Richard: Why did you decide to write "Will Eisner: A Spirited Life"?

Bob: I had the good fortune to be introduced to one of Mr. Eisner's literary agents, Judy Hansen, through my own agent at the time, Kevin Lang. Kevin said, "Judy represents journalists and comics people; maybe you two should talk about a project!"

At the time, Judy and her partner, Denis Kitchen, were trying to get Will to write an autobiography. As I understood it, they wanted someone who was familiar with comics, but was a professional journalist and not a rabid fanboy. That described me pretty well. Judy and I hit it off by phone; then Denis interviewed me at a length. Finally, he recommended that Will meet me. We got together for lunch, established an instant rapport, and the project began.

But there was a bump in the road. After I wrote an initial proposal, Will - who was finishing Fagin the Jew at the time and getting more serious about what would become The Plot - called me and said, "I can't do this. If I spend all my time working on this book, I'll never do any of my real work." He suggested an alternative; I should write it as a straight biography - which he would authorize and cooperate fully on. So that's what we did.

Richard: How did you research the project?

Bob: Everything started with Will. We met in person several times at his office and home, usually for two or three days at a time. That gave me insight into his daily life and routine, as well as the opportunity to spend time with his brother, Pete - his office manager and best friend - and his lovely wife, Ann, with whom he was so very in love.

Will opened up his entire life to me. I was given free access to his book shelves and office files - even his photocopier, to make copies of anything I found of interest. I even brought my scanner to his office and home and scanner art right off the walls. He opened up books of family photos and I stayed up late one night scanning dozens of photos into my computer. (I later provided CDs with these images to the Cartoon Art Museum.) We also talked by phone at least once a week, usually for an hour or so at a time.

One day, I asked about interviewing friends, fans, and co-workers and he handed me his personal address book and said, "Call anyone you like." There were no rules, no conditions; this is how I enticed Neal Adams and Michael Chabon to each write an introduction to the book. I think I interviewed between 50 and 75 people in addition to the Eisners.

Will also told the curator of the Cartoon Art Museum at The Ohio State University to give me complete access to his personal archives there, so I spent three days there pouring through everything I could, photocopying, scanning, and taking notes. Denis Kitchen invited me into his home in Massachusetts and I grilled him about the business side of Will's modern life and photocopied correspondence and much more. I also spent a day at Will's side when he visited the Ringling School of Art & Design in Sarasota, Florida, lecturing students and going one-on-one with them for a portfolio review. The drive back to the airport in Tampa that afternoon was a highlight of our time together for me -- a wide-ranging, free-wheeling conversation.

Richard: What do you think of the character the Spirit?

Bob: Without a doubt, The Spirit is one of the comics' greatest characters ever. Will put so much character, story and design in seven pages that it puts many of his counterparts from that era to shame. The Spirit strip was funny and dramatic, sexy and startling. It could be read in so many different ways that it's not hard to see why some long time fans aren't sure that the Spirit that Frank Miller is bringing to the screen will be one they will recognize. But that happened with the first Spirit movie, done for ABC-TV many years ago, so who knows?

Richard: What would you say are Will Eisner's greatest achievements?

Bob: Good question! Obviously, his early contributions to the comics medium - even before The Spirit - included writing and drawing stories that weren't just kid stuff but could challenge and captivate adult readers as well. The Spirit is a monumental achievement by itself. But I think that his commercial work - ranging from producing 20 years of PS Magazine for the U.S. Army to even his corporate comics - bears mention, too. And, while he didn't create the first graphic novel, he did write and draw the first great one, A Contract With God. And his final book, The Plot, will likely have lasting political influences on many generations to come.

Richard: What was so inspiring about Will Eisner?

Bob: I think, besides his talent, it was the way he went through life - confident, bold, and always willing to help the next guy up. He loved teaching and encouraging young people to draw and write. He always took time to examine their work and offer suggestions. And he believed and fought for comics to be respected as a communications medium. It's a war still being fought, but he won many great battles.

Richard: What was his graphic novel "A Contract with God" about?

Bob: The novel - which was created as a series of four short stories that he then stitched together - grew out of the tragedy of a loss. How can a man do everything right in life and still suffer inexplicable tragedy? It was Will's response to the loss of his daughter, Alice, to leukemia at the age of 16. In the original art, the character's name was Alice; he changed it to "Rachele" in the final edition. (Rachel, incidentally, is my daughter's name.)

Richard: Are you looking forward to the Spirit movie?

Bob: I, like many people who have been commenting on blogs, have very mixed emotions about this. On the one hand, I'm curious to see what a creative talent like Frank Miller will do with Will's beloved character. On the other hand, none of the images, teasers or trailers look like The Spirit that I've read. Where is the wit and humor? But it is so hard to judge these productions without seeing the finished product - remember when the world thought Michael Keaton was a terrible choice to play Batman in the first movie? He was excellent, as it turned out.

Will, incidentally, was never in a hurry to see Hollywood adapt The Spirit for film or TV. He hated the TV film that ABC made. And he didn't particularly want to live to see it done again. He did, however, enjoy collecting the annual rights fees for options that Hollywood producer would send him!

Richard: How did you get the nickname "Mr. Media"?

Bob: I have always enjoyed following all kinds of media. Back in 1994, I started writing a weekly column and gave myself the nickname. The column was distributed for a couple years to newspapers nationwide by Universal Press Syndicate before I shut it down in 1998. With the advent of podcasts, I thought it would be fun to give it another go in early 2007 and now produce "Mr. Media" as a live celebrity and media newsmaker podcast live on BlogTalkRadio.com (www.blogtalkradio.com/mrmedia ). It can also be heard on MrMedia.com, iTunes, DigitaJournal.com and many other popular sites.

Richard: Why do you enjoy writing?

Bob: Sad as it sounds, I've yet to find anything else that I can do well enough to get paid for. I'm not too handy and I'm not all that smart. But I do like telling stories - mine and others'.

Richard: What do you have planned for the future career wise?

Bob: I earn the bulk of my income working as a credited "ghost" writer on CEO books - for example, I co-authored "Built From Scratch" with the founders of The Home Depot. I'm currently working on two new books in that category.

Richard: Do you have any ideas for a novel?

Bob: Doesn't everybody? That's what slows me down - what if mine are no better than my neighbor's???

Richard: What comics did you read as a child and do you read now?

Bob: First comic I remember reading was the first issue of The X-Men. I was always a Marvel guy in the '60s and '70s, although I enjoyed the big guns of the DC Universe as well. As guilty pleasures go, I could never pass by E-Man or Charlton westerns.

Richard: How can someone contact you?

Bob: Easier route is email: bob@andelman.com .

Richard: Any last words of advice?

Bob: Respect your parents, always wear clean underwear in case you're an accident, and treat the next guy the way you want to be treated. Oh, and root for the Tampa Bay Rays. They're going all the way.