The Brooklyn-born comic-book artist Will Eisner is widely recognized for his contributions to American comic art. Considered the father of the graphic novel, Eisner developed a new style of visual narration he referred to as sequential art, a form of graphic storytelling that he often used for educational purposes. Eisner attended the Art Students League in New York before immersing himself in the world of comics. Central to Eisner’s early career was The Spirit, the first comic-book insert created for Sunday newspapers. Eisner later devoted his time to creating educational comics with his company, the American Visual Corporation. In 2002, the artist received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Federation for Jewish Culture. The Eisner Award, the comic industry’s most prestigious prize, bears his name.
“Cookalein” is a story from Will Eisner’s graphic novel, A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories. The “cookalein” (or kuchalein, “cook for yourself”) was a popular and affordable type of…
The Jewish Publication Society of America (JPS) was founded in Philadelphia in 1888. (It had a number of precursors that did not last.) Today, JPS is the oldest nonprofit, nondenominational publisher…
This engraving portrays Isaac Aboab da Fonseca, a rabbi, kabbalist, and preacher, born in Castro Daire, Portugal, to a family of New Christians. He arrived in Amsterdam with his family at the age of…