Graphic NYC Honors Will Eisner Week

Friday, March 5, 2010

This week, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, The Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation, and seven locations throughout the country celebrate the life and works of the late, great Will Eisner! This second annual celebration encourages a widespread knowledge of the graphic novel and comic book, in honor of the trailblazing Eisner. Graphic NYC celebrates the father of the graphic novel in our own inimitable way: with a profile on March 9, in honor of the father of the graphic novels' birthday.
Click HERE to Keep Reading!

Will Eisner Week 2010 (WillEisner.com)

Image via Wikipedia

Will Eisner Week will take place from February 28th to March 6th, 2010.  

Join WillEisner.com in an ongoing celebration promoting graphic novel literacy, free speech awareness, and the legacy of Will Eisner.

This is the second annual celebration of Will Eisner's contribution to comics and American culture and is offered as a springboard to advance education of comics and graphic novels in all communities around the world.  

This year's theme is The Reading Revolution: Will Eisner and the American Graphic Novel. 

Public events are currently being planned during Will Eisner Week including venues at The Minneapolis College of Art & Design, The Savannah College of Art and Design, and by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund in New York City.  If your organization is interested in participating or receiving information please e-mail the website administrator or post in the Forum under the Will Eisner Week topic.  

In addition to events, a variety of academic papers and group activity assignments are being generously donated by comic educators and will be available on this site. Our wish is that these materials will inspire you to have your own events in your community. Ideas include events held at schools, libraries, and book groups. 

Will Eisner Week is a collaborative project of The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, The Will & Ann Eisner Family Foundation, and a variety of Comic Institutions.  Will Eisner Week is chaired by Assistant Professor Barbara Schulz from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design assisted by the Will Eisner Week organizing committee. 

CBLDF's Comic-Con Auction Preview-Will Eisner's Briefcase!

The CBLDF pulls out all the stops for this year's main event live auction! Featuring original art from Harvey Kurtzman, Paul Pope, Mike Mignola, Dave Gibbons, Jim Lee, Ben Templesmith, Jeff Smith, Jaime Hernandez & many more, the Fund's Comic-Con auction gathers a plethora of outstanding comic art & collectibles under one roof to benefit the CBLDF's First Amendment legal work. The auction happens on Saturday night, July 25 at 7:15 in Room 2 of the San Diego Convention Center. Read on for the full list, selected preview images, and bidding instructions.
Below is a text listing of the items available on auction. Check back, more items will be added between now and the event!

1. Paul Pope, Star Trek: "When Worlds Collide: Spock Confronts the Ultimate Challenge," page 5.
2. Jim Lee & Neil Gaiman, Batman & Robin Meet Death
3. Harvey Kurtzman, The Jungle Book, p. 23, "Thelonious Violence"
4. Goran Parlov & Jose Marzan, Jr., Y: The Last Man #22, pages 9 & 10
5. Mike Allred, Mr. Miracle: Batusi
6. David Petersen, Mouse Guard original illustration
7. Walter Simonson, Orion, original illustration
8. Mike Deodato and Jason Minor, Miracleman Triumphant original art
9. Graphitti Designs, Green Lantern: Blackest Night Comic-Con Variant Action Figure set (note: available for pick up on Sunday)
10. Jill Thompson, CBLDF Master Session: The Painter's Process Painting
11. Charles Vess, CBLDF Master Session: The Painter's Process Painting
12. Dave Gibbons, CBLDF Master Session: The Heroic Figure drawing
13. Jeff Smith, CBLDF Master Session: The Art of the Panel drawing
14. Terry Moore, CBLDF Master Session: Who Killed Amanda Palmer, Life Drawing
15. Camilla D'Errico, CBLDF Master Session, Who Killed Amanda Palmer, Life Drawing
16. David Mack, CBLDF Master Session, Who Killed Amanda Palmer, Life Drawing
17. Mike Mignola, CBLDF Master Session, Expressionistic Atmosphere drawing
18. Chris Giarrusso, Art Balthazar, Tiny Titans/Mini Marvel X-Men team up cover
19. Paul Pope, Orion original illustration
20. Harvey Kurtzman, Times Square, Signed & Numbered print
21. S. Clay Wilson, Spain Rodriguez, Jaime Hernandez, Mario Hernandez, Larry Welz, Mark Bode, William Stout, Randy Zimmerman - Underground Comix Legends Jam original on posterboard
22. Alan Moore & Todd Klein,Alphabets of Desire, limited edition print, first printing, signed
23. Will Eisner's briefcase, including Eisner's notes on classic graphic novels and subscription copy of Heavy Metal magazine
24. Amanda Conner, Wonder Woman original drawing
25. Gabriel Ba, Things From Another World Bookplate
26. Josh Blaylock, Things From Another World Bookplate
27. Jeffrey Brown, Things From Another World Bookplate
28. Kevin Cannon, Things From Another World Bookplate
29. Frank Forte, Things From Another World Bookplate
30. David Hahn, Things From Another World Bookplate
31. Dwayne Harris, Things From Another World Bookplate
32. Jaime Hernandez, Things From Another World Bookplate
33. Phil Hester, Things From Another World Bookplate
34. David Hine, Things From Another World Bookplate
35. Tommy Kovac, Things From Another World Bookplate
36. Rick Lacy, Things From Another World Bookplate
37. Steve Lieber, Things From Another World Bookplate
38. Larry Marder, Things From Another World Bookplate
39. Sara Antoinette Martin, Things From Another World Bookplate
40. Mike Mignola, Things From Another World Bookplate
41. Fabio Moon, Things From Another World Bookplate
42. Brian Lee O'Malley, Things From Another World Bookplate
43. Eric Powell, Things From Another World Bookplate
44. Stan Sakai, Things From Another World Bookplate
45. Chris Schweitzer, Things From Another World Bookplate
46. Tim Seeley, Things From Another World Bookplate
47. Nick Simmons, Things From Another World Bookplate
48. Paul Pope, Napoleon print
49. Mike Allred, Nick Dragotta Dead Girl #5, p. 5
50. Sergio Toppi, Itarocchi Universali, Tarot deck, #544
51. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, Orange
52. Neil Gaiman & JG Jones, Untitled Jam
53. Neil Gaiman & David Petersen, Untitled Jam
54. Neil Gaiman & Andy Runton, Untitled Jam
55. Neil Gaiman & Adam Hughes, Untitled Jam
56. Ben Templesmith, Dr. Who: The Forgotten, 3 page sequence
57. Guy Davis, BPRD: The Warning #5, p. 9
58. Lou Manna, The Phantom Pinup
59. Mart Nodell, Pillsbury Doughboy, original color drawing
60. David Mack, Death, original ink drawing, signed by Neil Gaiman
61. Dustin Nguyen, Detective #842, p 16
62. Batman & Robin The Boy Wonder #6, Retailer Incentive Edition, CGC Signature Series 9.6, Signed by Jim Lee
63. Justice Society of America #2, Variant Cover, CGC Signature Series 9.8, Signed by Geoff Johns

