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Bob Andelman

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Will Eisner: A Spirited Life

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Labels: Bob Andelman, Will Eisner

¶ 5:39 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Cover of Watchmen

In 2005, Will Eisner: A Spirited Life, Bob Andelman's authorized biography of the late American comic book master, was published by Dark Horse/M Press.

This spring, the audiobook version of the book will finally be released via Audible.com and iTunes.

In celebration of “Will Eisner Week” (March 3-7, 2009) and the release of the much anticipated film adaptation of Watchmen on March 6, 2009, Tampa Digital Studios agreed to release an exclusive audio excerpt of Will Eisner: A Spirited Life for broadcast on the BlogTalkRadio.com network.

Beginning at 10 p.m. ET on March 5, 2009, you can listen to the excerpt here: http://tinyurl.com/bqkk7e

Chapter 20, from which this excerpt comes, deals with Watchmen creatorsAlan Moore and Dave Gibbons reminiscing about creating the first issueof Will Eisner’s The Spirit: The New Adventures. It was their first collaboration in a decade, since the publication of the original Watchmen comic book series in 1986.

Will Eisner: A Spirited Life audiobook is narrated by the book’sauthor, Bob Andelman. It is produced by Michael Piotrowski andengineered by Joshua Agnew for Tampa Digital Studios.

​​Will Eisner: A Spirited Life​​
​
​​Mr. Media's audio interview with Dave Gibbons​

Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

Cover of Watchmen

In 2005, Will Eisner: A Spirited Life, Bob Andelman's authorized bioraphy of the late American comic book master, was published by Dark Horse/M Press.

This spring, the audiobook version of the book will finally be released via Audible.com and iTunes.

In celebration of “Will Eisner Week” (March 3-7, 2009) and the release of the much anticipated film adaptation of Watchmen on March 6, 2009, Tampa Digital Studios agreed to release an exclusive audio excerpt of Will Eisner: A Spirited Life for broadcast on the BlogTalkRadio.com network.

Chapter 20, from which this excerpt comes, deals with Watchmen creators Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons reminiscing about creating the first issue of Will Eisner’s The Spirit: The New Adventures. It was the first collaboration in a decade, since the publication of the original Watchmen comic book series in 1986.

Will Eisner: A Spirited Life audiobook is narrated by the book’s author, Bob Andelman. It is produced by Michael Piotrowski and engineered by Joshua Agnew for Tampa Digital Studios.

Will Eisner: A Spirited Life

Mr. Media's audio interview with Dave Gibbons

Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

Labels: Alan Moore, Bob Andelman, Dave Gibbons, Joshua Agnew, Michael Piotrowski, Mr. Media, Tampa Digital Studios, Watchmen

¶ 10:09 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

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The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (http://www.ajff.org/) will be showing Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist, at Lefont Sandy Springs, on Monday, Jan 19, 2009, 4:40pm. It's possible a representative from ASIFA-Atlanta will introduce the film and do a Q&A. This will be the Atlanta premiere of the film, which is a documentary on Will Eisner. Mark Mayerson writes about it here:

http://mayersononanimation.blogspot.com/2008/05/will-eisner-portrait-of-sequential.html

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Labels: Andrew D. Cooke, Frank Miller, Jon B. Cooke, Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist

¶ 2:24 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

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WILL EISNER: PROFESSION: CARTOONIST
(Image Entertainment)

With the arrival of The Spirit movie in theaters this week, no one should be surprised that a documentary about Will Eisner just hit the market. After all, the same thing already happened with Alan Moore (Mindscape of...). Can Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, you-name-‘em, be far behind?

The good news is this selection is well worth the effort. An American/Brazilian collaboration, this doc is divided into three key parts; Eisner’s roots and his work on The Spirit, his middle career and move into graphic novels and, finally, a solid analysis of his distinctive graphic style and importance to the industry/artform. Among those heavily interviewed are his wife Anne, Denis Kitchen, Stan Lee, Art Spiegelman and many, many other important colleagues he made through his long career.

The real “star” is Eisner himself, who apparently was quite generous with the documentarians, providing a number of interviews, a tour of his Ft. Lauderdale home and a generous sampling of the work he did over his 70 year career.

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Labels: Alan Moore, Jack Kirby, Neil Gaiman, Stan Lee, Will Eisner

¶ 7:30 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Cover via Amazon

First things first Olympia bibliophiles: The Olympia Timberland Library is back up and running and the whole building is open starting today!

Today is also the first day of registration for a book discussion series that will start on Saturday afternoon, January 10th and continue every other Saturday for a total of five sessions.

