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Was it really so long ago? Sadly, yes, it was. It was October of 1985 and comics legend WILL EISNER was guest of honour at a convention in Glasgow - I think at the Central Hotel in the train station, but I could be wrong on that one. One of the organisers, JOHN McSHANE, introduced me to Will and his wife, and I and another fellow (Rab Thompson, I think) sat in their company enjoying a wee drinkie or two. Will kindly bought me a COKE, and we chatted about various comicbook-related matters for half an hour or so, maybe longer. I ventured to ask what was wrong with JACK KIRBY, given his increasingly critical attitude towards STAN LEE at the time. Will shook his head. "I just don't know what's eatin' him - it's kinda sad!" he said, giving every indication that he viewed Jack's increasingly bizarre rants as something of a mystery.
Deciding that I didn't want to monopolise his time, I took my leave, but not before politely asking him to sign my copy of his book that you see above. Below is the inscription he graciously wrote on the flyleaf before I thanked him and his wife for their kind indulgence and departed to experience the various other attractions of the convention. Whenever I look at the book, I seem once more to be in my bedroom in the house where I then lived, though my family were there for less than another two years before we moved yet again. Funny how some associations are so strong that, even though the book has been in my current house for well-over 27 years, it yet seems to belong to another time, another place, than those in which it's spent most of its existence. Looking back, I'm reminded that our German Shepherd dog, TARA, only had another eight months left of her eleven and a half years' span.
Incidentally, the book is still in pristine condition - those ripples you can see on the cover and photo of Will belong to the clear protective sleeve, not the dustjacket itself. I've met a few legends in my time, and it's nice to have tangible reminders of not only when I briefly rubbed shoulders with the greats, but also of other fondly-recalled places and 'players' from a particular period in the passing parade that people call life. (Phew! That's positively profound!)
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I have never read any " Spirits ". I guessed it would kind of be like a copy of the Shadow. I really must give it a try sometime.
ReplyDeleteSame here, JP. I first saw him in The Penguin Book of Comics. Got a couple of his mags, but don't remember reading them.
ReplyDeleteWill also signed my copy of Comics & Sequential Art - far from pristine even then because I often used it for reference in my work.
ReplyDeleteYou are really missing out not reading The Spirit; particularly the postwar episodes are fantastically playful, pushing the limits of visual storytelling. I'd consider The Spirit one of the basic primers for anyone wanting to learn how to draw comics. Or Rob Liefeld.
Hi, M. Y'know, I probably have read some, but not that many. They look great (as I said, I've got at least a couple of mags), but I don't recall being blown away by the stories. Perhaps I was expecting too much from them after what I'd read in the Penguin Book of Comics. Regarding Will's book, I didn't find it as inspiring as How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way, to be honest. Looked kind of old-fashioned to me, even back in 1985.
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