The second panel in this ongoing tribute to Harvey Pekar was contributed by renowned artist, illustrator and cartoonist Derf. Of his piece, Derf had this to say: “The legendary Otto Moser’s was a favorite of mine… and of Harvey and all Clevelanders. Tucked on a narrow sidestreet downtown, it was originally directly across from the stage entrance of the old Cleveland Opera House. All the vaudeville acts used to eat there and the walls were covered, floor to ceiling, with autographed glossies, including the Marx Brothers and early Three Stooges! Walk through that door and you stepped back in time 100 years: a massive wooden bar, thick smoke, steam rising off the corn-beef cooker, the noise and clatter, diners packed elbow to elbow. It’s gone now, the whole street was redeveloped in the early 90s as a House of Blues. Ugh. One by one, the corporations strip us of our identity. Which is a very Pekar-esque belief, I think.”
Sorry I missed Otto Moser’s. Glad I didn’t miss Derf’s re-creation of that time from Pekar’s POV!
Very cool!