Publishers Weekly
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Weiner, creator of the Critical Survey of Graphic Novels series, and scholar and artist Mazur (Lunatic) turn the oft-told story of comics pioneer Eisner and his bootstrapping ethos into a humorous and heartwarming chronicle. The ups and downs of the artistic life and career of Eisner (1917–2005) are set against the backdrop of family struggle and his never-ending effort to better his work and the industry. Eisner beats the pavement of Depression-era New York City to sell his cartoons and skills to syndicates, then founds his own studio to keep control of his creations, writing and drawing several series under different pen names. It’s also the saga of the rise of comics art in America, peppered with informative asides on 1930s printing techniques and the origin of the comic book and its studio system. A highlight is incisive portrayals of the industry personalities that surrounded Eisner, including Bob Kane, cocreator of Batman; studio partner Jerry Iger; and comics titan Jack Kirby. The fluid, quick sketch art sets a brisk narrative pace, bathing the black and pastel inks with brilliant primary colors to represent the gaudy but effervescent hues of contemporary books and comics. This glowing portrait of a bygone era will be a lift to comics creators and fans. (July)

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A life portrait in panels. Growing up poor in 1920s New York, harassed by Irish toughs for being Jewish, Will Eisner found refuge in books. “There are ways to escape,” read the words above cartoonist Mazur’s sepia-tone illustration of a New York Public Library bookmobile. “Places where the new kid is always welcome.” A youthful dreamer, Eisner soaked up classic adventure stories set in far-off lands. “And then there’s the kind of literature they don’t have at the library,” writes comics historian Weiner. “You want this old pulp book? I’m done with it,” says a neighbor in the Bronx, handing the boy a copy ofBlack Mask magazine, a man on the cover menacingly pointing a gun. Young Will was dazzled by the action. In little time, he fell in love with drawing, taking after his father, Sam, a set painter who worked at, among other venues, the Yiddish Art Theatre in Manhattan. Thus began a fascination with cartooning that ultimately made Eisner a legend in the field—the comic industry’s annual Eisner Awards are named in his honor. Not that Eisner didn’t struggle to achieve success. Early on, his mother, Fannie, wasn’t thrilled that there would be two struggling artists under one roof. “Can you buy groceries with art?” she asks. Eventually, the answer, for Eisner, was yes. He got a job at theNew York American newspaper, published his first professional work in 1936, opened a studio with Jerry Iger, and achieved great popularity with his masked detective hero the Spirit, whose dark style was inspired by German cinema. Comics aficionados also remember Eisner for Joe Dope, a character he created for the Army during World War II. The “bumbling private,” Weiner writes, taught soldiers proper procedure “by doing everything wrong.” There was little, it seems, that Eisner did wrong in his storied life, and fans of his—old and new—are all the richer for his captivating work. A heartfelt and absorbing biography of a master cartoonist, fittingly told in arresting images. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.