This great piece of comics criticism was lifted from The Spirit #19, written by Mark Evanier and Sergio Aragonés with art by Paul Rivoche (DC Comics, september 2008). I don’t think Scott McCloud could have put it better. And it doesn’t end there…
Listen to the man !
(The Spirit © Will Eisner Studios. Quoted for review and comment purposes)
Fans of Will Eisner, rejoice ! The Virginia Commonwealth University library seems to have quite a few issues of the fabled P.S. Magazine in its collections, and has now made complete scans for 145 regular issues, 3 special issues, and 14 index issues available on their Digital Collections website.
PS magazine, the Preventive Maintenance Monthly, is a publication by LOGSA, the US Army Logistics Support Activity, aimed at spreading awareness about the necessity of taking good care of your gear. Eisner started this magazine in 1951, and continued to work on until the 1970s with Klaus Nording, Mike Ploog and other artists (ref) through his company, American Visuals Corporation.
The magazine is still being published today, with contributions by Joe Kubert and others. PDF versions of current issues are available at the PS Magazine website.
(thanks to the members of the WillEisnersPS-Mag Yahoo group)
One more example of the superhero trope : Roy Meriwether’s Soul Invader album from 1968, with artwork by Will Eisner / Murphy Anderson (although The Incrowd has his doubts - thanks anyway !)
Will Eisner and Jack Kirby (and Mrs. Kirby) at the 1982 San Diego Comic Con. A priceless photo from a Alan Light’s Flickr photoset on Flickr (photo by Alan Light).
(via Drawn! The Illustration Blog)
When I was in Copenhagen a couple of years ago, I found myself wandering on the outskirts of the old city, somewhat south of the anarchist enclave Christiania. It was a sunday, and the city was quiet - even quieter than on any other day. We had visited the Round Tower and all the other sites, and I was desperate for something that would tie this dormant, old city to my own life.
And all of a sudden, there it was - a glorious mural by Will Eisner, combining a wonderful trompe-loeuil with one of the central themes in Eisner’s work : man’s desire to surpass the ordinary, to fly.
I was sorting through old pictures today, and came across this photograph. And so I thought I’d share it with you.
This has been around for a couple of months, it seems, but I only saw it today. It’s just sad, really…
What I do like, however, is Chris Peyer’s take on what a Frank Miller Dan Dare movie would look like, over at Beer & Meat.
I was chatting about finding comics stuff in the strangest places, when I mentioned coming across a Will Eisner mural while strolling around Copenhagen’s old fortifications, some years ago. Instead of just mailing the picture that I took to a few people, I tought, why not just publish it here ? And so I did.
