Veterans Day Exclusive: 'The Spirit' Creator Will Eisner's Wartime Memories by Brian Jacks
Will Eisner is particularly well known today for creating "The Spirit," his blue-clad superhero that's currently receiving the Hollywood treatment at the hands of Frank Miller. But lesser known is that Eisner was a veteran of no less than three major wars: World War II (where he was an enlisted man) and Korea and Vietnam, where he was a civilian contractor eventually obtaining the rank equivalent to a brigadier general. I was fortunate enough to know Will, and four years before his death in 2005, we chatted at length about his military service, how it related to "The Spirit," and his views on the extreme stresses of war. In honor of both Veterans Day and Will Eisner, enjoy this rare look inside the mind of the revered comics legend on this most serious of topics.