WILL EISNER: A SPIRITED LIFE
Legendary comics and graphic novel artist and writer Will Eisner died last 
night, Monday, January 3, 2005, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at the age of 
87, following complications from quadruple heart bypass surgery.
Will Eisner didn’t create Superman, Batman, Spider-Man or even Archie and 
Jughead. Some comic book fans may scratch their heads when asked to 
describe his work. But every artist and writer in comic books, as well as 
graphic artists across the entire spectrum of modern illustration, 
television and film, owes a debt to him.
In 1941, Eisner created a goofball detective named Denny Colt who died (not 
really) and was reborn as “The Spirit,” the cemetery-dwelling protector of 
the public ­ and pretty girls in particular. The Spirit possessed no 
superpowers. He couldn’t see through his girlfriend’s clothing the way a 
curious alien like the Man of Steel might scientifically investigate Lois 
Lane. And he wasn’t a brilliant technologist like Batman, imagineering 
hokey gadgets and psychedelic compounds for all-night parties with the Joker.
The Spirit broke so many molds:
• Eisner was the strip’s artist and writer, a feat that is still rare today.
• The Spirit was published and distributed as an insert in Sunday 
newspapers, ala Parade magazine. It was seen weekly by as many as 5-million 
people from 1941 to 1952.
• No two Spirit sections looked alike. Although most commercial operations 
– from Superman to Pepsi-Cola – spend millions of dollars testing, proving 
and marketing their logos, Eisner thought it was more challenging to change 
The Spirit’s masthead every week – for 12 years.
• The Spirit was a fun, mature read, aimed at adults but accessible to kids.
For all of these reasons, The Spirit was published and reissued in various 
forms almost uninterrupted for 60 years. Its look, feel and smartass humor 
is timeless, which accounts for the countless revivals.

Eisner, who went to high school with “Batman” creator Bob Kane, provided 
first jobs in the comics business to everyone from Jack Kirby (co-creator 
of “Captain America” and the “Fantastic Four”) to Pulitzer-winning writer 
and artist Jules Feiffer.
If not for Eisner’s influence, Pulitzer Prize winner Art Spiegelman might 
never have published his graphic novel Maus: A Survivor’s Tale (Eisner is 
credited with popularizing ­ if not inventing ­ the medium of the graphic 
novel with the 1978 publication of his graphic story collection, A Contract 
With God) and fellow Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Chabon’s The Amazing 
Adventures of Kavalier & Clay would have been missing quite a few 
Eisner-inspired tales.
For comic book professionals, the highest honor in the industry is either 
an Eisner Award, named for Eisner and given out every summer at Comic-Con 
International in San Diego, or a Harvey Award, named for Eisner’s late 
friend Harvey Kurtzman, the creator of Mad magazine and Playboy’s “Little 
Annie Fanny,” given every April in Pittsburgh. Kurtzman, who discovered 
talents as diverse as R. Crumb and Gloria Steinem, passed away in 1993, 
making Eisner the last man standing.

Literally.
At every Eisner Awards ceremony, each recipient was handed his or her award 
by the man himself.
Several years ago, a big red velvet chair was put on stage for Eisner. The 
Eisner Awards promoters said, “Come on, Will, you shouldn’t have to stand 
up all this time; here, have a seat.” Eisner sat on it briefly, got a laugh 
out of it, but then he stood up again, and stayed on his feet the rest of 
the night. Eisner demonstrated his strength of character and enduring 
physical wherewithal by standing on stage throughout the entire 
presentation, shaking hands and personally congratulating the winners. 
Because there is a different presenter for each award, no one else stood 
for as long as Eisner.
That’s why, when Eisner handed the 2002 Eisner Award for Best Serialized 
Story (Amazing Spider-Man #30-35: “Coming Home”) to writer J. Michael 
Straczynski and artists John Romita Jr. and Scott Hanna, Straczynski thrust 
the award in the air and remarked, “You know, you get the Emmy, you don’t 
get it from ‘Emmy.’ You win the Oscar, you don’t get it from ‘Oscar.’ How 
freakin’ cool is this?”
Published in November 2004, DC Comics’ The Will Eisner Companion is the 
first comprehensive, critical overview of the work of this legendary 
writer/artist. Divided into two sections ­ his Spirit work and his graphic 
novels ­ this authorized companion features all-new critical and historical 
essays by noted comics historians N.C. Christopher Couch and Stephen 
Weiner, as well as alphabetical indexes relating to all aspects and 
characters in his oeuvre. Also includes a chronology, a bibliography and 
suggested reading lists, as well as an introduction by Dennis O'Neil.
A new generation of comics fans learned about the man in the 1970s when 
underground comix publisher Denis Kitchen began reprinting “The Spirit” 
stories and eventually produced new stories of the character by top comic 
book talent including Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons and Neil Gaiman. Kitchen 
became one of Eisner’s closest friends and confidants, as well as his 
personal representative and literary agent (with Judith Hansen). (Kitchen 
can be reached via email at [log in to unmask])
More recently, “John Law,” a 56-year- old Will Eisner character, was given 
fresh life and adventures in 2002 by Australian artist and writer Gary 
Chaloner as an online comic book hero at ModernTales.com. In December 2004, 
Law returned to print in IDW Publishing’s “Will Eisner's John Law” 
hardcover trade paperback. These stories were the first original John Law 
adventures published since Eisner worked on the character in 1948. This 
edition includes both new material and classic John Law tales by Eisner 
himself.
And Eisner’s final ­ and likely most controversial ­ graphic novel, The 
Plot, finished last summer, will be published this spring by W.W. Norton.
Will Eisner was the wizard behind the curtain, except in his case, the 
magic was real.
There will be no funeral service, per Will’s wishes. “Will and I hated 
funerals,” his wife, Ann, said the morning after his death. “We made plans 
long ago to avoid having them ourselves.” He will be buried next to his 
late daughter, Alice, who died in 1969. Surviving Will are his wife, Ann, 
and his son, John.

Cards may be sent to:
Will Eisner Studios
8333 W.
McNab Road
Tamarac, FL 33321
Unofficially, in lieu of flowers, you might consider a donation in Will’s 
name to the American Cancer Society ­ his daughter died of cancer ­ or the 
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which Will was known to have supported.