R.I.P. Will Eisner

If you're a long-time reader of the blog, you'll know that I have a great affection for artists in the comic book medium. It's what I grew up with, it's a hobby of mine, and something, at times, that I find creatively fulfilling. Many artists have influenced myself in their vision, their drive, and their body of work, but none has had the influence that Will Eisner has had. His book on generating comics, Comics & Sequential Art, remains one of the foremost treatises on graphic storytelling there is, and coupled with his other title, Graphic Storytelling, one can truly understand why his genius is so revered by many in the field.

Unfortunately, Mr. Eisner has passed on. His body of work is amazing as he kept working on graphic novels until he could no longer do so. He was an innovator who first generated the notion that comic storytelling could be dramatic, mature, topical, relevant, and appreciated. Although among today's younger readers, he may not have been as flashy as a Michael Turner or get as much media attention as Alex Ross, he was at the peak of his field, creating stories and images that every creator would study and marvel. Mr. Eisner was not what initially drove me into the hobby of collecting in the first place, but he was what inspired me that it can be much more than a medium for children and men in tights. His work helped me to understand that there are things that can be done in comics that are as visually stunning as they are incredibly personal.

He passes on at the age of 87 having lived a full and creative life touching many people throughout the decades, and there are only few of us that can hope to have lived as such. Rest In Peace.