abramsbooks:

We’re celebrating Will Eisner Week with outtakes from Will Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel!

Will Eisner (1917–2005) is universally considered the master of comics storytelling, best known for The Spirit, his iconic newspaper comic strip, and A Contract With God, the first significant graphic novel. This seminal work from 1978 ushered in a new era of personal stories in comics form that touched every adult topic from mortality to religion and sexuality, forever changing the way writers and artists approached comics storytelling.

This week, we honor his legacy.

Noted historian Paul Levitz celebrates Eisner by showcasing his most famous work along­side unpublished and rare materials from the family archives in Will Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel. Also included are original interviews with creators such as Jules Feiffer, Art Spiegelman, Scott McCloud, Jeff Smith, Denis Kitchen, and Neil Gaiman—all of whom knew Eisner and were inspired by his work to create their own graphic novels for a new generation of readers.

Today, we’re releasing outtakes from the book, including material that is largely unpublished. Enjoy!

Original art by Will Eisner for two Spirit magazine promo ads for Harvey Comics, 1966.

Western Union telegram from publisher Everett “Busy” Arnold to Will Eisner, December 5, 1940.

What Your U.S. Senator Does by Ivan Klapper, Sterling Publishing Company, 1968. Cover art by Will Eisner.

Class Nite!, program covers for DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, 1934 (left) and 1935 (right).

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NEW YORKERS: To conclude Will Eisner Week, Paul Levitz joins Columbia professor Jeremy Dauber for a discussion of Will Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel on Monday, March 7 at 6PM at Columbia University. It is free and open to the public. If you are interested in attending, click here. 

(via abramsbooks)