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 (Photo by Pete Eisner) eNewsletter No. 15 Author, Will Eisner: A Spirited Life
Obituaries from Around the World W.W. Norton Editor Robert Weil Recalls Eisnerıs Final Project and Reveals Plans to Reissue Entire Eisner Graphic Novel Library MOCCA Plans Touring Eisner Exhibition Short Will Eisner Biography by Bob Greenberger Announced Will Eisnerıs ³The Spirit² Meets Michael Chabonıs ³The Escapist² Launch of ³Will Eisner: A Spirited Life² Official Web Site Reader Tributes Pour In, Part I Will Eisner Links OBITUARIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD Most newspapers took the easy route and ran the vanilla obits produced by the Associated Press and Reuters. But there were some reporters around the country who did their own research and interviews about the life and times of Will Eisner. (His passing was also on the front page of the Wall Street Journal; on the web site of the Hindustan Times, a picture and caption of Walt Disney Chairman Michael Eisner appears with the paperıs obit on Will.) Here are links to some of the best reports: NPR (Audio; Michael Chabon interview): http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4259517 NPR (Audio: Commentary by Dallas Observerıs Robert Wilonsky): http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4266952 Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48732-2005Jan4.html Washington Post (Appreciation by Paul Fitzgerald, former editor of PS Magazine): http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48718-2005Jan4.html Entertainment Weekly: http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,1014089_10_0_,00.html New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/05/books/05eisner.html Sun-Sentinel: (Alan Bellman, Michael Uslan interviews) http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-ceisner05jan05,0,4879876.story?coll=sfla-news-broward Miami Herald (Ann Eisner, Mike Richardson, Paul Levitz interviews) http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-ceisner05jan05,0,4879876.story?coll=sfla-news-broward Chicago Tribune: (Neil Gaiman, Jules Feiffer interviews) http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-050104willeisner,1,6640060.story?coll=chi-news-hed W.W. NORTON EDITOR ROBERT WEIL RECALLS EISNERıS FINAL PROJECT AND REVEALS PLANS TO REISSUE ENTIRE EISNER GRAPHIC NOVEL LIBRARY A flood of Eisner news was released on Tuesday in reaction to his passing, including a blockbuster: W.W. Norton & Company, in addition to publishing Eisnerıs final graphic novel, The Plot: The Secret Story of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, in May, has acquired 14 of Eisnerıs graphic novels and will begin re-releasing them in all new editions beginning in September. First up will be a trilogy tying together A Contract With God, Dropsie Avenue and A Life Force. W.W. Norton Editor Robert Weil called the newsletter on Tuesday morning shortly after reading of Eisnerıs passing. He was in a state of shock, having spoken with Will twice the day before: ³I spoke to Will twice yesterday (Monday Jan. 5),² Weil said, ³once just before noon to wish him a Happy New Year. I hadnıt called earlier because I didnıt want to disturb him. He sounded literally like he was outside on a sundeck. He was in great shape. We had an editorial conversation. He was remarkable upbeat and cheery; he wasnıt depressed in the slightest. This was a man planning to get out this week. ³Later in the day, we got news of the sale of his new book in Spain. It was a nice auction so I spoke to him again before 5 p.m. He was elated. I also told him that we just finished the forward to the A Contract With God Trilogy which includes Contract, Dropsie Avenue and A Life Force and has at least 17 to 20 new pieces of art in it. He bridges it all together as one epic set on Dropsie Avenue. Thatıs what he was editing and just completed before he died. ³He loved his work. He died doing his work, literally. He was the John Wayne of comics he wanted to go out on the saddle.² Weil added that Umberto Eco finished writing an introduction to The Plot just last week. MoCCA PLANS TOURING EISNER EXHIBITION A career-spanning art exhibit, ³The Will Eisner Retrospective² will open at MOCCA (Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art) in New York City in May 2005, followed by galleries at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, The University of Massachusetts in Amherst and possibly additional venues. SHORT WILL EISNER BIOGRAPHY BY BOB GREENBERGER ANNOUNCED Solicitations have begun for another Will Eisner biography, this one by Bob Greenberger, according to a posting on his blog: ³In 2004, I received the opportunity to produce his biography as part of Rosen Booksı new Library of Graphic Novelists and it wasnıt easy squeezing his life into a mere 18.000 words. Itıll be out in a few months and I am deeply saddened he wonıt be around to see his life celebrated in this way.² Read Greenbergerıs entire tribute to Eisner here: http://bgb.malibulist.com/ WILL EISNERıs ³THE SPIRIT² MEETS MICHAEL CHABONıS ³THE ESCAPIST² In its February 2005 cover story, ³121 Things You Need to Know for 2005,² Wizard Magazine dropped this bombshell: ³The Escapist, the golden-age superhero crafted by Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Chabon, meets The Spirit! Itıs projected to happen in Aprilıs Escapistı #7 in a tale by Spirit creator Will Eisner himself!