how was Harvey Pekar so poor?

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Harvey Pekar self-published the first 17 issues of the "American Splendor" comic book. The comic took off mainly by word of mouth. Early editions were distributed mainly via used-book and record stores in Cleveland and Cleveland Heights. Harvey had 10,000 copies of each of the early comic books printed. He sold used record albums to his co-workers at work and used books, picked up from thrift shops, library sales, and rummage/yard/garage sales, to rare-book dealers, as well as write reviews of jazz records for various publications, to help finance publishing these comic books. Once Harvey started appearing on David Letterman's show, the sales of the comic books took off, and Hollywood first took notice. Before the 2003 "American Splendor" film, there were at least several proposals to put Harvey's stories on film, but none of these proposals panned out. By the time American Splendor #17 came out in 1990 or so, the comic book was published by Dark Horse Comics, then DC. Doubleday put out two volumes of "American Splendor" anthologies, and more came out via other publishers. After the cancer incidents and his retirement from the VA, Harvey continued to write his stories, up until his death. Joyce Brabner, his wife, managed to get the unfinished stories completed, and at least a couple of "American Splendor" books came out posthumously. Despite the success of his comic books and his movie, Harvey continued to struggle financially. That's why he kept plugging away at putting out new stories long after he retired. Although Harvey keeps denying this, I felt that his David Letterman appearances helped put him on the map, and made his comic books a lot more popular. The 2003 movie helped the comic books become classics. Let alone help my career...I wouldn't have been on MTV or made any of these low budget movies, as well as "American Splendor", without Harvey. He put me on the map as well. People still ask me about Harvey, long after his retirement, long after "American Splendor" went to DVD/cable oblivion, and long after his passing. I'm just glad to have had the privilege to work with Harvey for so many years, and start a side acting career for myself as well, thanks to my appearance in the comic books and the movie, as well as "30 Rock" actor Judah Friedlander playing myself in some scenes in the film. I'm still asked all the time about the "American Splendor" film. I'm just sad that Harvey still kept struggling. And I can't believe that it has been exactly two years to this day that Harvey died, as I type this.