Gary Dumm

Who is Gary Dumm?

Gary Dumm is an Ohio-based comic book artist known particularly for his work illustrating the comics of Harvey Pekar. From 1976 until Pekar's 2010 death, he worked on Pekar's autobiographical comic series, American Splendor, where he appeared alongside such notable comics artists as Robert Crumb, Joe Sacco, and Gerry Shamray. Much of Dumm's work on American Splendor was as an inker, embellishing the pencils of Greg Budgett and Joe Zabel. Dumm collaborated with Pekar as the primary artist on two full-length books, Ego & Hubris: The Michael Malice Story, and Students for a Democratic Society: A Graphic History.

Dumm has also worked on such projects as Dennis McGee and The Miracle Squad. He contributes a regular strip to the newsletter Music Makers Rag. His editorial cartoons have been published in Cleveland Scene, Cleveland Free Times, and The Plain Dealer. A retrospective of his work was shown at the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve in Cleveland. Dumm says he feels "itchy" when he’s not drawing.