Alef: The NEXT Conversation

With the recent death of Harvey Pekar, the comics community is left mourning the loss of one of its elder statesmen, while the Jewish community at large probably should, but likely won’t, be mourning the loss of one of its most unique voices.

One aspect of Harvey Pekar’s genius was his ability to breathe life into mundane encounters and experiences. Below, in a comic originally published in the Jewish Review of Books, Harvey details his attempt at oneupmanship toward a group of Jews walking past his yard.  It’s an interaction to which most people, Jewish or not, can relate: The desire to seem “better than” backfiring, leaving bemusement (and perhaps a trace of humility?) it its wake.

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Read more from Issue 17: People of the (comic)Book.