WILL EISNER - Giveaways, Educational, and Souvenir Comic Books

[BOOT]

Will Eisner is an acknowledged great in developing the art of comic books. He was also a great businessman.

 

Over the years his company American Visuals produced comic books for a wide variety of uses. Some of these feature great stories and charming art.

 

Some of these are catalogued, but most comic book resources don't even list some of these comic books. Many are rarely seen - many I've seen exactly once.

 

Eisner was involved in these commercial productions to varying degrees. The cover art is usually a good indicator of whether Eisner himself provided the artwork. Many of his company's comics featured delightful artwork by Klaus "Lady Luck" Nordling, or competent art from a variety of other artists.

 

These comic books may not feature fan favorites like The Spirit, but they show a master using words and pictures to communicate.

 

These first two are souvenir sports comic books.

[BOOT]

Crop Feeding - Pretty tough to find!

On Generators - Off-print of a feature from The Army's PS Magazine. PS Magazines are tough enough to find, imagine finding the low print run single subject reprints.

Have A Good Time - Not really a comic book, but a multiple panel full color brochure

[BOOT]

HOODS UP

 

The pulp paper comic books are very tough to find.

 

These later issues don't look like comic books, but do feature comic storytelling with a very 1950s-1960s modern art style, very "MAD MEN".

[BOOT]

Two about guns and one about politics...

 

M16A1 Rifle - Operation and Preventive Maintenance - Produced for the U.S. Army in 1969. Can still find this in original Army packaging (as shown) for a reasonable price. The original sealed comic!

 

More Fun With Your .22 Rifle - At least two versions exist. I'll try to dig out the other one.

 

Which Road To Progress? - Not really comic book format. More like a presentation with words and pictures.

 

[BOOT]

The Story Of The Olympics - Again, not strictly a comic book. Words and pictures, lots of action sequences of athletes in motion.

 

Swimming For Fun - Beautiful giveaway for NYC YMCA

 

Three Little Slouches - Black and white prototype / promo / ashcan for actual comic book. Don't know if comic was actually published - have never seen a copy.

[BOOT]

2 1/2 Ton Trucks - Another PS off-print / reprint. Dinosaur cover!

 

Where Now Vet? - Stand alone comic featuring PS character Connie Rodd

 

Winter Driving - Small pamphlet with words and pictures - not an actual comic book

 

You've Got It Made - A brochure with words and pics, not a true comic book

 

More later if anyone's interested...

[AJD]

Allow me to be the first.

 

Really cool stuff there. And nice copies as well.

[rjpb]

Great stuff. Obscure and rare + Eisner =

[Scrooge]

Of course, we want more

[Crimebuster]

Man, I need to get that Colts comic book. Awesome stuff.

 

The only Eisner studio giveaway I have is this one, which was apparently distributed to toy stores (mainly on the East Coast?) in 1958:

 

[jmg3637]

great stuff. never seen any of it previously.

 

Love that it is EISNER.

 

Where did you find these books?

 

 

[Bo_Hogg]

Boot never seen those hoods up books before. I have the regular hoods up comics.

 

This Will Eisner giveaway is the toughest to find that I know of. It took me 20 years to find a copy!!!!!!!!

 

 

[BOOT]

Man, I need to get that Colts comic book. Awesome stuff.

 

The only Eisner studio giveaway I have is this one, which was apparently distributed to toy stores (mainly on the East Coast?) in 1958:

 

 

Not sure if that one came from Eisner's studio. The art does appear to be by Klaus Nordling. It's a great story - so great it was published several times under different covers!

[BOOT]

great stuff. never seen any of it previously.

 

Love that it is EISNER.

 

Where did you find these books?

 

 

All over the place...dealers, eBay, flea markets...been looking for years...

 

[BOOT]

More Fun With Your .22 Rifle - Here are both versions

 

Also note the back cover - an ad for a series of hunting safety posters with art by Eisner. I've actually seen some of these on the walls of old hunting lodges.

[BOOT]

Eisner and Nordling did a great series of comics with Daredevil Davey for the American Dental Association. Really charming artwork!

[BOOT]

Boot never seen those hoods up books before. I have the regular hoods up comics.

 

Please post 'em. I'd love to see them. They are truly rare. I've only seen a couple issues for sale, and they went at high prices.

 

This Will Eisner giveaway is the toughest to find that I know of. It took me 20 years to find a copy!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

You inspired me to start this thread. Here's my copy, with another from the same series.

 

[BOOT]

Two "Job Scene" career guidance comic books. Don't know how many were in this series...

[BOOT]

Off Topic: These are from the 1960s - hope nobody minds them here...

 

A series of comic books aimed at urban youth. Trying to teach the importance of setting life goals, the value of education, how to manage money, how to find and hold a job, how to form a healthy relationship with a responsible partner, etc.

 

Got these all from an older lady in the New York area. Other than one other copy of "Power Is Green", haven't seen any of these anywhere else.

 

Note the two versions of "Power Is Green" - one with yellow ink, one without.

[rjpb]

Those are very cool. Interesting that the 2nd version of Power Is Green has replaced one of the black guys with a white guy and replaced the pool hall with a diner. I'm guessing an editorial decision made for a 70s reprint, acknowledging the ideals of racial integration and sensitive to black "urban" youth being portrayed as pool hall habitues. Also, the term "Baby" was starting to sound dated by the 70s.