Will Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel

by Paul Levitz, Jules Feiffer (Commentary), Art Spiegelman (Commentary)

Will Eisner (1917–2005) is universally considered the master of comics storytelling, best known for The Spirit, his iconic newspaper comic strip, and A Contract With God , the first significant graphic novel. This seminal work from 1978 ushered in a new era of personal stories in comics form that touched every adult topic from mortality to religion and sexuality, forever changing the way writers and artists approached comics storytelling. Noted historian Paul Levitz celebrates Eisner by showcasing his most famous work along­side unpublished and rare materials from the family archives. Also included are original interviews with creators such as Jules Feiffer, Art Spiegelman, Scott McCloud, Jeff Smith, Denis Kitchen, and Neil Gaiman—all of whom knew Eisner and were inspired by his work to create their own graphic novels for a new generation of readers.




The cover is a high-quality photographic reproduction of Eisner's original art. The design intentionally reveals tape and other stray markings that are part of the artist's process and reflect the age of the artifact that was photographed.

Genres: Comics, Biography, Nonfiction, Art, Graphic Novels, Writing, History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 20, 2015

Reviews

[rumbledethumps · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject, Will Eisner, was very interesting. It was also great to see how his style developed over the decades.

Unfortunately, the writing just isn't very good. Jarring, nonsensical segues, weird shifts between second and third person narration, and sentences that take several readings before they make some sort of sense. Read it for the illustrations that show the evolution and genius of Eisner's style, but skim the text.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I got this as a Hanukkah present I wondered why since I'm not a big reader of comics or graphic novels, but read it anyway and was surprised at how much of it did interest me. I hadn't heard of Will Eisner before. The parts that were biographical or related to his Jewish background were interesting and so were some of the comics or pages of his drawings. I found the chapters about how different comics were developed or comparing Eisner's techniques to other comic writers harder to follow and more boring.
Overall 2.5 stars rounded up, which is better than I thought it would be going in.

[Tankboy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not one mention of ‘The Spirit” television movie in the ‘80s?! Am I the only person who remembers that?

Aside from that minor quibble this is an excellent overview of Eisner’s work, and includes SO MANY excellent examples of the man’s work accompanied by deeper dives into his life and motivations. Really great.

[Scott Semegran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book with excellent reproductions of master cartoonist Will Eisner's The Spirit splash pages as well as pages from his graphic novels. Retelling of his place in comic strip history is thorough as well as critical of some of his artistic choices. An excellent read that is beautifully bound. Highly recommended.

[Eddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will Eisner the champion of graphic novels was a very colorful and vivid biography much like the artist himself. The book highlighted his entire career in comics focusing mainly on the spirit and his graphic novels. If you are a fan of comic books and the man behind the stories this book is both informative and easy to read.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reference for anyone serious about comics, art history, & graphic storytelling.

[Brent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is a great celebration of the life and work of Will Eisner, with generous samples of art and story, well reproduced, designed, and printed in a coffee-table format for sharing. Paul Levitz, former publisher of DC Comics and a knowledgeable fan and comics historian in his own write, excels at the nuances of publishing and business history. For instance, it is amazing, as Levitz points out, that Eisner is also the only comics artist to also be the chief executive of a publicly traded company! This fine anthology and biography does not replace other biographies of the late, great Eisner, but showcases his successes and places his pioneering publishing career in historical context.
Highly recommended.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

PDF - a very engaging and insightful look at Eisner's career and influence, packed with great artwork and addendumed by a nice panel discussion of terrific cartoonists discussing their appreciation.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book -- a perfect encapsulation of comic-book history and the man who shepherded the graphic novel form its infancy into its true potential.

[Victors · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biography and graphic novel criticism/history. Focused look at the tandem path of Eisner's life and the life of the graphic novel, and their influence on 20th century American comics, culture, and more.

An easy read with coloful splash pages that echo Eisner's Spirit pages. The biography leaves out the more personal details and public fueds that other books explore by keeping a tighter focus on Eisner's relationship with graphic novels and comics. Likewise, the book avoids a complete historical chart on the graphic novel throughout the last few decades, and instead focuses on and celebrates Eisner's contribution to the medium and field.