Greetings from the Sunshine State!
Florida is the Sunshine State, right? If it isn't, then please strike the above title and change it to the less snappy "greetings from Florida."
Hey Blog-o-philes. I'm visiting my dad in sunny and beautiful (stated with no irony! It is sunny! It is Beautiful!) Northern Florida. I could wax lyrical about how great it is down here, how nice it is to hang out with my dad, etc... And perhaps I will at another time, but today I want to take just a second to mourn the passing of Will Eisner.
Will Eisner died yesterday in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He was 87. You can find out more about him here, but suffice it to say that in the world of comics and graphic novels there is no one more important or influential. Not only did he do more in his life to enhance the art form of comic books than anyone alive, but he also was the first and best to attempt to understand the mechanics of it. His book on sequential graphic art is the definitive textbook for people who do what I do.
Other people are far more qualified than me to extoll his virtues, so I'll just tell a story... It's the only Will Eisner story I have. I never even got to meet the man.
A few years ago, I was doing the artwork for a comics adaptation of The Wind in the Willows which never wound up seeing print. The publisher took some of my pages down to Bethesda to The Small Press Expo and showed them around. He called me a few days later to tell me Will Eisner had seen the pages and liked them. I can't describe what a boost this was for me as an artist. Understand that I'm sure this was no more than Will flipping through the pages for a second and saying something like "These are nice." I mean, it was a passing thing. But such is the power of Will Eisner. Just knowing that a living legend like him, a man whose work I have so admired had actually held some of my art in his hands and had something complimentary to say... I was floating for weeks.
Like I said, I never got to meet him, but in that one fleeting compliment, he did more for my confidence that a lifetime of feedback from other people. Thank you Will, for everything you did for the art form, and for me.
Florida is the Sunshine State, right? If it isn't, then please strike the above title and change it to the less snappy "greetings from Florida."
Hey Blog-o-philes. I'm visiting my dad in sunny and beautiful (stated with no irony! It is sunny! It is Beautiful!) Northern Florida. I could wax lyrical about how great it is down here, how nice it is to hang out with my dad, etc... And perhaps I will at another time, but today I want to take just a second to mourn the passing of Will Eisner.
Will Eisner died yesterday in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He was 87. You can find out more about him here, but suffice it to say that in the world of comics and graphic novels there is no one more important or influential. Not only did he do more in his life to enhance the art form of comic books than anyone alive, but he also was the first and best to attempt to understand the mechanics of it. His book on sequential graphic art is the definitive textbook for people who do what I do.
Other people are far more qualified than me to extoll his virtues, so I'll just tell a story... It's the only Will Eisner story I have. I never even got to meet the man.
A few years ago, I was doing the artwork for a comics adaptation of The Wind in the Willows which never wound up seeing print. The publisher took some of my pages down to Bethesda to The Small Press Expo and showed them around. He called me a few days later to tell me Will Eisner had seen the pages and liked them. I can't describe what a boost this was for me as an artist. Understand that I'm sure this was no more than Will flipping through the pages for a second and saying something like "These are nice." I mean, it was a passing thing. But such is the power of Will Eisner. Just knowing that a living legend like him, a man whose work I have so admired had actually held some of my art in his hands and had something complimentary to say... I was floating for weeks.
Like I said, I never got to meet him, but in that one fleeting compliment, he did more for my confidence that a lifetime of feedback from other people. Thank you Will, for everything you did for the art form, and for me.
posted by CommonWombat at 6:03 PM
1 Comments:
Hi Baker! It's so good to have you back in blogg-o-land! I haven't had a chance to comment in a while, but had to take a moment and tell you how my heart (though not at all versed in the world of comics) skipped a beat there reading about how Will Eisner liked your work. Me thinks you be a bit to humble, my friend. The Wind in the Willows is one of my favorite books and I was very excited to know that YOU were illustrating a version. (And sincerely disappointed that the deal never came to fruition.) I have seen your illustrations of Rat and they are fabulous. Really extraordinary -- I'd love one hanging on my wall! That's an amazing tale, Bake, and I enjoyed reading it. I thought you'd like to know, too, that I have earmarked a bit of an Amazon gift cert. for Legends In Exhile Vol. 1! Love from yer Blog Butt!
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