The Artisan Spirit!

Will Eisner is the most important figure in the history of comic books. That's a bold claim, but let me explain. Eisner was one of the earliest creators of new content for the burgeoning field of comic books, the weaker sister of the noble comic strip. After a brief tenure in comic strips, he and Jerry Iger formed a partnership to supply comic material for the sundry publishers who rose up after the hit Superman made a new industry viable. Leading other great talents he helped contribute to comics such as Sheena of the Jungle, The Flame, Doll Man, and Blackhawk among others. Eventually he left to set up his own shop called logically enough Eisner Studio and out of that came The Spirit. The Spirit was a comic book produced for inclusion in newspapers which had seen the potential for such things to raise circulation. The singular thing about the Spirit is that Eisner maintained his rights over the character which proved critical over the next many decades. The comic was hugely successful and ran for a until the early 50's during which time Eisner had created a range of different kinds of stories which deviated greatly from mere crime yarns. 

Will Eisner proved comic books could be more than just disposable junk. He then when to work for the military where he used comics to teach soldiers about their equipment in P.S. Magazine, and left his most famous creation behind, but people remembered. There were revivals in the 60's and 70's and beyond. Eisner began to create longer form stories which were grounded in stark reality and later still adapted novels and fairy tales. He wrote at least two books about creating comics. Eventually DC acquired the rights and hold them today. Will Eisner was there at the beginning, the revival, and was a major influence on many creators both in the mainstream and underground. His stories are exceedingly well crafted and touch on themes which still resonate today. No single talent was as good as long as Will Eisner. Even so a mighty talent as Jack Kirby bends the knee to Eisner who combined great storytelling and longevity with a sharp business acumen that made for a successful working model for comics. 

IDW's Artisan Edition of The Spirit stories is wonderful way to get an intimate look at Eisner's work on his greatest and most enduring creation when he was at the peak of his artistic powers. Below are the splash pages of the particular "Spirit Sections" which are included in this tome in order, though of course they are in glorious black and tan. It's an economical version of the Artist's Editon produced some years ago and much more readable. 

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Star Jaws And More!

Will Eisner was always looking for new outlets for his cartooning skills, and he found such an outlet with Baronet paperbacks. These are breezy and light-hearted gags which put me in mind of Dave Berg's work for MAD Magazine. The books were arranged by theme and Eisner's work was combined with that of Keith Diaczun, Barry Caldwell, and Wade Hampton. 

These frothy little paperbacks must've found an audience because there are several of them. I've managed to round up the ones pictured here. 

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Uncle Creepy Day!

Jack Davis was born on this date in 1924. Davis was one of the field's most successful artists, making a mark at EC in its infamous heyday and moving on to become a major artist not just for comics but for movie posters and magazine covers of all kinds. I likely first encountered his work on TV Guide back in the days when such a magazine mattered. Davis also worked for Marvel and for Warren. 

Creepy #1 with that iconic cover by famed artist Jack Davis is keeper, and the inspiration for many artists over the succeeding decades.

The Warren Magazines classic was also homaged by Alex Horley when Twomorrows published their robust The Warren Companion many years ago.

Love the work of Mitch O'Connell, an artist with a bold and lively style. When I stumbled across the ad above for this book Mitch O'Connell - The World's Best Artist, I was entertained by the powerful homage to the vintage Creepy classic.

And I even found another swipe of the Davis art from a guy named Tom Neely.

Here's a nifty one from William Stout who gives a shout out to his inspiration.

And finally here is another example by Jack Davis himself, riffing on his original design, but this time putting Frankenstein's Monster front and center instead of Uncle Creepy.

A somewhat off-center rendition served as a cover to this price guide. 

Here are just some of the many great comic book covers by the late great Jack Davis.

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