Will Eisner Inspires Two Exhibitions ~ One Of The Founding Fathers Of Modern Comics & Graphic Novels

Written by Kevin Fisher Sunday, 23 October 2011 21:34

New York City- The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) is presenting "Will Eisner’s New York: From the Spirit to the Modern Graphic Novel", an exhibit showcasing work of the comics and graphic novel master that was inspired by, and which spotlighted, his hometown, the city he always held closest to his heart: New York. The exhibition will run through June 30th 2011. March 6 would have been Will Eisner's birthday, and a further tribute was paid to him when Google's "doodle" featured 'The Spirit'. From the Golden Age of Comics through the creation of the modern graphic novel (a form he was instrumental in popularizing), you will find New York City at the heart of Will Eisner’s work. Whether thinly disguised as “Central City” in the pages of his legendary creation, The Spirit, or more directly presented in his autobiographical graphic novels, New York was portrayed by Eisner as only a native of the city could know it.

This exhibition spotlights the city as reflected in all eras of Eisner’s work. It includes Spirit artwork, art from many of his classic graphic novels, including A Contract with God and To the Heart of the Storm, and original paintings by Eisner, as well as art by significant creators who were influenced by him, including Art Spiegelman, and Harvey Kurtzman.

Historical context for the over 100 pieces in the exhibit will be provided by wall text by the curators, as well as by a continually running slide show that traces the evolution of Eisner’s work. Also on continuous view will be Jon and Andrew Cooke’s award-winning 2007 documentary, 'Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist'.

Like the legendary metropolis itself, there are infinite perspectives from which to look at and appreciate Eisner’s work. "Will Eisner’s New York: From the Spirit to the Modern Graphic Novel" provides surprising insights and moving revelations about the artist, his work, and his city.

Born in 1917, Will Eisner was raised in the tenement Bronx of the Great Depression. He was a pioneer in the creation of comics of the "golden age" of the 1930s and '40s, achieving immortality with his noir crime fighting superhero, 'The Spirit', the first character to star in a comics insert distributed in newspapers. At one time or another, just about every comics great of his own and succeeding generations worked with and for Eisner, including Jules Feiffer, Wallace Wood, Jack Kirby, Al Jaffee and Mike Ploog. When the Spirit ceased publication in 1952, Eisner devoted himself to producing educational and instructional comics. Then, in 1978, Eisner reinvented himself—and the medium with his graphic novel 'A Contract With God', the first of a series of works focused, for the most part on early 20th century Jewish life in America. Other notable graphic novels included 'To The Heart of the Storm', 'A Life Force', and 'The Name of the Game'. At the time of his 2005 death, Eisner was working on 'The Plot', a comics-form refutation of the resurgent Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which was released posthumously.




In conjunction with "Will Eisner's New York: From The Spirit to the Modern Graphic Novel", MoCCA are concurrently showing "In the Spirit of Will Eisner: Creators influenced by the Legendary Cartoonist", work by an astonishing roster of top cartoonists from across a span of seven decades. This related exhibit will feature art by: Neal Adams, Sergio Aragones, Terry Beatty, Nick Cardy, Darwyn Cooke, Eric Drooker, Jules Feiffer, Michael T. Gilbert, Dean Haspiel, Al Jaffee, Klaus Janson, Jack Kirby, Denis Kitchen, Joe Kubert, Peter Kuper, Harvey Kurtzman, Batton Lash, Steve Leialoha, Michael Avon Oeming, Peter Poplaski, Joe Quesada, Paul Rivoche, Trina Robbins, Jerry Robinson, Stan Sakai, Mark Schultz, R. Sikoryak, Art Spiegelman, Wally Wood and Steve Ditko.

The art will range from a Cardy piece done in the 1940s for Eisner’s studio, to classic underground comix work by Spiegelman, to a Spirit illustration done by Jules Feiffer especially for this show. The organizing theme is that in some way, each artist was influenced by Eisner or his work.

This once-in-a-lifetime combination of artists’ work is a perfect complement to Will Eisner’s New York, and is another reason the exhibition is a must-see for anyone interested in comics and graphic novels.

The purpose of the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art is the collection, preservation, study, education, and display of comic and cartoon art. Every genre of the art is represented: animation, anime, cartoons, comic books, comic strips, gag cartoons, humorous illustration, illustration, political illustration, editorial cartoons, caricature, graphic novels, sports cartoons, and computer-generated art. Further, the museum's rigid collection policy ensures that the art collections are maintained in an environment of the highest integrity.

It is the mission of the museum to promote the understanding and appreciation of comic and cartoon art as well as to detail and discuss the artistic, cultural, and historical impact of what is the world's most popular art form. Comics and cartoons have been instrumental in effecting significant dialogue on issues involving society, culture, philosophy, and politics. History has shown them to be instrumental in documenting, and interpreting, historic events and social change. Artistically, comic and cartoon art is created at the highest levels by some of the world's finest graphic illustrators.

The main goal of the museum is to educate the public about comic and cartoon art, how it is crafted, and how it reflects history. What does the art tell us about the time period that it was created in? How does it stand the test of time? What First Amendment issues regarding content come into play? How does censorship determine what is (and isn't) published?

The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art is chartered by The NY State Education Department. Visit MoCCA's website at ... http://www.moccany.org

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