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Joyce BrabnerPioneer nonfiction comic book writer and co-star of Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor Comics has died at the age of 72, The Beat reports. Brabner has been undergoing cancer treatment and has been talking about her slow recovery on her Facebook page. Her daughter, Danielle Batone, confirmed her death and relayed the news to The PACCA Project and Cleveland editor Jeff Newelt.
Born in 1952, Brabner read comics as a child and participated in fandom-related activities while working in the nonprofit sector. She met Harvey Pekar by chance…and within three days the two were married.
“American Splendor” is a brutally honest autobiographical comic about Pekar’s mundane life as a file clerk at the Veterans Administration. Drawn by various artists, Brabner soon became the protagonist of the comic strip and Co-authored “Our Year with Cancer,” about Pekka’s own battle with cancer. She was played by Hope Davis in the highly regarded 2003 film Coming of America, where she appeared as herself and enjoyed a promotional tour that led to Pekar being recognized as an important writer outside of comics.
While Brabner became an important part of the cast behind American Splendor, she also created several notable nonfiction comics, including true war story, Selected stories by Brian Bolland and Denny O’Neill, among others, with Central Committee on Conscientious Objectors and Citizen-Soldiers.
Brabner’s most important work is 1989’s exposure,cooperate with Alan Moore and artist Bill Sienkiewiczinvestigating CIA involvement in the Iran-Contra affair, and christian college. The work won many awards and caused great controversy after its publication.
After Pekar’s death in 2010, Brabner continued to represent his legacy and work on comics projects, including contributions to Strip AIDS, animal rights comics, and anthologies metronome. her 2014 Rave on Second Avenue: As good guys, heroines and drug dealers plot to fight a plague, Illustrated Maxine Garelli, Won the Lambda Literary Award for “LGBT Graphic Novel”.
Brabner is a character in her own right, like Pekka, as all who know her will attest, mean-spirited but kind-hearted and, above all, a fighter for the truth. Her intelligence and writing skills are on display on her Facebook page, where she writes about her battle with cancer. In her last post:
(Again) Uh… what just happened? When I read the latest scan reports, I didn’t see anything that looked particularly ominous. But what do I know? I walked into the happy oncologist’s office and heard an outpouring of compliments.
“Doesn’t she look bad?!?” It’s lipstick. For some reason I decided to wear a little lipstick.
“What we’re measuring now is scar tissue.”
Of course, that’s fine. You do you, I do me.
“There are no more tumors to measure.”
interesting. I wonder what we’re going to do next.
“The tumor is gone.”
Well, that sounds promising. I know I’m doing a good job. I must be doing great. I wonder how long this will take to get over.
“You are healed.”
why no?
“You mean NED? No evidence of disease? NED is the holy grail for cancer patients. We spend all our time on treatment, looking for the elusive NED.”
I was in a state of shock. I’m looking forward to another “keep up the good work” exam. There is a 20% chance that the disease will return within the next 5 years. 80% chance not. I’m old. I had a heart that needed repairing and a twisted, broken spine that needed managing. I had to figure out this blind lady who saw the world as a playground and walked sideways.
Brabner was a true original in every sense of the word, and The Beat extends its condolences to her family and friends.
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