Another Dollar
Another Day just past and this book can be Another Dollar well spent. In North American comics superheroes have always owned the market and Harvey Pekar may be the greatest non-superhero character to come out from the United States. Harvey Pekar's whole life has be documented as he saw fit in his autobiographical American Splendor anthology series.
Finding a home at Vertigo Harvey's books have now stability. He has a company who will give him more exposure to his product and a company with the money to bring in top comic talents to do the art. Finding his stride in this second book, Harvey's stories seem to have a more overall focus. The book is broken properly into four parts, something missing in the Another Day trade. The stories follow to create a more streamline story. The book is still self-contained and can read without other American Splendor knowledge. Part of the fun Anthologies offer is lost because of the connections of the stories. You can pick up the book and read random stories, but some of the stories just are not as funny by themselves. This connection is not a set back, it is also beneficial and makes the reading experience more enjoyable for those of us who like a straight line read.
I was a little upset when I finished this book. I am a big Darwyn Cooke fan and his name is list first on the cover, under the "GREATEST ARTIST" line. Darwyn Cooke had two paged of illustrated story and a cover.... I love the guy, but that is milking his name by listing him there. Ty Templeton represented more for the Canadian content and deserved his name on the cover.
Stand-out artists for me were Dean Haspiel, David Lapham, Sean Murphy and Warren Pleece. Dean is my Harvey artist, I have just gotten to see the simpatico that him and Harvey had, it is visible on how Dean's pages give life to Harvey. David Laphams story was interesting because the last time I saw David Lapham do his own art was for Young Liars and Stray Bullets, both highly violent non-linear crime stories. The stories "I'm no Help!" and "Knowledgeable barber" were David's story to draw and both had the stray bullets feel of art, but Harvey's narration, both stories read fine and were not off the wall like Lapham is known for. Sean Murphy is a name that is getting big fast, he is fresh of Grant Morrison's Joe the Barbarian and will illustrate more Hellblazer. Sean Murphy is an artist that really took a while to get big and its nice seeing his art in this book because it is nice. Warren Pleece is an artist most comicvine readers would not know, I honestly hated his art in books like Garth Ennis' True Faith and in his run on Hellblazer, but Warren Pleece's art looks nicer in this book, maybe the black and white is what helps.
The strongest thing going for this comic was that is was more structured then Another Day was. This book had more focus to it, so it flowed nicely. The only major complaint is on page 58, 3 panel in the middle. The narration box mentions a white guy talking to a black guy in slang, yet in the picture both guys are white. It is easy overlooked because a lot of the comic is so moving.
Another Dollar also ends more strongly then Another Day did. The last "issue"/chapter is an anthology in an anthology. What I mean by that is that the story is broken down into chapters, but these chapters are like any other American Splendor adventure.
I would recommend any of the American Splendor books for those who want to try something outside the mainstream norm.
Cheers
- Silkcuts.