Will Eisner (48 page)

  45   “I was upset”: Interview with Nick Cardy.

  45   “We had a whole bunch”: Mark Evanier, “POV,”
POV Online
, posted September 1, 2000.

  45   “I wrote them”: Joe Siegel, “An Interview with Will Eisner,”
Spirit Magazine #2
.

  46   “We were all concerned”: Ibid.

  46   “The creation of”: Danny Fingeroth,
Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews, Comics, and the Creation of the Superhero
(New York: Continuum, 2007), p. 17.

  47   
Superman
: Gerard Jones’s award-winning book,
Men of Tomorrow
, offers the best available history of
Superman
and its creators, the disputes over ownership, and early comics history in general. His account of the acceptance of
Superman
can be found on pp. 121–125.

  47   Wheeler-Nicholson’s loss of his company: Harry Donenfeld’s hostile takeover of National Comics has been recorded, disputed, and debated to the point where all the specifics may never be known. While admitting that the Major had poor business sense, Wheeler-Nicholson’s descendants, quite understandably, hotly disputed the belief that the Major was solely responsible for his loss of the company. In an interview with Jim Amash, published in
Alter Ego
3, no. 88 (August 2009), Douglas Wheeler-Nicholson, one of the Major’s sons, maintained that Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz had duped his father into believing that his company was failing by overprinting his publications and returning bundles of supposedly unsold comics, using these comics as proof that Wheeler-Nicholson’s comics just weren’t performing on the market. According to Douglas Wheeler-Nicholson, the Major took an early and active interest in
Superman
and intended to use it as the centerpiece of his proposed
Action #1
comic book. “It was a major source of discussion in the house,” Douglas told Amash. “He thought it was extremely timely, and he was very specific about a Nietzschean kind of hero at this time of the Depression, and that this would be a perfect thing to put forth to the public at this time. He talked about it extensively.” This memory doesn’t match other accounts, including Eisner’s, of the feature’s making the rounds in early 1938, though his account of his father’s losing his business, while differing somewhat with other accounts, does lend credence to the popular belief that Donenfeld and Liebowitz probably bilked Wheeler-Nicholson out of his company.

  48   “pure luck” and “a fluke”: Jones,
Men of Tomorrow
, p. 157.

  49   “I’ve got dreams”: Eisner,
The Dreamer
, p. 31.

  50   Victor Fox: See Jones,
Men of Tomorrow
, pp. 148–149; Joe Simon (with Jim Simon),
The Comic Book Makers
(Lebanon, NJ: Vanguard Productions, rev. ed., 2003), pp. 29–33; Eisner,
The Dreamer
, pp. 34–35, 38–41; Will Eisner, “Art and Commerce: An Oral Reminiscence by Will Eisner,” interview conducted and edited by John Benson,
Panels #1
(summer 1979).

  50   “Fox was like”: Evanier, “POV.”

  50   “a Wall Street hustler” who “didn’t have”: Simon,
Comic Book Makers
, p. 29.

  50   “Kooba Cola”: Ibid, p. 33.

  51   “a thief”: Eisner, “Art and Commerce.”

  52   “It’s his magazine”: Ibid. All other direct quotations in this passage are from this source.

  53   “Don’t pay any attention”: Jim Amash, “I was Doomed to Be an Artist,”
Alter Ego
3, no. 48 (May 2005).

CHAPTER FOUR: A SPIRIT FOR ALL AGES

  55   Epigraph: Will Eisner and Frank Miller, with an interview conducted by Charles Brownstein,
Eisner/Miller
(Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse Books, 2005), p. 45.

  55   Busy Arnold: Jim Amash’s interview with Dick Arnold, “Men of Quality” (
Alter Ego
3, no. 34 [March 2004]), provides a detailed look at Busy Arnold and Quality Comics. Amash’s interview with Eisner, “I Always Felt Storytelling Was as Important as the Artwork, published in
Alter Ego
3, no. 58 (May 2005), gives Eisner’s perspective. See also Robert C. Harvey,
The Art of the Comic Book
(Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 1996), pp. 68–69.

  56   “Busy Arnold was”: Amash, “I Always Felt.”

  58   “That kind of rubbed me”: Interview with Al Jaffee.

  59   “To the syndicate”: Tom Heintjes, “Stage Settings: Rolling toward five decades,”
The Spirit #49
(CB).

  59   “We agreed”: Tom Heintjes, “Stage Settings: The accidental tourist,”
The Spirit #71
(CB).

  60   “Your dream”: Eisner,
The Dreamer
, p. 44.

  61   “There were a few”: Will Eisner, “Art and Commerce: An Oral Reminiscence by Will Eisner,” interview conducted and edited by John Benson,
Panels #1
.

  62   “When I decided”: Norman Abbott, “ ‘The Spirit’ of ’41,”
Philadelphia Record
, October 13, 1941.

