I had the good fortune of meeting Will Eisner a few years ago on a flight from Austin to San Diego. A friend and I spotted him and his wife at the terminal during a transfer to the last leg of our flight, and we went up and talked to him briefly. I met Frank Miller earlier this year, at the bar set up for the after-party of the Sin City film premiere in Austin. I stumbled through our very brief exchange and felt like a true fanboy geek, but was really happy that I could at least say that I had met him. In neither of these conversations did I really get to go deep into their views on the medium that they have so helped to change and define, but fortunately, there's a book called Eisner/Miller that gives you that conversation, focused by Brownstein and beautifully edited and put together for Dark Horse Comics. Eisner/Miller is an in-depth examination of the industry by two of its legends, a fascinating insight into the industry as a whole, as well as the careers of these two men and the people they have met and seen in their travels through the industry.
Despite all the talking about the industry that goes on in magazines and online, true analysis and insight into the medium is fairly rare. I'm as guilty of this as anyone, and Eisner/Miller went a long way toward reminding me that for as long as I've been doing comics reviews, as much as I think I know about this medium and its history, I'm still a neophyte and probably always will be. It's refreshing to see two people talk about comics who have clearly thought about it day-in and day-out for most of (if not all) of their lives. Miller is the young, rebellious one to Eisner's wise old man, but the two are both deep thinkers, and their arguments about everything from creator ownership to inking techniques to the state of marketing are fascinating and well-considered. I found myself disagreeing, sometimes vehemently, with what one or the other would say, but I also found myself nodding along with a lot of the book, and never felt myself less than challenged by the points that were being raised.
While Eisner/Miller is a "think piece," that doesn't mean it is a dry academic thesis that is some chore to read. No, the whole thing is kept very conversational, and very funny, with the sense of personalities coming through strongly in the text. Comic book history is full of colorful characters and dramatic situations, and Eisner and Miller touch on a lot of these characters and settings in their discussions, as well as bringing their own sparkling personalities to the table. Brownstein's role is somewhat invisible in the final book, but occasional notes in parentheses clarify context, and it's clear that he was sort of the conductor, keeping these two runaway trains on the rails and headed for a destination, even if he let them occasionally wander off the direct path for an interesting aside. Energy, intellect, imagination, experience and focus are all words you could use to describe this book.
The design of the book, as to be expected from Dark Horse, is likewise exceptional. The text is accompanied by photographs and plenty of artwork from Miller and Eisner that helps to illustrate their points or demonstrate something they were talking about. Reading Eisner/Miller will give you insight into the industry and the medium, but it will also specifically make you want to read or reread some of the work being discussed here. I recommend having copies of 300, Sin City, A Contract With God and The Dreamer close at hand for these cravings, at the minimum.
Eisner/Miller is a 350 page book that reads quickly but will leave you thinking for days, weeks and months afterward. It has a casual, conversational tone but an underlying current of important theory and history being discussed. It's a fantastic book that is must-reading for anyone with an interest in the comics medium.
