Harvey Pekar was famous among underground comix fans and among those who enjoyed watching people they thought were bizarre on late night TV, but his true mainstream famen came in2003, when Paul Giamatti played Pekar in a movie based on Pekar's American Splendor book.

It is often the case that when an underground gem is discovered by the mainstream of society, something is lost. Too many compromises are often made to appeal to a broad audience.

It's hard to see the movie American Splendor like that. The movie managed to be successful without giving in, and Pekar's vision seems suitable for the big screen just as much as it did for the page.