  63   “You read Sherlock Holmes”: Tom Hentjes, “Interview with Will Eisner,”
Hogan’s Alley
(online), n.d.

  63   “I didn’t want”: Dave Schreiner, “Stage Settings: A commonality of experience,”
The Spirit #40
(CB).

  63   “I like using”: Tom Heintjes, “Stage Settings: The Spirit at work and play,”
The Spirit #61
(CB).

  63   “patterned after”: Jim Amash, “I Was Doomed to Be an Artist,”
Alter Ego
3, no. 48 (May 2005).

  64   “He suggested”: Cat Yronwode, “Will Eisner Interview (Part 1),”
Comics Journal #46
.

  64   “He’s got a mask”: Christopher Irving, “A Whole Lotta Spirit,”
Richmond Comix
(online), n.d. All other direct quotations in this passage are from this source.

  64   “When you draw”: Ibid.

  65   “It’s an interesting point”: Tom Heintjes, “Stage Settings: The healing Spirit,”
The Spirit #51
(CB).

  66   “It was just an attempt”: Amash, “I Always Felt.”

  67   “I was just starting”: Interview with Joe Kubert.

  68   “I had to create”: Interview with Al Jaffee.

  68   “I hired guys”: Amash, “I Always Felt.”

  68   “Everything had his name”: Interview with David Hajdu.

  70   “Since the comments”: Will Eisner, “Ask Will Eisner,”
Spirit Magazine #35
.

  70   “open to criticism”: Ibid.

  71   “He offered Bob Powell”: Mark Evanier, “POV,”
POV Online
, posted September 1, 2000.

  71   “I didn’t like”: Jim Amash, “I Created Blackhawk!,”
Alter Ego
3, no. 34 (March 2004).

  71   “I wanted to knock”: Ibid.

  72   “It always struck me”: Interview with Mark Evanier.

  72   “He’s the guy”: Evanier, “POV.”

  72   “After the panel”: Interview with Mark Evanier.

  73   “I created
Blackhawk
”: Amash, “I Created Blackhawk!” It should be noted that Cuidera’s memory proved to be faulty at the time this interview was conducted, as well as during his appearance at the panel discussion, with Amash having to insert several clarifications in the published version of his conversation with Cuidera. The difficulties in tracing ownership and creation of characters originating in the early days of comics is illustrated in a 1976 exchange of letters between Will Eisner and Denis Kitchen. Kitchen hoped to create an updated version of
Sheena, Queen of the Jungle
as part of his Kitchen Sink Press line, but he ran into all kinds of problems when trying to trace ownership of the character. Jerry Iger claimed to own the rights, but Kitchen heard from others that this wasn’t the case. Kitchen contacted Eisner, who in an August 10, 1976, letter said, “The last conversation I had on Sheena was with T. T. Scott, owner of Fiction House (now defunct) who asked me if I was interested in picking it up. I said I would be. He told me he was working on the complex matter of clearing it … for the property was part of the family estate … I had the distinct impression that the ownership of Sheena is still in the hands of the Scott family.” After some literary detective work, Kitchen determined, through two 1938 letters, that Eisner & Iger had, in fact, retained the rights to the character and that Iger had retained the rights as part of the breakup agreement of the Eisner & Iger partnership. After examining photocopies of the documents, Eisner conceded that the documents were authentic, but he was still unclear about the ownership, which is why he advised Kitchen to take a cautious approach to his proposed project. “As a friend I wanted to help you stay out of the courts,” Eisner wrote Kitchen. Unable to gain final proof of ownership, Kitchen took the logical approach and abandoned the project.

  74   “ I wasn’t ready”: Will Eisner,
Will Eisner’s Shop Talk
(Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse Comics, 2001), p. 160.

  74   “I discovered that”: Danny Fingeroth, “The Will Eisner Interview,”
Write Now! #5
.

  74   “It gave him”: Tom Heintjes, “Stage Settings: Earning stripes,”
The Spirit #77
(CB).

  74   “The editor opened”: Ibid.

  75   “The comic strip”: Abbott, “ ‘The Spirit’ of ’41.”

  75   “There was no precedent”: Interview with David Hajdu.

  76   “We’re vaudevillians”: Sarah Boxer, “Meeting of Comic Minds but No Bam! Splat! Zap!,”
New York Times
, January 2, 1999.

  76   “I got back”: Will Eisner, “Keynote Address from the 2002 ‘Will Eisner Symposium.’”

  76   “Here is a terrible”: Letter from Everett “Busy” Arnold to Will Eisner, July 11, 1941.

  76   “There are at least”: Letter from Everett “Busy” Arnold to Will Eisner, July 7, 1941.

  76   “Whenever anyone complained”: Cat Yronwode, “When Partners Collide,”
Will Eisner’s Quarterly 4
(January 1985).

  77   “I can get”: Letter from Everett “Busy” Arnold to Will Eisner, August 20, 1941.

