Eisner & Iger

Eisner & Iger

Company type	Private
Industry	Comic book packaging
Founded	1936
Founder	Will Eisner, Jerry Iger
Defunct	1939
Fate	Eisner left; continued as S. M. Iger Studio
Headquarters	New York City , United States
Area served	United States, Latin America, United Kingdom
Key people	Will Eisner, Jerry Iger
Products	Comic book content, colored comic strips

Eisner & Iger was a comic book packager that provided custom comic content for publishers entering the industry during the late 1930s and 1940s, an era known as the Golden Age of Comic Books. Established by Will Eisner and Jerry Iger, the studio served as a starting point for numerous prominent creators, including Jack Kirby. The company was active from 1936 until 1939.

Officially named the Eisner and Iger Studio and sometimes referred to as Syndicated Features Corporation, Eisner himself called it both "Eisner & Iger" and the "Art Syndication Company". In addition to comic books, the business also distributed colored comic strips such as Adventures of the Red Mask and Pop's Night Out to newspapers.

Following Eisner’s exit in late 1939 or early 1940, Iger continued producing comics under the name S. M. Iger Studio, eventually joining forces with Ruth Roche. This enterprise remained operational until 1961.

Origin

Eisner & Iger was established to meet the growing demand for American comic books, a market that emerged in the early 1930s with tabloid-sized magazines featuring reprints of newspaper comic strips enhanced by color. By 1935, original comic content began to appear. One early title, Henle Publications' Wow, What a Magazine!, edited by Jerry Iger, introduced him to 19-year-old Will Eisner, who contributed adventure stories such as "Scott Dalton," "The Flame," and "Harry Karry."

Accounts of how the Eisner and Iger Studio came into being vary, but most sources lean towards Eisner’s narrative.

Will Eisner account

After Wow ceased publication, Eisner suggested collaborating with the then-unemployed Iger to create new comics, foreseeing that the supply of reprinted material would soon diminish. They founded Eisner & Iger in late 1936, becoming one of the earliest comics packagers. At that time, Iger was 32 years old; Eisner claimed to be 25 to avoid intimidating his partner.

Eisner recalled:

They leased a modest single-room office on East 41st Street in Manhattan for $5 per month, with Eisner covering the first three months’ rent from his commercial art earnings.

Eisner managed writing and illustration while Iger handled sales and lettering tasks. To give an impression of a larger staff, they used pseudonyms such as "Willis Rensie" (Eisner spelled backward) and "Erwin" (his middle name).

Eisner’s experience with this company is dramatized in his autobiographical graphic novel, The Dreamer.

Jerry Iger account

In a recollection from 1985, Iger stated:

Note: Although Eisner was drafted in 1942 rather than 1940, he left the company in 1940 to create The Spirit.

Company history and influence

The studio developed into one of the most prominent and impactful comics packagers, alongside rivals like Funnies, Inc.—which supplied content for Marvel Comics No. 1 featuring characters such as the Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, and Angel—and Harry "A" Chesler's operation.

Their initial client was Editors Press Service, established by Joshua B. Powers to supply Latin American newspapers with comics and features in exchange for advertising space sold to U.S. companies. Expanding their reach internationally, Editors Press Service had a British customer, Wags, for which Eisner and Iger created the leopard-clad jungle heroine Sheena under the pseudonym "W. Morgan Thomas." Sheena gained popularity in the United States in 1938 when writer "William Thomas" and artist Mort Meskin continued her adventures in Eisner & Iger's client Fiction House's Jumbo Comics No. 1.

Eisner & Iger also produced work for publishers such as Fox Comics, Quality Comics, among others. By 1939, their staff included 15 full-time writers, artists, and letterers; Eisner favored employing salaried personnel over freelancers, although early contributions from future legend Jack Kirby were freelance. Other significant creators involved included Bob Kane, Lou Fine, Bernard Baily, Dick Briefer, Bob Powell, and Toni Blum. During this era, Eisner co-created characters like Doll Man and Blackhawk.

