Will Eisner

1917–2005
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.

Entries in the Posen Library by This Creator

Primary Source

“The Spirit,” June 2, 1940

Restricted
Image
The Spirit was launched in 1940 as a special supplement for newspapers, designed to help them compete with the crime and superhero comic magazines, which were then wildly popular. It ran as a…

Primary Source

Cookalein

Restricted
Image
“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…