“I am not fit for this office and should never have been here.” Who said it? Full story »

Full story »

Full story »

Full story »

What books have been sitting by the Scrogues’ bedside these days?

“My patterns are diverse to the point of randomness,” says Lex. Mike Sheehan echoes that sentiment: “There is no rhyme or reason to my reading patterns. I may buy a hot new book and let it sit for months or years before I crack it open, I may impulsively pick something up at a yard sale and start reading that night, or vice versa.” And anyone’s who’s followed my book reviews over the past twelve months can certainly tell there’s a scattershot randomness to the books I pull from the shelves.

A look through our libraries is a glimpse into the diverse interests and energies that fuel S&R as a blog and as a community of writers. Hopefully there’s something here to fuel you, as well.

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“Hollywood is so crooked that Mafia gangsters are entirely outclassed and don’t stand a chance. People in Hollywood are smarter. They have more sophisticated knowledge of money and deals and how to steal legally rather than illegally.” Who said it? Full story »

Harvey Pekar would have turned 71 today.

I imagine that in between a phone interview or two, he would’ve found time to write a bit, listen to some old music, write some more, tape up his favorite winter coat, misplace his keys, complain about something frivolous, write some more, flash a grin at some point and end a sentence with “man,” and perhaps spend a few reflective moments looking out the window at the gray October sky of Cleveland Heights.

The esteemed chronicler of quotidian America passed away on July 12 of this year, surely having gained some measure of satisfaction that he contributed something worthwhile in life as he set out to do, and just as surely second-guessing that notion.

In tribute to Pekar, Scholars and Rogues invited cartoonists and artists—among them distinguished veterans, rising stars, and enigmas from dark corners of the underground—to illustrate panels accompanying text about events in his life, in the manner that Pekar produced his classic American Splendor series. Each week from October 2010 to January 2011, individual contributions were highlighted, but with the conclusion of the series they’re all now gathered on this page permanently. (Click on the images to see full posts.)

And bless you, Harvey, wherever you’re fretting… you gained much more than a footnote in history. Full story »

“I think women rule the world and that no man has ever done anything that a woman either hasn’t allowed him to do or encouraged him to do.” Who said it? Full story »

“If you’re really pro-life, do me a favor—don’t lock arms and block medical clinics. If you’re so pro-life, lock arms and block cemeteries.” Who said it? Full story »

“The radio makes hideous sounds.” Who said it? Full story »

“Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff.” Who said it? Full story »

“Freedom of any kind is the worst for creativity.” Who said it? Full story »

Sorry for the long absence. Let’s carry on, shall we? “If you listen to the guys up in the stands, pretty soon you’ll be up there sitting with them.” Who said it? Full story »

“In times like the present, men should utter nothing for which they would not willingly be responsible through time and eternity.” Who said it? Full story »

“It’s absolutely stunning to me, the contempt in which the network holds the audience. The idea that these people have standards is laughable.” Who said it? Full story »

“If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don’t put it there.” Who said it? Full story »

“I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.” Who said it? Full story »

“Working for a major studio can be like trying to have sex with a porcupine. It’s one prick against thousands.” Who said it? Full story »

“When all you are becomes defined as the amount of information traceable to you, what are we then? What have we become, in a world where there is no separation, no door, no filter beyond which we can say, ‘No. This is my personal space. Not yours. Here I am alone with my thoughts and free of any outside influence or control. This, you cannot have.’ I don’t know, but I don’t want to find out.” Who said it? Full story »

“Everything is changing. People are taking the comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke.” Who said it? Full story »