Will Eisner

Lore & Background

Eisner was born in Brooklyn to Galician Jewish parents. His father, Shmuel, was an aspiring artist who painted murals in Vienna before moving to New York; his mother, Fannie, was born on a ship bound for the US and was illiterate. The family moved frequently and lived in poverty. Eisner faced antisemitism from schoolmates and began working at age 13 selling newspapers. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School, drawing for school publications, and later studied under George Brandt Bridgman at the Art Students League of New York. He worked as an advertising writer-cartoonist and drew illustrations for pulp magazines.

In 1936, high-school friend Bob Kane suggested Eisner sell cartoons to the comic book Wow, What A Magazine! Editor Jerry Iger bought Eisner's adventure strip Captain Scott Dalton. After Wow ended, Eisner and Iger formed a partnership packaging original comics material, supplying work to Fox Comics, Fiction House, and Quality Comics, where Eisner co-created characters such as Doll Man and Blackhawk. In 1939, Eisner was commissioned to create Wonder Man for Victor Fox; Eisner later claimed he testified against Fox in a copyright suit, though a 2010 transcript indicates he supported Fox. In late 1939, Eisner agreed to produce a Sunday comic book insert for newspapers, leading to The Spirit, which he copyrighted with a contract that allowed ownership to revert to him upon split.

Reader's Guide

Will Eisner's significance lies in his pioneering role in the American comic book industry and his formal contributions to the medium. His series The Spirit (1940–1952) was noted for experiments in content and form. In 1978, he popularized the term 'graphic novel' with A Contract with God, helping to elevate comics as a literary form. His 1985 book Comics and Sequential Art was an early contribution to formal comics studies. The Eisner Award, named in his honor, recognizes annual achievements in comics, and he was one of the three inaugural inductees to the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame. His legacy endures through these awards and his influence on the graphic novel format.

Did You Know?

• Eisner was born on his father's birthday, March 6, 1917.
• He once declined an offer to draw Tijuana bibles for $3 a page, calling it 'one of the most difficult moral decisions of my life'.
• Eisner's mother was illiterate and kept this fact from her children.
• He co-created characters such as Doll Man and Blackhawk for Quality Comics.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Maurice Joly: In “Caesar” I bluntly accused our emperor of evil offenses…in ‘’’this’’’ book I expose the nature of the man’s mind, how he thinks, y’see!" — Will Eisner "Alphonse: But, Maurice, this Napoleon has seduced the public with social gifts…libraries and wars to give them national patriotic pride." — Will Eisner "Maurice Joly: BAH! That is the kind of pallitative all dictators give their masses! But at what price? I ask you!" — Will Eisner "Alphonse: So…you show his plan by the dialogue of Machiavelli who is known as a cunning manipulator of political power, eh?" — Will Eisner