Sad news today.

One of my idols has passed away at the age of 87. You probably have never heard of him, but his influence is still felt within his industry.

I had the opportunity to meet Will Eisner a few years ago at the San Diego Comic Convention, and it was a real treat. Given his stature in the industry and his age, he could have been a real jerk, but he was the kindest gentleman, taking time to sign an autograph and chat for a minute. He even took a copy of one of my Dougside comic books, because he was always interested to see how other people approached things. This is one of the things that made him great. Even in his 80s he was open to learning new things. I will remember our brief conversation long after the ink has faded away on the autograph I got. An autograph is just lines on paper, but memories stay with you.

Will was a huge innovator in comic books, approaching them with a seriousness that no one else would touch in those early years. He saw that comics could be a lot more than superheroes and infused his Spirit comics with a film-noir feel that is still rippling with influence some 60 years later.

He never sat on his laurels and was always innovating. He invented the term and the concept of the "Graphic Novel" back in the 1970's with his hugely influential work A Contract With God. Eisner practically invented the use of silent, wordless panels to help evoke the emotion of the characters through the drawing alone. Some scholars have gone so far as to compare him to Orson Welles in the film industry. And that is fairly apt with the exception that Eisner never had any trouble getting his work published. He had continued to work long past the time when most others would have hung up their pencils and brushes. His most recent book was published just a few years ago and his final work will be published later this year.

He was well regarded within the comic book industry to the point that the ahievement awards are named after him. He even handed Eisners out to the winners, something you don't see at other award shows.

Will Eisner. Dead at the age of 87. He will never be forgotten.

If you are interested in reading some of his more intersting work, check out A Contract With God, A Family Matter, The Dreamer, and of course hi collected work on The Spirit.