Celebrate one of my most influential comic book creators this week by reading a book by Will Eisner.

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On March 6th, Will Eisner would have been 100 years old. To celebrate the occasion, Will & Ann Eisner Family Foundation announces Will Eisner Week 2017, the annual series of events from March 1st to 7th in more than 50 cities worldwide that celebrates graphic novels, sequential art, free speech, and the amazing legacy of Will Eisner, one of the most innovative figures in the history of comics and graphic novels.

To the general public, Will Eisner isn’t a popular of a name than say Stan Lee, but Eisner’s legacy still lives on his body of work. And there are still new artists that come out everything inspired by Eisner. He was there on the ground floor of the birth of the modern comic book (which he depicted in his semi-autobiographical story The Dreamer), working with people like Jack Kirby, Bob Kane, and many more. Eisner’s influence is so great, that the “Oscars” of comics was renamed the Eisners back in 1988.

I discovered Will Eisner around 1986 with reprint of his most popular character The Spirit, back in 1985. And from there I was introduced to what many consider the first graphic novel, A Contract With God. Totally captured my interest and then I was hooked on Eisner for life.

But I digress.

The theme of Will Eisner Week is extremely simple: READ A GRAPHIC NOVEL. Not that hard. Preferably one written by Eisner himself. Honestly, any creator’s will pretty much do, but if you have never read anything by Will Eisner, this is the perfect time to do so.

You can check out a full list of Will Eisner’s work HERE.

Will Eisner Week events are presented in universities, colleges, art schools, libraries, museums, bookstores, and comic book shops in the weeks around Will Eisner’s March 6th birthday.

If you need a suggestion, hit me up and I’ll personally let you what to check out. 

I hope you all enjoy Will Eisner Week and are introduced to the legacy and the legend that is Will Eisner.

Special Events

  • Annual Comics Festival, Angoulême, France celebrates the Centennial with a Will Eisner
    original art exhibition officially recognized by the French Ministry of Culture as being of
    national significance – January to October.
  • The New York Public Library, Main Branch, exhibits its Will Eisner Collection and presents
    a speakers’ panel – March.
  • The NY Comics & Picture-story Symposium, Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist and
    screenwriter, Jules Feiffer, remembers his mentor and friend, Will Eisner – March 28.
  • The American Library Association presents the Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for
    Libraries, ALA Summer Conference – June 24.
  • The 29th Annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards presented at San Diego Comic-Con
    – July 21.

Art Exhibitions

  • The New York Society of Illustrators celebrates the Centennial with a Will Eisner original
    art exhibition – March to May.
  • The Lakes International Comics Arts Festival, Scotland, UK presents a Centennial
    Exhibition of Will Eisner giclées – October.
  • The Memorial of the Holocaust, Paris, France presents “Shoah et Bande Dessinée” (The
    Holocaust and Comics) including Will Eisner original art. – January to October.
  • The Pittsburgh Toonseum hosts an exhibit and artist’s panel about “The Lost Work of Will
    Eisner” – February to March.
  • Geppi’s Entertainment Museum, Baltimore, Maryland presents an exhibition and panel:
    “Will’s War” Will Eisner’s WWII Pioneering Role in Using Comics for the Military” – March.
  • The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art, holds a Comics Gathering, Tulsa, Oklahoma –
    March.

Will Eisner Week Events

  • Will Eisner Week, held annually in March since 2009, celebrates sequential art, graphic
    novel literacy, free speech, and Will Eisner’s legacy with an estimated 100 2017 events in
    80 cities in the US and internationally.
  • Events in 2017 include those at the Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and
    Museum, the Center for Cartoon Studies, the New York School of Visual Arts, the Savannah
    College of Art & Design, the Minneapolis College of Art & Design, the Sequential Artists
    Workshop, the Parsons School of Design, and many others.

Comic Con Events

  • San Diego Comic-Con, San Diego, California
  • New York Comic Con, New York, New York
  • Emerald City Comic Con, Seattle, Washington
  • C2E2 Comic Expo, Chicago, Illinois
  • Big Apple Comic Con, New York, New York
  • Wizard World Comic Con, Various Cities

New Publications

  • A Contract with God, Centennial Edition, including all new scans from the original
    artwork, W.W. Norton & Co.
  • A Contract with God, Norton Critical Editions, including scholastic annotations,
    W.W. Norton & Co.
  • A Contract with God, Artist’s Edition, including never published original pencil roughs,
    Kitchen Sink Books, an imprint of Dark Horse Comics.
  • Will Eisner: A Centennial Celebration (English/French), the catalogue for the Angoulême, France and New York Society of Illustrators, Will Eisner original art exhibitions, Kitchen Sink Books, an imprint of Dark Horse Comics.

New Videos & Podcasts

  • Midtown Comics Monthly Podcast
  • Comics Alternative Podcast
  • WorkxWork Eric Molinsky Podcast

Centennial celebrations are being added frequently. For the most current information follow @willeisner on Twitter; friend the “Will Eisner Official Site” on Facebook; and visit www.willeisner.com. Direct any questions to info@willeisner.com.

By Brian Isaacs - Executive Editor / Publisher

An avid comic collector/reader for over 50 years and self-proclaimed professor of comicology, Brian originally started up the site Pendragon's Post to share his voice. Well, that voice has been shared and evolved into The Fanboy Factor. Brian is an advocate for remembering comic roots, and that we don't forget what was created in the past, and encourage everyone to read it as well. When not swimming in geek culture, he can be seen corrupting..introducing his young son to comics, much to his wife's chagrin.

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