Will Eisner and drawing for the US army.

[Billy Ruffian]

As a librarian candidate (2010), I often come across interesting collections and resources when doing my course work or undertaking professional development. I happened upon this lovely little collection through a friend of mine, and I'd like to share it here as an object of historical curiosity. As I recall, these comics have come up in conversation before, but never in any real detail.

From the collections webpage:

"An Army publication on preventive maintenance would hardly be a common choice when deciding what materials to digitize and make available to a wider audience. But most Army publications aren't filled with the incomparable art work of the late Will Eisner (1917-2005).

Will Eisner was already famous for his work on The Spirit when he was drafted for duty during World War II. While in the service, Eisner put his artistic talents to work in army publications, creating a character named Joe Dope. After the war, the army wanted to design a publication dedicated to preventive maintenance that soldiers would actually want to read, and turned to Eisner's young company, American Visuals Corporation. Eisner was the artistic director for PS Magazine from its inception in 1951 through 1972."

http://dig.library.vcu.edu/cdm4/inde...?CISOROOT=/psm

Cheers!

-BR

[Tom Odom]

Yep I was always inspired to grab a wrench after reading PM magazine

I really loved the one on the M-16 titled "Sweet 16."

Thanks!

Tom