Thanks to Omnicomic.com for remembering Uncle Sam in time for the Fourth of July!

According to Wikipedia, Uncle Sam dates back to The War of 1812. The image of Uncle Sam was actually created in 1852 and as such, might really be the first superhero ever. That might be a stretch, but Uncle Sam, the comic creation, is more than 60 years old and was created in 1940 by Will Eisner (yes, really)! Uncle Sam, the embodiment of the American Spirit, has always reappeared at times the USA was under threat.

Sorry Brits, but Uncle Sam predates Lord Kitchener Wants You, and patriotic posters from many other nations.

New York City was a continuing focus for Will Eisner -- his life, his artwork, his comic creations, his graphic novels, and his teaching. Not the city that you see as a tourist, but the city that you live and breathe everyday. If you wanted to know more about that relationship don't miss the Will Eisner's New York panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July. The panel will be held on Saturday, July 25th at 1:00 PM with panelists Charles Kochman from Abrams ComicArts, Paul Levitz from DC Comics, Diana Schutz from Dark Horse, Denis Kitchen from Kitchen & Hansen Agency, and Carl Gropper from Will Eisner Studios.

It's FREE - all you need is to be there. Check out the new topic in the Forum and leave a comment with any suggestions.

Paul Fitzgerald has announced the availability of a limited edition of his new book, Will Eisner and PS Magazine. Paul Fitzgerald was PS Magazine's first managing editor and had a 52-year friendship with Will Eisner. This is warmly reflected throughout the 224 page softcover book. The book is currently only available directly from the author in a signed and numbered limited edition of 500 copies.

For more information and to order a personal copy go to the
Will Eisner and PS Magazine Website.

A great review of Will Eisner's Last Day in Vietnam from the PopMatters Comics Blog:


In the titular story from Will Eisner's anthology Last Day In Vietnam, an unnamed Major in the USMC and civilian news-reporter plan an impromptu escape from a Marine Firebase.

The beauty of this sequence lies in Eisner's superb skill at telling a story across dimensions. It appears as if the Major literally crawls out from two dimensions into three, as he clambers aboard the Huey helicopter. Viewed from inside the Huey, the Major running towards the chopper is ordinary fare for comics. It is the world at a distance, the theatrical fourth wall remains undisturbed. But over the course of the two panels that follow, the fourth wall is breached and the violence and horror of a base camp under enemy fire recedes into the distance.

Read more at The PopMaters Comics Blog here.

Still available at Amazon.com:

This week's homework assignment (only kidding) is to read one of Danny Fingeroth's books about comics. Danny was an Editor and Writer at Marvel for twenty years before putting out his own shingle. Danny developed Write Now! for TwoMorrows Publishing including the current Spring, 2009 issue with some great interviews and articles about Will Eisner.

Here are a couple of Danny's other recent books:

IBPA, the Independent Book Publishers Association, serves 4,000 book, audio, and video publishers located in the United States and around the world.

Will Eisner's The Spirit: A Pop-Up Graphic Novel has been named as one of three finalists in the Graphic Novel Category.

The 2009 Benjamin Franklin Award winner will be chosen from the three finalists and one will receive the Benjamin Franklin Award during a ceremony during Book Expo America in NYC.

Buy The Spirit: A Pop-Up Graphic Novel

For more information visit the publisher, Insight Editions.