USA Patriotism! ... "Showcasing Pride of America"USA Store! ... American / Patriotic themed gift products at USA Patriotism!

Home - Articles - Heroes - Photos - Poems - Stories - Students - Music - Videos
Quotes - Speeches - References - Great Patriots - Honor Halls - Stars for Troops
USA's Birth - New Content
- About - Contact - Press
- CureNow - Donate
- Privacy

Click To Google Search USA Patriotism!
USA Patriotism! YouTube ChannelJoin / Like the USA Patriotism! Facebook pagePinterestLinkedInUSA Patriotism! Instagram ChannelUSA Patriotism! On TwitterUSA Patriotism! at Flickr

Patriotic Article
Military

Collectibles, apparel, and other gifts ... for Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, and veterans! Checks with USA, military, and other patriotic designs Free Gifts from The Bradford Exchange Online

Will Eisner Educated Soldiers Through Comics
by Rick Scavetta, U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Ground
April 25, 2017

Satute of Liberty / Flag Mugs and Steins

Tough Tex American Flags

SunSetter 20' Telescoping Flagpole with Free American Flag

USA, military, and other patriotic themed pullover and button down Polo shirts

Personalized Patriotic Embroidered Shirts

USA Flag and other American Theme Caps and Hats

American Pride: Poems Honoring America and Her Patriots! by David G. Bancroft

Will Eisner's comic characters in P.S. magazine offered tips essential for troubleshooting Army equipment that Command Sgt. Maj. Toese J. Tia Jr. has never forgotten.

Tia, the U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Ground Garrison's senior enlisted leader, shared memories of Eisner's artwork and its impact on Soldiers during a March 5 museum launch of an exhibit at Geppi's Entertainment Museum in Baltimore that focuses on the famous cartoonist's contribution to the Army.

Will Eisner designed artwork, like this 1959 cover for PS Magazine, for 21 years. (U.S. Army courtesy photo)
Will Eisner designed artwork, like this 1959 cover for PS Magazine, for 21 years. (U.S. Army courtesy photo)

"We had a very important spot for our P.S. magazines and it was part of our battle rhythm monthly as we received the new P.S. magazine," Tia said, recalling his service as a young mechanic at Fort Riley, Kansas, in the late 1980s. "We had to familiarize ourselves and use it as a reference. We found it to be very effective."

The "Will's War" exhibit honors Eisner's use of comics to educate and inform Soldiers. The exhibit includes 21 framed pieces of Eisner's work, much of it part of Benjamin Herzberg's collection. Herzberg, a Will Eisner expert who once worked with the artist, organized the panel discussion.

Creator of "The Spirit," a comic superhero, Eisner was drafted in 1942 and went to APG for basic training, Herzberg said.

"He was already very well known. He was in the Baltimore Sun," Herzberg said. "So they put him on the post newspaper, "The Flaming Bomb."

At APG, Eisner created characters Private Dog Tag and Joe Dope. And he came up with a novel idea -- use comics to teach Soldiers about preventive maintenance. Eisner developed "Army Motors" magazine in World War II and later "P.S., The Preventive Maintenance Monthly."

APG Garrison 1st Sgt. Richard Bernard recalled how researchers from P.S. once asked him how to maintain protective masks, a topic later featured in comic form. Bernard said he has turned to P.S. for tips for 22 years.

"It's captivated me enough to retain a lot of information that would not have been gained from a boring [technical manual]," Bernard said. "This targets the audience it needs to target."

Eisner's audience was the "Soldiers who have busted knuckles, greasy oily grimy hands, worn coveralls and scuffed boots … the Soldiers who keep the Army's equipment ready," said Jonathan Pierce, the current editor of P.S. magazine.

"Rarely has art and the written word been so well blended," Pierce said. "Will Eisner showed that content and sequential art complement one another."

Now, P.S. will become a mobile app with interactive features, Pierce said. The conversion is rooted in the same principle as when Eisner created the magazine in the early 1950s.

"Get Soldiers where they are at. Deliver to it to them in a format that they find interesting," Pierce said. "We'll continue to have our contract artists draw the magazine; it's just going to be on the mobile app."

Daniel Boehm, a government civilian with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense at APG, recalled always reading P.S. at the motor pool when he served in uniform.

Now a self-proclaimed comic nerd, Boehm and his son attended the exhibit launch. He said learning about the Eisner legacy was interesting, as was hearing about the new P.S. app.

"They are trying to remain on the cutting edge with technology, where it seems the trends are going," Boehm said.

Will Eisner designed artwork like the ones on the pages of this 1959 PS Magazine. Will Eisner would have turned 100 in 2017. (U.S. Army photo by Rick Scavetta)
Will Eisner designed artwork like the ones on the pages of this 1959 PS Magazine. Will Eisner would have turned 100 in 2017. (U.S. Army photo by Rick Scavetta)

The museum's collection includes more than 6,000 items, from the 19th century to the present day. There are toys, posters, unique art and memorabilia. More than 1,000 comic books on display include the first Superman and the first Batman comics and several original Eisner Spirit comics.

The Eisner exhibit opened the same day as the museum's Batman exhibit, according to Michael Solof, the museum's exhibits and collections manager.

"Will Eisner only drew Batman two times," Solof said. "So it's amazing that we got one to show."

This year is Aberdeen Proving Ground's centennial year and would also be Will Eisner's 100th birthday, Tia said. He added that the Army's priority of readiness sparked Eisner's efforts, and he leaves a legacy in the generations of Soldiers who benefited.

"Down the road, when I reflect, I can say I served where Will Eisner was, walked the same [path]. I'm part of the P.S. magazine development," Tia said. "At one time, a young Soldier like me read that magazine. Now, I'm here as a command sergeant major looking at the same magazine 27 years later. That's pretty remarkable."

By Rick Scavetta, U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Ground
Army News Service
Copyright 2017

Comment on this article

USA Gifts Store! ... over 1,000 American / Patriotic themed products at USA Patriotism! USA / Americana theme ... polo shirts, t-shirts, shorts, hats, caps, swimwear, sweatshirts, hoodies, hats, jackets, under garments, and other apparel items American Pride: Poems Honoring America and Her Patriots! by David G. Bancroft