With a profit margin of $1.50 per page, Eisner remarked, "I got very rich before I was 22," illustrating that during the Depression year of 1939 he and Iger split $25,000—a considerable amount at that time.

S. M. Iger Studio

Around 1940, Eisner transferred his ownership stake to Iger to focus on launching The Spirit. Following this transition, Iger managed the enterprise under the name S. M. Iger Studio. In 1940, Ruth Roche joined as editor and later became a partner in 1945, after which some accounts identify the company as the Roche-Iger Studio.

Prominent artists and writers who either stayed or joined following Eisner’s exit included Alex Blum, Toni Blum, Nick Cardy, Louis Cazeneuve, Fletcher Hanks, Charles Nicholas, Bob Powell, George Tuska, Matt Baker, Al Feldstein, Dick Giordano, Jack Kamen, Joe Kubert, Al Plastino, Don Rico, and Jerry Siegel, co-creator of Superman. The involvement of female illustrators such as Toni Blum, Nina Albright, Ruth Atkinson, Ann Brewster, Fran Hopper, Lily Renée, and Marcia Snyder was likely supported by Roche’s presence.

Between 1946 and 1950, the studio produced "Pre-Trend" content for EC Comics; from 1947 until 1954 for the Canadian publisher Superior; and from 1954 to 1958 for Ajax-Farrell publications. It is reported that Iger held co-ownership stakes in Superior (approximately 1945–1956) and Ajax-Farrell (1946–1958) alongside Robert W. Farrell.

The studio continued its operations until ceasing activity in 1961.

Creators

Key contributors linked to Eisner & Iger and later the S. M. Iger Studio along with their tenure periods include:

Eisner & Iger

• Vince Alascia (1938–1939)
• Bernard Baily (1937–1939)
• Alex Blum (1938–1939)
• Toni Blum (1938–1939)
• Dick Briefer (1937–1939)
• Nick Cardy (1939)
• Louis Cazeneuve (1939)
• Reed Crandall (1939)
• Will Eisner (1937–1939)
• Robert Farrell (1939)
• Lou Fine (1938–1939)
• Fletcher Hanks (1939)
• Bob Kane (1937–1938)
• Jack Kirby (1937–1938)
• Mort Meskin (1938–1939)
• Charles Nicholas (1939)
• Bob Powell (1938–1939)
• Charles Sultan (1939)
• George Tuska (1939)
• Chic Stone (internship, 1939)

S. M. Iger Studio

• Nina Albright (1943–1944)
• Matt Baker (1944–1948)
• Alex Blum (1940–1942)
• Toni Blum (1940–1942)
• Ann Brewster (circa 1944–1948)
• Nick Cardy (1940–1942)
• Louis Cazeneuve (1940–1941)
• John Celardo (1940–1941)
• Al Fagaly (circa 1941)
• Myron Fass (1949–circa 1953)
• Al Feldstein (1941–1948)
• Al Gabriele (circa 1941–1942)
• Frank Giacoia (1941)
• Dick Giordano (1951–1952)
• Fletcher Hanks (1940)
• Jack Kamen (1942; 1946–1952)
• Henry C. Kiefer (circa 1940–circa 1953)
• Joe Kubert (circa 1942)
• Mort Leav (1941–1943)
• Jim Mooney (1940–1942)
• Ruben Moreira (1942–1943)
• Charles Nicholas (1940–1942)
• Klaus Nordling (1940–1941)
• Don Perlin (1949–1950)
• Al Plastino (1940–1941)
• Bob Powell (1940–1943)
• Don Rico (early 1940s)
• Art Saaf (1941–1942)
• Jerry Siegel (early 1950s)
• Sal Trapani (1950–1953)
• George Tuska (1940–1941)

See also

• Everett M. "Busy" Arnold
• Harry "A" Chesler
• Funnies Inc.

External links

• Jerry Iger featured on the Lambiek Comiclopedia
• Wildwood Cemetery: Spirit Database.
• Collectors Society forum discussion: "Short-Lived Titles of the Golden Age"
• Holloway, Clark J. "Sheena, Queen of the Jungle", The Holloway Pages (fan website), 2000.