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!

What if there was a Harvey Pekar Award in comics? How nuns get their names. Critical success vs. commercial success. The question of Toby Radloff and existential loneliness. Shout-outs to Gerry Shamray, Sean Carroll, Soho Zat, Chester Brown/Yummy Fur, Joe Sacco, Maya Neyestani, the Angouleme Comics Festival, and the JLA/JSA crossovers of the 1980s!

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