*holds up a book*

Will Eisner died on Monday at the age of 87.

A child of a poor Jewish family, he was considered by many to be the father of the modern comic book and the pioneer of the graphic novel, even to the point that the most precious and prestigious award in the industry bears his name.

This... this is the kind of person that makes the field of storytelling alive and human and strong... that makes a person want to strive for even a tenth of that greatness, a hundredth of that legend...

I'll raise my cup to you tonight, Mr. Eisner, and then I'll sit down and write.

ETA: News story - http://sympatico.msn.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2005/01/04/Arts/eisner050104.html