My longtime buddy Paul Levitz has written a new book on Will Eisner. Its title? Will Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel. I haven't read it yet but I'll bet it lives up to this description that I just cribbed from Amazon…
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. Noted historian Paul Levitz celebrates Eisner by showcasing his most famous work alongside unpublished and rare materials from the family archives. 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.
I like that they called A Contract With God "the first significant graphic novel." There are several contenders for the title of first graphic novel and depending on how you define a "graphic novel," several might qualify. But Will's inarguably was one and it was a game-changing one in that you can credit most of those that soon followed as following the lead of Eisner's. Will was a fascinating, brilliant man — and not just brilliant at writing and drawing comics, either. So I'm looking forward to Paul's book.
Why am I plugging it now when it won't be out until November 10? Because Amazon is offering it at a pre-order price! It's a $40 book but if you order now — which you can do by clicking this link — you can get it for $20. That's half-off on a book that's probably worth twice the price. Act soon.