Will Eisner's John Law: Dead Man Walking

Will Eisner's John Law #1

by Will Eisner

Comics master Will Eisner has contracted award-winning writer/artist Gary Chaloner to develop all-new adventures featuring the pipe-smoking, one-eyed Crossroads cop. These stories, the first original John Law adventures since Eisner worked on the character in 1948, will be available in print exclusively from IDW. The IDW edition will include both new material and classic John Law tales by Will Eisner himself. These stories have been lovingly re-toned by Chaloner to capture Eisner's full noir-stylings.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Crime

80 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2004

About the author

William Erwin Eisner was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series The Spirit (1940–1952) was noted for its experiments in content and form. In 1978, he popularized the term "graphic novel" with the publication of his book A Contract with God. He was an early contributor to formal comics studies with his book Comics and Sequential Art (1985). The Eisner Award was named in his honor and is given to recognize achievements each year in the comics medium; he was one of the three inaugural inductees to the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame.

Reviews

[Nick]

This group of stories is a remarkable bit of comics history. Material from a failed golden age comic book is reworked and completed, saving these noir crime stories from oblivion. Some of the material had been revised into Spirit stories by Will Eisner, but this look at the earlier form is fascinating. Then, the material completed by Gary Chaloner included some truly bizarre takes on the crime stories featuring the John Law character.
It's too bad that John Law failed as a comic book, because it could have provided a more serious counterpoint to The Spirit newspaper strips. This glimpse and a follow-up volume may be all that we'll ever see of this character and the city in which he lives, but the parts that were adapted into Spirit stories were good, and introduced the Sand Seref "bad girl" character, a fan favorite.

[Gonzalo Oyanedel]

Aproximaciones más contemporáneas y maduras permiten a Chaloner ofrecer una actualización que - al menos en el guion - supera la propuesta original por brindar un perfil más complejo al protagonista, distanciándolo del trasunto de Spirit que esbozó Eisner. Incorporar a Mr. Mystic y Lady Luck (otros justicieros de la casa) es un error discutible que el lector nostálgico de la Edad Dorada agradecerá.

[Dony Grayman]

13º tomo de la colecció Noir, dedicado al reboot de una creación de Will Eisner y que incluyó historias cortas del autor original.

[Zintulo Deyuno]

Will Eisner presenta: John Law, Detective (Colección Cómic Noir, #13).

[Luke Stevens]

Eh !

[Index Purga]

Reinterpretación del personaje de Eisner que además incluye tres historias clásicas del autor.

[Kevin]

John Law was created in the mold of Eisner's more famous creation, the Spirit, but was shelved. The original Law stories were then re-worked as Spirit stories. Those original stories, and a new story featuring John Law, Lady Luck, and Mr. Mystic by Gary Chaloner, are included in this edition. Chaloner is a worthy successor to Will Eisner, and the stories in this collection are worthwhile for the reader of the Spirit as well as those wanting a well-crafted story.

[La Revistería Comics]

Uno de los clásicos semi olvidados de Eisner se encuentra con su reinterpretación Siglo XXI en este imperdible tomo de la Colección Noir de Norma.