Bidding Instructions

At The Auction: All bidders will be assigned a bidder number. Bidder numbers can be obtained at the CBLDF's booth, 1920, or at the auction. This bidder number is also valid for Sunday afternoon's Live Art Jam.

Online: The CBLDF is also accepting pre-bids online. Online bids will be accepted starting Monday, July 20 until Saturday, July 25 at 12:00 PM PST. All bids must be emailed to fundmgr@cbldf.org with "CCI SD AUCTION BID" in the subject line. Be sure when bidding to use the item name as it appears on the website.

This is not a silent auction bidding system. All bids placed online will be used as opening bids during the live auction on Saturday, July 25. In the event there are multiple bids on the same item, the highest bid will be the one accepted.

Bid amounts placed online will not be disclosed before the item is auctioned. Winning bidders will be notified by email the week following the convention. Payment is expected within 7 days from said email.

On-Site Absentee Bidding: If you are attending the convention, but cannot attend the auction, you can still bid for items in the auction. Absentee bids will be accepted at the CBLDF's booth, 1920, until 4:00 PM on Saturday, July 25. The CBLDF will have absentee bidder forms available for filling out.

On-Site absentee bidding follows the same rules as online bidding. This is not a silent auction bidding system. All bids placed online will be used as opening bids during the live auction on Saturday, July 25. In the event there are multiple bids on the same item, the highest bid will be the one accepted.

Bid amounts placed online will not be disclosed before the item is auctioned. Winning bidders will be notified by cel phone following the auction. Payment is expected by the close of the convention on Sunday, July 26.

It's Will Eisner Week Around the World!

Diana Schutz image via Wikipedia

The first week of March will mark the inaugural Will Eisner Week, a celebration of Will Eisner's legacy in graphic novel literacy and free expression. A collaborative project of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, The Will & Ann Eisner Family Foundation, and a variety of comics institutions, Will Eisner Week is chaired by the Minneapolis College of Art and Design's Assistant Professor Barbara Schulz. Will Eisner Week will be celebrated this year from March 1 to March 7, commemorating the 92nd anniversary of Eisner's birth.

Will Eisner Week is intended as an ongoing celebration that will promote graphic novel literacy, free speech awareness, and the legacy of Eisner himself to a broad audience. This first annual celebration is themed "The Spirit of A Legend," examining Will Eisner's seminal Spirit comic, as well as the spirit inherent in his work that has inspired generations of comic readers and artists. This theme will be explored at events in Minneapolis at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, in Savannah at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and in New York City.

In addition to events, a variety of academic papers and group activity assignments are available on WillEisnerWeek.com

These include:

• Diana Schutz: Comic Artist Will Eisner
• Diana Green: Other Trench(ant) Coats: Dr. Drew and the Wraith as
• Spirit Pastiches
• Frenchy Lunning: The Hero High Above the City
• Ivan Brunetti: Worst. Page. Ever.
• Paul Karasik: Will Eisner, Grandaddy to the SuperHero Generation.

Will & Ann Eisner Family Foundation President Carl Gropper says, "The Foundation is very excited to be working with three such prestigious organizations to celebrate the accomplishments and the position of the Graphic Novel in current culture. Will Eisner spent his seven decades-long career showing what could be accomplished with Sequential Art and Will Eisner Week will continue that work. In 1978 no mainstream publisher would publish Will Eisner's first graphic novel and in 2008 the graphic novel was the one of the few areas of growth
in all media including publishing, television, and the movies adding billions to the worldwide economy."

CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein says, "Will Eisner was a staunch advocate of comics and free expression throughout his life. His work for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund was tireless, and we are proud to honor his legacy through this initiative. Over time, we hope that Will Eisner Week will be used to focus ever more attention on graphic novel literacy and the wide range of free expression that comics encourage."

Check out www.willeisnerweek.com for more information.

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