Will Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel

Will Eisnerand#8212;best known for his influential comic book series The Spirit and his groundbreaking graphic novel A Contract with Godand#8212;believed in the teaching power of comics, and from 1951 to 1971 he produced PS magazine for the U.S. Army. This Preventive Maintenance Monthly (called PS because it was a postscript to the standard technical manuals) was aimed at teaching American soldiers everything about weapons safety for vehicles, aircraft, firearms, and electronics. Eisner illustrated these vital lessons in drawings, pinups, step-by-step guides, and comic strips. This collection contains the best of Eisnerand#8217;s 227 issues of PS, reproduced in a portable digest format. This relatively unknown work by Eisner is finally exploredand#8212;the missing link between his comic books and his later, more mature graphic novel style.

Praise for PS Magazine:

"For the first time, Will Eisnerand#8217;s superlative work for the U.S. Army has been assembled into a single collection. The result shows the artistand#8217;s keen understanding of the educative power of graphic storytelling. From 1951 to 1971, between The Spirit and A Contract with God, Eisner produced PS Magazine for the army in order to teach the common soldier how best to use, maintain, repair, and requisition their equipment. From explaining how to load a truck correctly to why it wonand#8217;t start, Eisner used a combination of humor, sound technical writing, and graphic storytelling to educate the soldiers. His magazines could be found at the front lines, in the officerand#8217;s mess, and in the quarters of senior military officials. It featured a cast of recurring characters like the loveable Joe Dope and the voluptuous Connie Rodd, who headlined featured segments like and#8220;Joeand#8217;s Dope Sheetand#8221; and the provocatively named and#8220;Connie Roddand#8217;s Briefs.and#8221; With Eisnerand#8217;s wonderful artwork and clarity of style making sometimes difficult concepts easy to understand, itand#8217;s no wonder PS Magazine was so popular with military personnel. A fascinating document for both fans of Eisner and military history buffs."and#160;

- Publishers Weekly starred review and#160;

and#8220;These amusing yet pragmatic sketches provide a and#8216;missing-linkand#8217; comics document for fans and demonstrate the same mastery of his craft that marked Eisnerand#8217;s better-known works.and#8221;

and#8212;Booklist

and#8220;An instructional model for todayand#8217;s producers of nonandshy;fiction comics, which too often lack such visual traction, this also has appeal for military buffs, vehicle junkies, and Eisner fans.and#8221;

and#8212;Library Journaland#160;

and#8220;The enthusiast whoand#8217;s been nurturing a curiosity about Eisnerand#8217;s lost years will find all he needs to know from this beautifully produced little volume.and#8221; and#8212;The Comics Journal

"Eisner understood comics' potential for education decades before his peers, and PS magazine was his first laboratory. This thoughtful new collection is an essential addition to the Eisner library."and#160;

-Scott McCloud, author of Understanding Comics

Will Eisner (1917andndash;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 alongandshy;side 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 Gaimanandmdash;all of whom knew Eisner and were inspired by his work to create their own graphic novels for a new generation of readers.

andldquo;Eisner was not only ahead of his times; theand#160;present times are still catching up to him.andrdquo;

andmdash;John Updike

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andldquo;What Will did was and is timeless.andrdquo;

andmdash;Neil Gaiman

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andldquo;Will Eisner is, and remains,and#160;one of my precious idols.andrdquo;

andmdash;Frank Miller

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andldquo;He was the greatest.andrdquo;

andmdash;Harvey Kurtzman

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andldquo;Will Eisner is a national treasure.andrdquo;

andmdash;Jules Feiffer

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andldquo;Will Eisner is the heart and mindand#160;of American comics.andrdquo;

andmdash;Scott McCloud

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andldquo;Eisner is the single person mostand#160;responsible for giving comics its brains.andrdquo;

andmdash;Alan Moore

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andldquo;Eisner was unique in feeling from theand#160;start that comic books were not necessarilyand#160;this despised, bastard, crappy, lowbrowand#160;kind of art form, and that there wasa potential for real art.andrdquo;

andmdash;Michael Chabon

Paul Levitz, former president and publisher of DC Comics, is a four-time New York Times bestselling writer and the author of the Eisner Awardandndash;winning 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking.

Brad Meltzer is the #1 New York Times bestsellandshy;ing author of over 15 books across genres and age groups, and is the host of the History Channel television shows Decoded and Lost History.