Hy Eisman, a comic artist best known for his work on Popeye, passed away late last month at the age of 98.
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The Joe Kurbert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art confirmed Eisman died on his 98th birthday, Mar. 27, in a Facebook post.
“It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of an [incredible] artist, and a dear friend and instructor to many at the Joe Kubert School, Hy Eisman,” the post reads. “His artistry and mentorship has helped to shape generations of creators. Hy’s influence will continue to be felt by all who had the honor of learning from him and by fans who enjoyed his incredible work.”
Eisman was additionally a teacher at the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art from 1976 to 2019.
Before Popeye, Hy Eisman had worked on other comic projects over the years, including It Happened in New Jersey! from 1953 to 1956, Kerry Drake from 1957 to 1960, Bringing Up Father from 1957 to 1965, and Little Iodine from 1965 to 1983. He also worked on The Katzenjammer Kids, for which he was the final artist from 1986 to 2006.
Hy Eisman was also the artist of Popeye from 1994 to 2022.
The comic artist is preceded in death by his two wives, Adri Abramson and Florenz Greenberg. He is survived by his two daughters, nephews, and nieces.
Hy Eisman Previously Reflected on His Comic Book Career
During an interview with the Jewish Standard, Hy Eisman spoke about his comic book career success.
“My first comic books were ghosting other people’s work,” he explained. “Whenever someone was going on vacation or needed to bring their stuff up to where the deadline was, they would call me.”
He then revealed he attempted to launch his own comic strip with writer Zachary Ball based on Ball’s series of Joe Panther books.
“It was a series about Joe Panther, a Seminole Indian in Florida,” Hy said. “His books were all about the Seminoles. He came up with this idea of Joe Panther coming into Miami as a private detective. It was ‘Miami Vice’ years before ‘Miami Vice.’”
“We peddled it around New York. United Features was very interested,” he continued. “They picked it up. Then they got back to us. They said the strip did very well in the North. But there were a lot of papers in the South that would not pick up a strip with Indians dealing with white people. Could you put him back in the village like he was in the book?”
Unfortunately, the comic strip wasn’t successful. After hearing that Charles Schulz didn’t see any money from Peanuts for 19 months, Hy said it was time to move on.
“So we had to pass,” he added. “That’s how close I came to doing my own stuff.”