Expressive Anatomy for Comics and Narrative: Principles and Practices from the Legendary Cartoonist (Will Eisner Instructional Books) (Paperback)

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Product Description

The final volume of Will Eisner’s celebrated instructional trilogy explores the critical principle of body grammar in comics storytelling. Designed and outlined by Will Eisner before his death in 2005, this posthumous masterwork, the third and final book in the Will Eisner Instructional Series, finally reveals the secrets of Eisner’s own techniques and theories of movement, body mechanics, facial expressions, and posture: the key components of graphic storytelling. From his earliest comics, including the celebrated Spirit, to his pioneering graphic novels, Eisner understood that the proper use of anatomy is crucial to effective storytelling. His control over the mechanical and intuitive skills necessary for its application set him apart among comics artists, and his principles of body grammar have proven invaluable to legions of students in overcoming what is perhaps the most challenging aspect of creating comics. Buttressed by dozens of illustrations, which display Eisner’s mastery of expression, both subtle and overt, Expressive Anatomy for Comics and Narrative will benefit comics fans, students, and teachers and is destined to become the essential primer on the craft. .

About the Author

Will Eisner (1917-2005) was the author of the legendary comic strip The Spirit. The comic industry's top annual awards, "The Eisners," are named in his honor.

Product Details

• Paperback: 164 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. (August 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393331288
• ISBN-13: 978-0393331288
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #85,687 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Start creating believable characters immediately, December 15, 2008

By	Parka (Singapore) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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Length:: 0:26 Mins

Expressive Anatomy for Comics and Narrative is one of the three Will Eisner instructional books. The other two are Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative and Comics and Sequential Art.

I bought the book to learn how to pose characters properly and create strong silhouettes. I'm glad to say that this book provides tons of examples selected from Will Eisner's years of comics.

Will Eisner started the book but unfortunately passed away in 2005 before he could finish it. Enter Peter Poplaski, an artist who have worked long time beside him. Peter Poplaski was engaged to add the finishing touches for the book with some additional drawings. The majority of art work is still from Will Eisner's archive.

The first few chapters explain the anatomy and how it affects movement. It offers a basic introduction to the latter chapters and is definitely not a substitute for an anatomy book.

The core concept of the book is actually this: human actions come from reflex and emotions.

The bulk of the book is devoted to showing examples of how certain feelings are express through body language and gesture. Each example is clearly explained and exceptionally easy to understand. Even if speech balloons are taken away from the example comic panels, readers will still know how the characters are feeling. Such is the power of a strong silhouette.

Included are also many other techniques to help breath life into characters, such as staging, composition, positioning of characters etc.

This book is very useful for any artists who wants to create believable characters people can relate to.

I think I'll also be getting the other two books.

There are more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dull and uninstructive, January 30, 2009

By	Jean E. Pouliot (Newburyport, MA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Subtitled "Will Eisner Instructional Book," I have a hard time understanding exactly who this book is aimed at. Beginning artists are given no step-by-step instructions for drawing the complex physical actions contained here. In spite of several pages of depictions of the body's skeletal and muscular systems, more advanced artists are given little indication of how the inner musculature of the body is expressed. The tone of the book is pedantic in the extreme. The best parts of the book are snippets from Eisner's classics -- Fagin the Jew and the Dropsie Avenue series. Even here, the tips about character development and story arc are very few. I'd give this one a miss except for those who need to own everything with Eisner's name on it.