Event Type: Adult Book Discussion
Date: 1/10/2009
Start Time: 2:00 PM
End Time: 4:00 PM
Description:Join local scholar Danny Kadden in a five-part reading and discussion series entitled "Let's Talk About It: Jewish Literature - Identity and Imagination." The series will explore the theme of "Modern Marvels: Jewish Adventures in the Graphic Novel." The first 25 registrants will receive free copies of the graphic novels to keep. Registration begins on Monday, December 15; call, 352-0595 or stop by the library’s information desk. This program was made possible by a grant from the American Library Association and Nextbook. The series begins January 10 with a discussion of "A Contract with God: And Other Tenement Stories," by Will Eisner.
Library: Olympia Timberland Library
Presenter: Danny Kadden

Each session will begin with a 15-25 minute lecture by local Jewish scholar, Danny Kadden, to be followed by a group discussion.

http://www.nextbook.org/ala/librl_marvels.html

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Labels: A Contract With God: And Other Tenement Stories, American Library Association, Graphic novel, Will Eisner

¶ 2:21 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

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Frank Miller's noir craftsmanship inspired actresses Scarlett Johansson and Eva Mendes to embrace the femme-fatale flourishes of his newest film

Bob Thompson

National Post

December 22, 2008

The renowned graphic novelist Frank Miller knows how to write about anxiety, but he might have trouble dealing with his own as the opening of The Spirit approaches.

The Spirit is Miller's much anticipated live-action film version of the classic 1940s Will Eisner newspaper strip and subsequent comic book series. Opening on Christmas Day, the movie arrives with an important question: Can Miller --on his first solo directorial effort -- translate the stylish 1940s noir images onto the big screen?

There's a good chance he can. For one thing, Miller appreciates The Spirit's creative origins. He was an Eisner friend and associate, and admits that he based some of his more popular graphic novels on Eisner's tones and textures. Miller also codirected and co-wrote the digital Sin City film with Robert Rodriguez and penned the popular graphic novels Sin City and 300 (the movie became a worldwide hit). And Miller also famously made over Batman as the brooding Dark Knight in comics that inspired Christopher Nolan's hit movies Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

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Labels: Batman Begins, Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez, Scarlett Johansson, Sin City, Will Eisner

¶ 7:29 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Whether you agree with Frank Miller’s interpretation of the character, see eye to eye with the film’s similarity to his Sin City’s, or believe he butchered Eisner’s masterpiece, The Spirit has dealt with serious issues. The Spirit is considered to be one of the first comics with serious adult tones, creating a road for mainstream comics.

In the series’ living city, its inhabitants were always occupied with things. Whether they were criminals wanting to thieve, or female fatales in New York- style tenants, the people always had drama to deal with. According to Eisner, it “gave [him] an adult audience.” He managed to fill the pages with dramatic stories that were crime-noir dramas that had adventure, love stories, mystery and sometimes horror, and of course its noted humor.

One of the comedic elements that Eisner tried to inhibit was through The Spirit’s sidekick. Ebony White, an African-American citizen growing up in the harsh city, would constantly aid the masked hero. Not necessarily a sidekick like Robin or Bucky who would help the hero fight, but more of an Alfred/Jarvis assistant who would help in tough situations and drive him around in a taxi.

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Labels: Ebony White, Frank Miller, Sin City, Spirit, Will Eisner's The Spirit comic book

¶ 7:28 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

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In 'The Spirit,' she's Sand Saref, a jewel thief so hot she can melt the hearts of the undead -- namely the eponymous crime fighter (Gabriel Macht). Eva Mendes dished with Moviefone about re-teaming with Scarlett Johansson, why she has no problem with artistic nudity ... and why she thinks certain body parts should be in proportion.

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Labels: Eva Mendes, Moviefone, Sand Saref, Scarlett Johansson, Spirit, Will Eisner

¶ 7:24 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

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NEW YORK -- Apart from Marvel's Stan Lee, if there is a figure who represents the link between the comic books of old and the movies coming to a theatre near you, it's Frank Miller.

The artist-writer, who gave us 300, Sin City and the Dark Knight incarnation of Batman, began his career in the colourfully ink-stained New York-based cauldron of comic-book art, mentored by the likes of Jim Shooter, Neal Adams -- but most of all, the legendary and prolific Will Eisner.

Theirs was a strange, combative relationship -- one in which Miller is finally getting the last word, three years after Eisner's death, making his solo directorial debut with a stylized movie of Eisner's signature noir hero from the '40s, The Spirit. Wherever he is, the female-form-obsessed Eisner must appreciate the casting -- Scarlett Johansson (Silken Floss), Eva Mendes (Sand Saref) and Jaime King (Lorelei), all playing various forms of femmes fatale tormenting our mordant hero (Gabriel Macht).

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Labels: Frank Miller, Sand Saref, Scarlett Johansson, Silken Floss, Spirit, Will Eisner

¶ 7:22 PM 0 Comments Links to this post