Kudos from Harvey Pekar

June 14th, 2005

I love seeing Alison embrace the whole blogging thing — you’ll notice she’s written every post for the past couple of months. I’m only butting in again because I want to point out that she got mentioned in this article about graphic novels in Sunday’s Cleveland Plain Dealer. Thanks to an alert reader for the tip.

The story revolves around a panel discussion on graphic novels. Here’s the relevant exchange:

[It] attracted acolytes and skeptics, alongside hundreds of booksellers who lined the walls and scrunched onto the floor… Frank Miller, the macho creator of “Sin City,” made a dramatic late entrance, anointed by applause. Cleveland’s Harvey Pekar hunched and held forth in an orange T-shirt from one end of the table….First question: Why no women on the panel?

Charles Burns, author of “Black Hole,” a graphic novel that mines his own tortured adolescence, pulled the microphone to his chin. “Some of my best friends are women,” he offered, trying mild humor. The acolytes – young guys with backpacks who hang out in comic-book stores – thumped the rug in approval.

“Alison Bechdel – she’s one of the best, one to watch for,” Pekar said.

“Well, where is she?” grumbled the skeptics, young women in sleek black.

Answer: she was at the Boston Dyke March.