Original art for unpublished cover, 1983. The Spirit and Denis Kitchen meet about a proposed Kitchen Sink Press book being developed by FantaCo Enterprises that was never completed.
Will Eisner's original art for an unpublished Spirit cover, 1983.
Original art, wraparound cover for The Spirit no. 1, Kitchen Sink Press, January 1973. Most of the content for the two underground comix editions of The Spirit consisted of classic reprints, but Eisner spiced up the covers with references to subjects he never could have touched upon in the newspaper supplements, and he contributed a few new pages with risqué themes.
Will Eisner's original art for the wraparound cover to The Spirit No. 1 from Kitchen Sink Press (January 1973).
Detail, original art for "The Story of Gerhard Schnobble," The Spirit no. 432, September 5, 1948. From the back of the first page of original art for the story: an unpublished Eisner doodle, a variation of the art for the first page of the story.
Alternate version of the young Gerhard (L) vs. how he looked in the published version (R).
The final four pages to "The Story of Gerhard Schnobble," The Spirit no. 432, September 5, 1948.
"The Story of Gerhard Schnobble," The Spirit no. 432, September 5, 1948. Eisner's favorite of the Spirit tales, it was perhaps a metaphor for his own frustrations, as his work "flew" but achieved little recognition outside the comics community.
Will Eisner's original art to "The Story of Gerhard Schnobble," The Spirit no. 432, September 5, 1948. (These pages were also included in the Spirit Artisan Edition but the quality of the pages from the Champion of the Graphic Novel looks better to me, especially on the city photographs.)
The family is aware that the Spirit’s 2008 sojourn to the big screen did not fare well despite its comics world star power. “The Spirit,” written and directed by a fellow comics innovator, Frank Miller, had an estimated budget of $60 million but earned less than $40 million worldwide. “You need to have a good story that’s consistent with the character, and that clearly was not consistent with the essence of the character,” said Lloyd Greif, the president and chief executive of Greif & Co., the investment bank handling the sale. “And frankly, the story didn’t make a whole lot of sense.”
The NYT Eisner article also has this fantastic quote regarding Frank Miller's awful efforts to make a movie based on The Spirit.
It is! I was just in the process of finding that article again so I could link to it — added it to the thread.
Comparison of the last two pages — note that most of the dialogue on these pages has been changed so that it's less clearly a framing device for a lost adventure. The page number on the bottom of one page has also been changed from 4 to 69 so perhaps the framing structure was shifted a bit.
Slightly different versions of these pages were included in the recent New York Times article about the rights to Eisner's works (including the Spirit) being up for sale, and the article referred to the story's title as "The Spirit Returns" rather than "The Last Hero."
Two more pages from Eisner's last unpublished Spirit story. Based on the dialogue it looks like the sequence with the Spirit talking to Eisner in his studio was a framing device to bookend a "lost" Spirit adventure that explained what the Spirit was up to during the gap in his publication.
Original art for "The Last Hero," an unpublished Spirit story, 1996.
Three pages of Will Eisner's original art to an unpublished Spirit story. The book Will Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel says the title was "The Last Hero."
Will Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel
Will Eisner Reader: Seven Graphic Stories by a Comics Master
Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative
The Will Eisner Companion
Mail call! Just in time for his birthday, four Will Eisner books.
Lunchtime library pickup.
America at War: The Best of DC War Comics (1979). Cover by Joe Kubert.
Mail call! America at War: The Best of DC War Comics. When I ordered this last week the title wasn't as sadly applicable...
Star Wars: Someone Who Loves You by Beth Revis and Sophie Li.
From the book Someone Who Loves You by Beth Revis and Sophie Li.
Han: "I love you."
Leia: "I know."
Choosing to believe these are Han and Leia's canonical wedding vows.
Bear traps: Make sure you always check for them before sticking your hands into stacks of hay or jumping out of a window.
Comparison of a couple other pages as they appeared in B&W vs. color.
Abraca-Doom! The Spectre / comic story / 8.5 pages Script: Denny O'Neil Pencils: Bernie Wrightson Inks: Bernie Wrightson Letters: ? Reprinted from House of Mystery (DC, 1951 series) #224 (April-May 1974), which is reprinted from The Spectre (DC, 1967 series) #9 (March-April 1969)
Abraca-Doom! The Spectre / comic story / 8.5 pages Script: Denny O'Neil Pencils: Bernie Wrightson Inks: Bernie Wrightson Colors: ? Letters: ? The Spectre #9 (as reprinted in the DC Finest Spectre TPB)
It's a horror host turducken! Cain introduces Spectre, who in the original version introduced the main protagonist of the tale but now is reduced to a silent observer of events in the opening panel.
Wonder if any kids read this and subsequently became terrified of their stuffed animals.
Opening page to the story "Teddy Doesn't Seem to Smile Anymore!" by Martin Pasko and Frank Robbins in House of Mystery #226. The full story is only three pages long but it's one of the most unsettling stories from the series I've read so far.
Night Stalker in Slim City Cain the Caretaker / comic story / 9 pages Script: David Michelinie Pencils: Frank Robbins Inks: Frank Robbins Letters: ? from House of Mystery (DC, 1951 series) #224 (April-May 1974)
From the story "Night Stalker in Slim City" by David Michelinie and Frank Robbins in House of Mystery #224.
Twoingg your doingg with the Superciser™!
New sex apparatus just dropped.
Upon Reflection comic story / 8 pages Script: Jack Oleck Pencils: Ramona Fradon Inks: Ramona Fradon Letters:? from House of Mystery (DC, 1951 series) #223 (March 1974)
Love seeing Ramona Fradon's art in black and white.
Opening page to the story "He Who Laughs Last..." from House of Mystery #221, as reprinted in Showcase Presents: House of Mystery Vol. 3. Script by Len Wein. Pencils by Bernie Wrightson. Inks by Michael Wm. Kaluta.
Opening page to the story "He Who Laughs Last..." from House of Mystery #221, as reprinted in Showcase Presents: House of Mystery Vol. 3.
Script by Len Wein. Pencils by Bernie Wrightson. Inks by Michael Wm. Kaluta.
In a clever packaging move I hadn't seen before, the seller sandwiched the TPB between two sturdy covers from old cookbooks as protective boards. It reminded me of the old "hiding the MAD magazine behind the textbook" gag. "I'm not reading comics, honey! I'm researching recipes for dinner!!"
Showcase Presents: House of Mystery Volume 3. Cover reprinted from House of Mystery #213. Art by Bernie Wrightson. New TPB coloring by Drew Moore.
Mail call! Showcase Presents: House of Mystery Volume 3.
Messing with the reception during the big game? Now that's scary!!
Panel from "The Eyes Have It!" Plastic Man / comic story / 15 pages Script: Jack Cole Pencils: Jack Cole Inks: Jack Cole ? Colors: Digital Chameleon (color reconstruction) Letters: Jack Cole Editing: George Brenner (original) from Police Comics (Quality Comics, 1941 series) #22 (September 1943)
Diving headfirst into one of your own bear traps has to be a pretty embarrassing way for a villain to bite it.
Panel from Police Comics #21 by Jack Cole.
Bonus: When the snake gets involved.
The various stages of sexual arousal.
From All-American Comics No. 23, February 1941
From All-American Comics No. 24, March 1941
The first pages of the Scribbly stories from All-American Comics #23–24 by Sheldon Mayer.
