Gallery exhibition of Will Eisner's artwork in New York
New Jersey Jewish News announced there's a history exhibit of the late cartoonist Will Eisner's work in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood:
Philippe Labaune was interviewed by Comic Book Club Live, and told the following:
An exhibition spotlighting the 60-year career of Jewish cartoonist and writer Will Eisner, considered the father of the graphic novel, is on view in Manhattan.Eisner's last GN was The Plot: The Secret Story of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which he decided to write after doing reseach on Islamic antisemitism on the web. And it remains to be seen, does this exhibition's directors make sure to include it? Because if they don't, they're both censoring and failing Eisner's messages, especially after October 7, 2023.
A retrospective of the comic book pioneer’s work will be displayed at Chelsea’s Philippe Labaune Gallery, at 534 West 24th St., through March 8. The venue claims to be “the first contemporary art gallery in the United States specializing in high-end narrative art and illustration.”
Eisner, who showed an interest in and talent for drawing at a young age, was born in Brooklyn to Jewish immigrant parents in 1917. It’s not surprising that he became an artist — his father was well-known as a church painter before he left Austria, and painted theatrical sets after he got to America. After some early misadventures in art education, Eisner largely was self-taught as he developed his skills.
The family had moved to the Bronx, which then was more suburban in feeling, and Eisner went to DeWitt Clinton High School, where he created illustrations for school publications. In 1936, his friend Bob Kane — a fellow Jewish cartoonist who would go on to co-create Batman — encouraged Eisner to enter the then-burgeoning comics scene.
The gallery show spotlights 79 original works from Eisner’s prolific career, including pieces he created while serving in the army during World War II, selections from “The Spirit” — a comic about a masked crimefighter that launched in 1940 — and others from “New York: The Big City,” his collection of vignettes about city life.
In addition, a nearly complete sequential presentation of “The Super” — one of the stories that constitutes Eisner’s magnum opus, “A Contract With God and Other Tenement Stories” — will be on display. Considered by insiders to be the first graphic novel, the stories revolve around the poor Jewish residents of a Bronx tenement building.
“Eisner was committed to fighting anti-Semitism on all levels, both in his own life and on a greater social level,” Matthue Roth wrote in an overview of the artist in MyJewishLearning.
Eisner’s commitment to fighting anti-Jewish sentiment was made clear in his final projects, including “Fagin the Jew,” from 2004, which retells the story of Charles Dickens’ miserly Jewish character from “Oliver Twist” from Fagin’s point of view.
Philippe Labaune was interviewed by Comic Book Club Live, and told the following:
How about the second through last step? By which I mean, what do you want people to take away from this show?When they put it that way, it's interesting how the mainstream press makes it sound like the disgraced Neil Gaiman, in example, changed people's view of comics as a medium, but not Eisner, despite how he was writing stories that could be consumed by adults well before Gaiman did. All that makes clear is that the media was making cheap choices when they could've looked much closer under a magnifying glass to see all the independent creators who preceded Gaiman, with Eisner a prominent example. I guess because Eisner was a guy who showed far more respect for topics like patriotism and the army - where he himself served, as previously noted - that's why he got the cold shoulder from many liberal establishments, in contrast to Gaiman. And on that note:
What I hope people take away from this exhibition is just how much Will Eisner changed the way we think about comics—not just as entertainment, but as a serious artistic and literary form. Eisner was a pioneer in demonstrating that comics could tell deeply personal, emotionally complex stories, that they could wrestle with serious themes and resonate on a level far beyond traditional genre expectations.
This show is about honoring that legacy. It’s about giving people a chance to see firsthand why Eisner was so important—not just to comics, but to storytelling as a whole. His influence is everywhere, from the way graphic novels are respected today to the way visual narratives are constructed across different media.
By putting these works in a gallery setting, we’re emphasizing that Eisner wasn’t just a great comic artist—he was a master of his craft, someone who pushed the boundaries of what the medium could achieve. Whether someone walks in already familiar with his work or is encountering it for the first time, my hope is that they leave with a deeper appreciation for what he accomplished and how profoundly he shaped the art form.
What in your mind is the most underrated piece in the show, that fans should keep an eye out for?Yes, Eisner also paid respectable tribute to his military service, which not many modern creators ever did. One more reason Eisner's reputation and GNs hold up a lot better in value than some of the more PC creators in today's medium.
One of the most underrated pieces in the show—something I think fans should really take the time to appreciate—is a sketch from The Super that never made it into the original version of A Contract With God. It’s an alternate take on page 13 which was never published, and what makes it so fascinating is that it dives into the backstory of The Super himself, adding a whole new layer to the character, making him even more complex and unsettling. From an artistic standpoint, the composition is incredible. It’s a glimpse into his creative process, showing how he was always pushing deeper into his characters and their stories.
The other pieces that shouldn’t be missed are the U.S. Army illustrations. These are the oldest works in the show and have major cultural significance. They showcase a different side of Eisner—his ability to blend art with education, using comics as a tool to communicate with soldiers in a clear, engaging way. They’re a testament to how versatile and forward-thinking Eisner was as an artist, and whether you’re a longtime Eisner fan or new to his work, these pieces offer something unique.
Labels: Europe and Asia, exhibitions, good artists, history, islam and jihad, misogyny and racism, museums, politics
