American Splendor Creator Found Dead

Comic book icon HARVEY PEKAR has died at his home in Ohio. He was 70.

Pekar, who was battling cancer, high blood pressure and depression, was found unconscious by his wife Joyce Brabner on Monday morning (12Jul10).

Local police have confirmed an autopsy will be performed.

Pekar was the brains behind his glum, autobiographical comic book series American Splendor, which was made into an Oscar nominated movie. It starred Paul Giamatti as Pekar.

He began publishing American Splendor in the mid-1970s and recently turned his moody musings on life and love into an Internet series, titled The Pekar Project.