Am I a guy who writes about himself in a comic book, or am I just a character in that book? If I die, will that character keep going, or will he just fade away?
Harvey PekarRead
It dawned on me that comics were not an intrinsically limited medium. There was a tremendous amount of things you could do in comics that you couldn't do in other art forms - but no one was doing it. I figured if I'd make a try at it, I'd at least be a footnote in history.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Comics hold limitless creative potential that has yet to be fully explored.
In this quote, Harvey Pekar reflects on the uncharted possibilities within the medium of comics. He realizes that comics can express a vast array of concepts and ideas that other art forms may not convey, yet few artists were taking advantage of these opportunities. Pekar’s determination to explore these potentials signifies his desire to leave a mark in the world of art, even if it means being a minor historical reference.
Themes
ComicsArtCreativityPotentialHistory
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about artistic innovation, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of exploring new mediums.
More from Harvey Pekar
All quotes →Similar quotes
My perfect day is sitting in a room with some blank paper. That's heaven. That's gold, and anything else is just a waste of time.
Cormac MccarthyRead
Listen, acting is not surgery, it's entertainment. You're doing something to hopefully move people, to make them laugh, to transport them. But actors are vulnerable, and the reason we're vulnerable is that we're always trying to recreate human behaviour.
Eddie RedmayneRead
A short story is confined to one mood, to which everything in the story pertains. Characters, setting, time, events, are all subject to the mood. And you can try more ephemeral, more fleeting things in a story - you can work more by suggestion - than in a novel. Less is resolved, more is suggested, perhaps.
Eudora WeltyRead
Choreography is writing on your feet.
Bob FosseRead
Every canvas is a journey all its own.
Helen FrankenthalerRead
Whenever I start writing, I try to put together songs that feed the feeling of the movie.
Spike JonzeRead