Harvey Pekar is a file clerk at a Cleveland Veterans' Affairs hospital who doesn't have much of a social life other than discussing minutia with fellow record buffs. He reads, writes, and listens to jazz when he’s not bemoaning his life or the decline of society. One day he discusses an off-handed idea for a comic book with friend Robert Crumb (James Urbaniak). The artist draws pictures for Harvey’s jottings and “American Splendor” is born. The comic unexpectedly achieves a cult following. One of the devotees is Joyce (Hope Davis), a neurotic comic store clerk who establishes an unlikely relationship with Pekar after tracking him down to find a missing issue.