American Splendor's second scene (1:24 to 4:49) introduces Paul Giamatti as Harvey Pekar, walking the gritty Cleveland streets, interwoven with the film's opening credits, all formatted to look like comic book panels. Then we meet the real Harvey Pekar in a faux behind-the-scenes documentary setup.

A discussion of American Splendor as a groundbreaking type of comic book — an alternative to both mainstream superhero comics and underground comix. Some information about writer/directors Shari Springer-Berman & Robert Pulcini, as well as the previous attempts to make an American Splendor film. Josh discusses making nonfiction comics, specifically journalistic comics and autobiography. The city as character: Harvey Pekar's Cleveland and Dean's stories of Brooklyn and Trip City.