey sidles into frame. His opening line? "You might as well know right off the bat, I had a vasectomy.” The date begins with a handshake and dinner at a local family restaurant.
July 22, 2019American Splendor, Dean Haspiel, Episodes, Harvey Pekar, Josh Neufeld, Joyce Brabner

AS 16: Dear Mr. Pekar

American Splendor scene #16 (37:11 to 41:37) — Meanwhile in Delaware, Joyce Brabner is frustrated with her partner in the comic store, who has sold her copy of American Splendor #8 out from under her. Why does everything in her life have to be such a complicated disaster?! She writes to Harvey, he responds, and they soon discover they are kindred spirits. Phone conversations spark the beginning of a romance, and Harvey convinces Joyce to come to Cleveland to meet him in person.
July 15, 2019American Splendor, Dean Haspiel, Episodes, Harvey Pekar, Josh Neufeld

AS 15: Alice Quinn and Jennie Gerhardt

American Splendor scene #15 (32:27 to 37:10) — The short weekend begins with longing… Harvey is picking up donuts and day-old bread at the bakery when he runs into Alice Quinn, a woman he briefly knew in college. They catch up on each other’s lives and talk about Theodore Dreiser’s novel Jennie Gerhardt. Harvey leaves their encounter feeling more alone than ever before — “life seems so sweet, and so sad…”
July 8, 2019American Splendor, Dean Haspiel, Episodes, Harvey Pekar, Josh Neufeld

AS 14: Jellybeans, Lentils, and Lent

American Splendor scene #14 (27:32 to 32:26) — Our most authentic episode to date! And the next thing, it’s the 80s… Harvey has published eight issues of American Splendor to critical acclaim but little financial gain. He’s still a “flunky file clerk.“ Toby stops by to offer Harvey some gourmet jelly beans. Before you know it, the film gets META as the real Harvey crosses paths with Paul Giamatti and the real Toby Radloff crosses paths with Judah Friedlander!
July 1, 2019American Splendor, Dean Haspiel, Episodes, Harvey Pekar, Josh Neufeld

AS 13: From Off the Streets of Cleveland

We open with a montage of classic Pekar quotidian moments and close with Harvey proudly showing off American Splendor #1 to his co-workers. Mr. Boats returns and Toby Radloff appears for the first time! Finally, the real Harvey talks about how he comes up with his stories.
June 24, 2019American Splendor, Dean Haspiel, Episodes, Harvey Pekar, Interviews, Josh Neufeld

AS 12: Words and Pictures (with James Urbaniak)

American Splendor scene #12 (20:21 to 23:45) — Inspired, Harvey stays up all night writing. At a diner with Crumb, Harv makes a pitch for a new kind of comics. He shows Bob the scripts he’s been working on — and Bob offers to illustrate them for him! Plus: an interview with actor James Urbaniak, who plays the role of Robert Crumb in the film!
June 17, 2019American Splendor, Dean Haspiel, Episodes, Harvey Pekar, Josh Neufeld

AS 11: Standing Behind Old Jewish Ladies in Supermarket Lines

American Splendor scene #11: (17:51 to 20:20) — Harvey is doing some grocery shopping when he is confronted with a conundrum about which line to wait on — the long but speedy one, or the short one with the old Jewish lady in front? Out of nowhere, Harvey’s animated subconscious — drawn in an R. Crumb manner — pops up to help guide his decision. “Are you going to stand there in silence, or are you going to make a mark?” Another new wrinkle in this unusual film!
June 10, 2019American Splendor, Dean Haspiel, Episodes, Harvey Pekar, Josh Neufeld, Joyce Brabner

AS 10: Give It Up!

American Splendor scene #10 (16:24 to 17:50) — a sobering moment in the VA hospital’s “deceased” files section leads Harvey to try drawing his own stories. Short on ideas, he flips through some old comics, including an issue of Dr. Quake. But the message he receives is… “GIVE IT UP!” Dino’s art featured this episode!