January 04, 2005

• Wow. One of the greats. A tip of the hat to Mr. Eisner. He revolutionized the viewer perspective or "camera placement" of his cells and not only influenced comic artists, but also an entire generation of filmmakers. A diverse crowd owes their style to him including Speilberg, Sam Rami, and the Cohen Brothers to name but a few.
• I'm shocked. I, like a lot of other comics readers, came to Eisner's work late. But peeling open The Spirit, or A Contract With God is, and always will be, an awakening. For those who do not know Eisner, he created what we now know as the graphic novel. He elevated "comics" from what Michael Chabon so lovingly called "the ultimate greasy kids' stuff" to an art form worthy of study and praise. Eisner's "Comics and Sequential Art" reads like Eisenstein's "Film Theory/Sense". This is one of the few passings of a "celebrity" (for lack of a better word) that has me teary-eyed. We love ya Will. ))) ...
• You know, despite knowing the name and recognising his signature, I couldn't find a single comic on his site that I knew. Is there somewhere else I might have seen his work? At least he presumably had a long and fulfilling life. He was 87.
• Eisner's work (outside of say the Spirit) wasn't as iconic as say Superman, or Spider-man. So it isn't as readily identifiable as those titles. The bulk of Eisner's more "commercial" work predates comics in the form we know them. His work wasn't really "visible" to most people, much less most comics readers. Its like film. You may watch a lot of movies, but you might not know who Kurosawa is, or Eisenstein, or Fritz Lang, etc. Many people find Eisner the same way they find Kurosawa, influence. You will hear a lot of major modern directors like Spielberg or Scorsese cite Kurosawa as an influence, so you seek him out. The same could be said for Bob Dylan. Obviously those names are more familiar than Eisners. But I think thats because comics as a medium, in most countries, for whatever reason, is still struggling for legitimacy. Will helped make comics more visible to the public at large. Will always believed that comics could produce a major work that could stand next to other mediums. If you seek a recommendation of Will's work, read A Contract with God. Eisner's Spirit is also a good, more light-hearted read that is being reprinted in multiple volumes much like Shulz's Peanuts.
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• tracicle, the first Eisner I read was To the Heart of the Storm, his autobiographical work about growing up Jewish in the years before WWII. Since it deals with a lot of anti-Semitic prejudice, it's not a comfortable read, but still a very rewarding one. As lilnemo said, it's true that Eisner's titles aren't as immediately recognizable as, say, Neil Gaiman's or Alan Moore's. But without his work, neither of those authors might be around in the form we know them today. (Gaiman himself acknowledges as much here, in a moving eulogy written today.)
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• A few random tidbits... Michael Chabon's Pulitzer Prize winning novel "The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" is loosely based upon Eisner, Bob Kane, Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster. In an era where artists and writers of strips were routinely stripped of the ownership of their creations, Eisner maintained control of "The Spirit". When Eisner was drafted into WWII he signed the character over to the studio ( in the event he didn't return) so that the work could continue to be published. He resumed his share of control upon his return. Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel sued Detective Comics over their compensation for the creation of Superman, and in 1948 they received a settlement from the NY Supreme Court. But D.C. had long since removed their byline from the covers and credits of Superman comics. They sued again in 1978, and D.C. reinstated their byline. Which hadn't appeared in print for 30 over years. In a medium where logos and mastheads are carefully considered and rarely changed Eisner changed mastheads every week. For 12 years. His name always accompanied the title.
• Another tidbit... Bob Kane used to work in Eisner's studio. Eisner, Kane, and uncredited Batman creator Bill Finger all went to the same high school (De Witt Clinton High School). ... And some history to provide some context.
• Holy fuck. I had no idea. This is a TREMENDOUS loss. He was one of the true greats and one of the storytellers I grew up with. I'm very saddened to hear this.
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• Eisner's last work "The Plot" is slated to be published 5/1/05. Here's an article about The Plot from the NYT. Even in his late 80's Will was still fighting the good fight.
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• See you in the funny papers. :-( Re: the Golden Age of Comics, Eisner, Siegel & Shuster, through the lens of Kavalier & Clay, I was reading this little series of potted biogs only today.
• Interesting that he passed a mere few days after legendary sci fi artist Frank Kelly Freas also made the transition. RIP.
• odd.. i didnt know he was still alive. RIP, mr. eisner.
• A truly great artist, may he rest in peace.