του Ηλία Κατιρτζιγιανόγλου 10-01-05 Will Eisner: 1917-2005
Many is the time I've urged that he join the Marvel bullpen, in
whatever capacity, whatever position he might desire. With a talent
such as his, I felt Marvel could reach greater heights than ever
before. But, although the offers intrigued him, he always preferred
doing his own strips in his own way-- and I respected him for that.
Stan Lee
He told me about a film he had seen once, in which a jazz musician
kept playing because he was still in search of The Note. That it
was out there somewhere, and he kept going to reach it. And that
was why Will kept going: in the hopes that he'd one day do something
that satisfied him. He was still looking for The Note...
Will Eisner was better than any of us, and he kept working in the
hope that one day he'd get it right.
"It's as if Orson Welles had made Citizen Kane and redefined
what you could do in film, and then carried on making movies until
now," I said, wishing I could come up with a better analogy,
and knowing that that didn't explain it. And I didn't mention how
proud he was of any of us who did good comics -- how much he cared
about the medium -- or how glad I am that I got to tell him that
I wouldn't have written comics if it wasn't for him.
Neil Gaiman
He was always gracious, always glad to talk about any aspect or
era of comics. He favored the future but his memory was razor-sharp
about the past, and a lot of us historian-geeks gladly exploited
that fact. You could not learn more about comics' past than by talking
with Will Eisner, just as you could not learn more about their future
than by reading his work.
We can look at his work from the late thirties and see that it
is wonderful and ground-breaking. Then we can look at what he's
done the last decade or so, blazing the trail with graphic novels,
often on very personal, low-concept subjects...and see that those
are wonderful and ground-breaking, as well. Only when you stop and
consider that those two bodies of work came from the same guy, and
were part of a 60+ year pattern, does his full impact begin to dawn
on you.
Mark Evanier
You can't die if you single-handedly invented the language of an
entire art form and the concept of the graphic novel. Its impossible.
He is immortal.
Do not mourn him. Celebrate him.
Brian Michael Bendis
I wouldn't be who I am today without his influence. Because the
artists who directly influenced me were influenced by him also.
John Jennings
To his fans; let us celebrate his life and his achievements. Let
us honor his memory by doing our best to live up to his ideals,
his aspirations for our medium and to emulate the way he conducted
himself-like a gentleman. Always having time and a kind word of
encouragement for all. And, in that, as well as in the works he
left for us, Will Eisner will be immortal. As he deserves to be.
Jim Valentino
It's hard to believe that a man could die at age 87 and still seem
to have been cut down in full stride, and yet that's who and what
Will Eisner was.
Denis Kitchen
Thank you, Will--and while you are up there I know you will be spinning
more tales--after all, you had A CONTRACT WITH GOD.
Alex Saviuk
I do remember one art point Will made to me: you should be able
to make a peephole in a piece of paper and moving it all over your
page, be able to tell what you're getting a glimpse of through the
hole by the texture you've put down.
Jeff Parker
Will Eisner was quite simply the best storyteller comic books has
ever seen. He was a gentleman in every sense of the word and a true
scholar of visual storytelling.
Rob Liefeld
You couldn't come away from a chat with Will and not love comics
just a little more - you couldn't talk to him, and start to wonder
about the potentials that the medium still has yet to explore -
the stories that will still be told.
Matt Brady
The body may have gone, but the legend, the legacy, the work, the
inspiration, and the contributions will NEVER be gone. I don't want
to mourn, and I don't want to celebrate... but I will do both.
Jeffery (a fan)
Δεν ξέρω τι άλλο θα μπορούσα να γράψω για την απώλεια του Will Eisner
που να μην έχει γραφτεί ήδη. Έτσι πέφτω συνειδητά στην παγίδα να
μιλήσω για μία προσωπική μου στιγμή:
Τη μέρα που έφυγε από κοντά μας, σερνόμουνα λόγω της γρίπης των
ημερών. Είχα ήδη ειδοποιήσει στο γραφείο ότι δεν θα πάω και περίμενα
δύο φίλους να περάσουν για να μου κρατήσουν παρέα. Όταν χτύπησε
το τηλέφωνο, ήταν για να μου πει ο Δημήτρης, ότι ο Will Eisner είχε
τελικά νικηθεί από τη μάχη που έδινε για τη ζωή του...
Λίγη ώρα μετά, συζητώντας με τη Μάρω και τον Παναγιώτη, η κουβέντα
πήγε -αναμενόμενα- στο θάνατο του Eisner. Τα παιδιά δεν υπήρξαν
ποτέ comic book fans, είχαν όμως διαβάσει μέσω εμού αρκετές δουλειές
του.
«Αν η κοινότητα έχει έναν πολύ σοβαρό λόγο να πενθεί, αυτός δεν
είναι γιατί χάθηκε ένας κορυφαίος δημιουργός» τους είπα. «Είναι
το ήθος αυτού του ανθρώπου, που θα μας λείψει. Ένα ήθος που το αντιλαμβάνεσαι
και μπορεί να σε διαμορφώσει ως άνθρωπο, καλλιτέχνη ή αναγνώστη,
χωρίς απαραίτητα να τον έχεις συναντήσει ή να έχεις διαβάσει συνεντεύξεις
του. Είναι το ήθος που διαπνέει τα έργα του: Ο σεβασμός στη ζωή,
η εγκαρτέρηση ενός καλύτερου αύριο, η νοσταλγία που δεν καταργεί
το σήμερα, αλλά το ανυψώνει. Και μια βαθιά, ουσιαστική αγάπη για
τον ατελή άνθρωπο».
Αυτά τους είπα (ή κάπως έτσι).
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