  77   “Nick has too many”: Letter from Everett “Busy” Arnold to Will Eisner, June 25, 1941.

  77   “the last eight”: Ibid.

  78   “I knew if I didn’t”: “A.V. Club: Will Eisner,”
The Onion
, September 27, 2000.

  78   “My audience was transitory”: Jon B. Cooke, “Will Eisner: The Creative Life of a Master,”
Comic Book Artist
2, no. 6 (November 2005).

  80   “I was ambivalent”: Brian Jacks, “Veterans Day Exclusive: ‘The Spirit’ Creator Will Eisner’s Wartime Memories,” published online on November 11, 2008.

CHAPTER FIVE: A PRIVATE NAMED JOE DOPE

  82   Epigraph: Maggie Thompson, “Will Eisner,”
Golden Age of Comics #2
.

  82   “[I] talked to him”: Eisner,
Will Eisner’s Shop Talk
, p. 159.

  83   Eisner in the army: Archivist/author Cat Yronwode compiled comprehensive
Spirit
and Will Eisner checklists, with dates and extensive commentary on Eisner’s work. These checklists appeared as a regular feature in
The Spirit Magazine
beginning with #22 and running through #32. In addition, she edited and wrote the text for
The Art of Will Eisner
, which reprints a strong sampling of Eisner’s work while he was in the army.

  83   “The Spirit was”: Brian Jacks, “Veterans Day Exclusive: ‘The Spirit’ Creator Will Eisner’s Wartime Memories,” published online on November 11, 2008.

  86   “I feel”: Jim Amash, “I Always Felt Storytelling Was as Important as the Artwork,”
Alter Ego
3, no. 58 (May 2005).

  86   “I don’t know”: Ibid.

  86   “Except for the ownership”: Mike Barson, Ted White, and Mitch Berger, “… and I Threw In a Hat … ,”
Heavy Metal
, November 1983.

  87   “What arguments”: Cat Yronwode, “Eisner’s
P
*
S
Years,”
The Spirit Magazine #33
(February 1982).

  90   “Captain America was created”: Goulart,
Great History of Comic Books
, p. 154.

  90   “Here was the arch villain”: Simon,
Comic Book Makers
, p. 42.

  91   “Only when”: Gerard Jones,
Men of Tomorrow
, p. 210.

  93   “During the war”: Tom Heintjes, “Stage Settings: A new Spirit world,”
The Spirit #73
(CB).

  93   “I had to assure”: Ibid.

  94   “blonde, slim”: Andelman,
Will Eisner: A Spirited Life
, p. 89.

CHAPTER SIX: FLIGHT

  95   Epigraph: Eisner and Miller,
Eisner/Miller
, p. 271.

  95   “When I came out”: “Catch the Spirit,”
Four-Color Magazine
, January 1987.

  96   “Those who are”: Shawna Ervin-Gore, “Will Eisner,”
Darkhorse News
(undated press release).

  97   “For some reason”: Tom Heintjes, “Stage Settings: The Spirit that almost wasn’t,”
The Spirit #52
(CB).

  97   “As far as”: Ibid.

  98   “I said”: Will Eisner, “Art and Commerce: An Oral Reminiscence by Will Eisner,” interview conducted and edited by John Benson,
Panels #1
(summer 1979).

  98   “quite casually and disarmingly”: Jon B. Cooke, “Jules Feiffer: His Early Years with Will Eisner,”
Comic Book Artist
2, no. 6 (November 2005).

  98   “He had no choice”: Ibid.

  99   “Every time”: Ibid.

  99   “intensity”: Eisner, “Art and Commerce.”

  99   “If you think”: Cooke, “Jules Feiffer.”

 100   “He had a real ear”: Tom Heintjes, “Stage Settings: The guarding of the change,”
The Spirit #69
(CB).

 100   Eisner/Feiffer working relationship: In
Panels #1
, Jules Feiffer talked extensively about the way he and Eisner worked together, and in a lengthy sidebar, he detailed his contributions to each individual
Spirit
entry, beginning on February 23, 1947, and running through September 28, 1952. Some of Feiffer’s memories are vivid, others cloudy, reflecting the unique nature of his collaboration with Eisner. In many of his interviews over the years, Eisner could be very generous in his recollections of Feiffer’s contributions to
The Spirit
; in some cases, however, he could be possessive, even testy, about his creation. One gets the impression, when talking to those who knew the two artists at the time, that they felt both affection for and envy toward each other, Feiffer for Eisner’s superior talents as an artist, Eisner for Feiffer’s superior talents as a writer. Feiffer conceded that he was nowhere near as talented artistically as Eisner, yet he’d won a Pulitzer Prize, not Eisner, and this was a form of acceptance that Eisner craved but would never receive. “Will felt a little irritated by me,” Feiffer said in an interview for this book. “I achieved what he hadn’t. I could see how he’d feel that way.”