William Erwin Eisner was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series The Spirit (1940–1952) was noted for its experiments in content and form. In 1978, he popularized the term "graphic novel" with the publication of his book A Contract with God. He was an early contributor to formal comics studies with his book Comics and Sequential Art (1985). The Eisner Award was named in his honor and is given to recognize achievements each year in the comics medium; he was one of the three inaugural inductees to the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame.
Eisner in 2004
Wow, What a Magazine! No. 3 (Sept. 1936): Cover art by a teenage Eisner.
Eisner's cover for The Spirit (Quality Comics) #21, June 1950.
Premiere issue of the U.S. Army publication PS (June 1951), designed to be a "postscript" to related publications. Art by Eisner.
Spirit (comics character)
The Spirit is a fictional masked crimefighter appearing in American comic books. Created by cartoonist Will Eisner, he first appeared as the main feature of a tabloid-sized comic book insert distributed in the Sunday edition of Register and Tribune Syndicate newspapers. Popularly referred to as "The Spirit Section", the insert ran from June 2, 1940 to October 5, 1952.
Splash page for "The Case of the 'Double Jones'" (March 11, 1951), depicting The Spirit. Art by Will Eisner.
Eisner's splash page for "P'Gell of Paris" (October 6, 1946). Note the innovative use of title design, the mix of color and black-and-white, and the shadowing and texturing that combine for exotic noir effect.
The Spirit with Ebony White. The Spirit #10 (Fall 1947), Quality Comics. Cover art by Reed Crandall.
Harvey Comics' The Spirit #1 (Oct. 1966). Cover art by Will Eisner.