² LAUNCH OF ³WILL EISNER: A SPIRITED LIFE² OFFICIAL WEB SITE ³Will Eisner: A Spirited Life Official Web Site² is now up and running, although a mite than on content, due to the latest developments. It will eventually include an archive of this eNewsletter, easy links to all things Eisner, exclusive Eisner news and rare art. Bookmark it: http://www.aspiritedlife.com READER TRIBUTES POUR IN, Part I I think youıll be truly touched by the outpouring of affection and warm memories. Fortunately, Will was a man who was appreciated in his time and saw it happen, so none of this may be a surprise. But I think the spontaneous nature of it is a wonderful touch at an incredibly sad moment for all of us. Iıll have many more tomorrow: So sorry to hear this. Bob Iger President and Chief Operating Officer The Walt Disney Company (And great-nephew of Will Eisnerıs first partner, Jerry Iger) On a personal note, I am crushed. Bob Alper Rabbi/Stand-up Comedian http://www.bobalper.com Two minutes ago I wanted to show a client the Will Eisner web site and the black page appeared about his death. I can hardly speak and am just emailing some people about this tragic loss. Give my best to Ann. John McShane Sad, sad news- I met Will only a couple of times, once at a London convention about 10 years ago, where we chatted about The Dreamer, and who all the characters really were in the book. Congenial, witty and kind. Had to love the man. In September 2003, I was attending the Norwegian comics festival, Raptus, where Will was the headling guest. The organizer, Arild Waerness, met me at the airport and told me an 'old friend' was keen to catch up with me... it was Will, who had remembered our brief conversation of a decade before, remembered me. I spent much of the weekend in Will and Ann's company, when my wife joined me at the show Will was a star with her, joshing and dissing me to her delight, like a favourite uncle not like a living legend.... I've stayed in contact with Will and Ann off and on through e-mails, several during the time of the hurricanes that hit Florida. They wrote how the loss of electricity meant they ate by candle-light, just like the old days... making a positive out of a small disaster. Always loved the man's work- it taught me about storytelling, about humour and emotion in the distilled form that he pretty much owned. Comics has lost a leader, and a leading light. Mike Collins Freakhouse Graphics Ltd Cardiff Wales, UK I, too, am crushed by Will's loss--and we are so grateful that he placed his papers here at the Cartoon Research Library so that future generations may learn about his genius. Thank you for letting us know about his death. Sincerely, Lucy Shelton Caswell Professor and Curator The Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library But so much of Will Eisner stays with us. I only knew Will to say hello at conventions. But His work has been an intimate companion for me in my studio for my entire professional career. I've been inspired by his art, his storytelling, his designs. And I've taken lessons from him in creator ownership and control, business plans and so much more. We all see him as the master comic book creator - but he was only able to be that because of his mastering of business. His work will remain. His work is a school. Mark Wheatley http://www.InsightStudiosGroup.com http://www.SunnyFundays.com This will leave a big, gaping hole in the world of comics creation. Howard Cruse (Barefootz, Stuck Rubber Baby) http://www.howardcruse.com Thank you for letting me know. I don't know yet how to respond. I am quietly stunned. So sad to hear this news - thank goodness that Will completed the Protocols of Zion book ( which I've just read - this must have been such a powerful and important work to him) - and that you and Will were able to complete his biography too - and that long conversation with Miller as well. We have so much to be thankful to him for. Paul Gravett I am a very lucky man for many reasons. I have been working for Steve Geppi since I was just 13 years old, before he had even begun Diamond comic Distributors. Upon being hired by Steve for a simple gopher job, one of the first things Steve did with me was work on my appreciation of the classics. He taught me to appreciate Barks and Kirby and he introduced me to the work of Will Eisner. Many a slow day at the store had me reading originals Steve had in the back room. Thanks to the efforts of Denis Kitchen, I was also a buyer of the regular reprints and devoured the end pages that recapped what Will thought about the stories and such. Through my continued work for Diamond Comic Distributors, I was fortunate enough to meet Will through Diamond's seminars and many conventions. While never close to him, I was someone he knew on sight and he always had a kind word to say, no matter how long he had been on his feet. I am very lucky to have met him and to have appreciated his work. We have lost a champion in this industry, but his work lives on. Continue to spread the word of the genius of this man. There is no shortage of material to share. And you will be doing the recipient a favor. And if there are drawing boards in Heaven, I bet Mr. Eisner will be having some incredible graphic novels waiting for us when we join him. Mark Herr Director of Purchasing Diamond Comic Distributors Will Eisner was at the first comic book convention I attended in the mid-to-late eighties. I was already a fan of the Spirit; the Kitchen Sink black and white reprints were readily available, and to me, they were very avant-garde. I remember first seeing him at an "old-timers" panel, along with Julie Schwartz, and they were discussing the good old days like war veterans. Eisner held all of us in the room spellbound as he told anecdote after anecdote about his early experiences. He was a master storyteller, and knew how to clearly and succinctly get his point across, deftly compose his punch line, or sum up an idea or thought in the most economical and effective way. He had us in tears, we were laughing so hard. That was Will Eisner. He was a master storyteller, on paper or in person. I saw him many times since then, and I always brought something for him to sign, or stopped by and briefly chatted with him. He was always gracious, always personable, and he always had something interesting to say about whatever I waved under his nose. I am really sorry he's gone. We are poorer for the loss. Mark Finn There is no better role model for comic book creators who hope to stay creatively active their entire careers than Will Eisner. After stardom among his peers as a young cartoonist, he didn't follow the usual path of moving on to another field, never to return. Instead, he came back, pioneered the graphic novel, wrote books on the craft, interviewed his peers for his magazine, taught -- and kept writing and drawing from the heart, right to the end. He deserves the admiration we all feel mixed with sorrow at his loss. Paul Chadwick Creator, Concrete http://www.paulchadwick.net If youıd like to subscribe to Will Eisner: A Spirited Life eNewsletter, send an e-mail to subscribe@aspiritedlife.com |