Wil Eisner: 1917-2005

My hero

Will Eisner died January 3, 2005 in the evening from complications following a quadruple bypass heart surgery. He was 87.

I am crushed by this news. I want to weep and wail. But mostly I want to sit down and read The Spirit.

I've had three periods as a comic reader. All three periods involve one or two different authors/writers of the medium. The first period involved the late Mark Gruenwald and the late Jack "The King" Kirby. The second was mainly a Morrison/Ellis/Moore/Gaiman kind of a thing. The third was all Will Eisner's fault. I had completely given up on comics. Will brought me back.

I am beyond grief. I've never known nor spoken to Mr. Eisner. And that is the worst part.

Do yourself a favor. Go seek out a copy of "A Contract with God." This is the bona vide first Graphic Novel. It isn't Will Eisner's best work, but it is the finest example of what Will Eisner meant to comics and what this medium has lost.


Somewhere in South Texas
Nick V.

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