Among those who have shaped the field of comics, few people were as influential as Will Eisner. Born in 1917, he got his start drawing pulp illustrations and comic strips, and created Sheena, Queen of the Jungle and The Spirit at the beginning of the rise of the superhero/adventurer comics trend. During World War II, he created cartoons for the military journal Army Motors, (most prominently featuring Joe Dope), in which he used his knack for writing for G.I.s in terms they could understand to transform the comics genre into a genuine teaching tool.
After the war, Eisner continued to create more comics with lasting meaning and educational relevance, popularizing the idea of a ‘graphic novel’ for adults, with work like A Contract with God and later, The Plot: The Secret Story of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. This radical expansion of what comics could do and mean has influenced generations of subsequent comics creators and led to the wide variety of material available today. The ‘Academy Awards’ of comics are called the Eisner Awards in his honor (given annually at the San Diego Comic Con), and Will Eisner Week is held every March celebrating comics in general, using graphic novels in literacy, free speech, and Eisner’s personal legacy.
The library holds many materials relevant to the study of sequential art in general and Eisner specifically. The database Underground and Independent Comics includes a significant amount of work by Eisner and about him. The library’s book collection offers even more, with titles like Will Eisner: Conversations by M. Thomas Inge and Will Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel by Paul Levitz, as well as the graphic novels linked above. Works about comic art more generally include The Comics Before 1945 by Brian Walker, Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud, and The Comics: An Illustrated History of Comic Strip Art by Jerry Robinson. Eisner Award-winning comics like From Hell, Habibi, Pride of Baghdad, Fables, Watchmen, Maus, or Blankets are also available.
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