Dean Mullaney, founder of the long-deceased Eclipse Comics (and currently out of the comics business) saw the news of Will Eisner's death (see 'In Memoriam:  Will Eisner') and columnist Steven Bates' comments on it (see 'I Think I Can Manage:  Whither Will Eisner') and weighed in on Eisner's legacy:

Re: Steven Bates' comment that '[Will] Eisner's legacy seems doomed to be relegated to retrospectives and museums,' I must respond: What planet is Bates living on?!  Will's legacy extends way beyond his extensive work as a writer, artist and publisher, to directly influencing thousands of other creative people in the field, to directly influencing other editors, publishers, marketing managers, sales managers... in short, to just about everyone who has worked in the business since the 1930s.

And, along with Milton Caniff and others, his championing creator ownership is still reverberating in our field.  Further, graphic novels--the true future of comics, both creatively and financially--would not

be what they are today if it weren't for Will.  And finally, his generous advice and counsel to independent publishers, writers and artists from the 1970s through 2005 has helped bring about the mature works that have helped comics grow up and develop.

He was a giant as a creator, a giant as a business person, and a giant friend to all of us.

The opinions expressed in this Talk Back article are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.