Will Eisner
A Comics Biography
The life and work of a comics pioneer is documented in Steve Weiner and Dan Mazur’s informative graphic biography Will Eisner.
Amid economic hardships, Eisner found relief in classic fiction and “pulp” magazines. He gained recognition from his peers for his own drawing abilities. As comic books became popular, Eisner teamed with Jerry Iger to start a business creating original content. After some time, Eisner created his own syndicated newspaper strip, The Spirit. It was a huge success, and Eisner saw glimpses of the potential of the “illustrated novel.” Inspired by the increasing creative possibilities in comics, he created a graphic novel that broke the mold of comics publishing and helped to establish the genre.
Humanizing the “Father of the Graphic Novel” through affecting accounts of the obstacles and difficulties he faced, including his leap-of-faith decision to abandon a successful partnership to create The Spirit and the tragic death of his daughter, the book includes brief informational asides about the history of comics for context. Notable artists including Jack Kirby, Jules Feiffer, and Wally Wood play small roles in the story. And the art, in keeping with Eisner’s own realistic and expressive style, uses heavy contrasts to capture a wide range of emotions in a life filled with humor, sadness, stress, and pride.
Will Eisner is an absorbing graphic biography about the man most responsible for inventing the modern graphic novel.
Reviewed by
Peter Dabbene
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
