Ego and Hubris: The Michael Malice Story Review

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Ego and Hubris: The Michael Malice Story is a Harvey Pekar biography about the life and times of the titular subject.

My Thoughts: I do concur with the complaints regarding the main subject of this story. Michael Malice is an arrogant, self-centered, objectivist, anarchist douchebag who truly is chock full of "Ego and Hubris" (pun fully intended). However, I must give this book credit for introducing me to and piquing my interest in Harvey Pekar's work, for as insufferable as Michael's compartment and philosophy (which I wholly disagreed with) was, I found myself relating to his somewhat dysfunctional family to a slightly surprising extent. Even though Malice often took his biting criticism too far, there were some individuals throughout the story who really deserved it such as that ignoramus Business Class professor. Plus, Pekar's writing was captivating and took an elegantly neutral stance to the point the reader completely forgets the role he plays until the end. While many people here don't seem to like Gary Dunn's art, I found it sufficiently expressive though the body proportions could be improved upon.

Final Thoughts: Though I probably won't recommend this to a new reader as a starting point to Pekar's opus (that prize goes to American Splendor: The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar which I also reviewed), it makes for a decent addition for a fan of his work.