Whether you’re an art student or a comics fan, you’ve probably heard the name “Will Eisner” at some point. Eisner, whose best-known comics creation, “The Spirit” celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, died a decade ago but his influence is felt as much or moreso today than ever before. BATTON LASH podcast excerpt: "Will Eisner loved comics; he had a vision of comics." In celebration of Will Eisner Week (#WillEisnerWeek), a worldwide celebration of the artist and writer’s work held annually from March 1-7, I wanted to do a special show recognizing Eisner’s life and work. Helping me do this today is cartoonist Batton Lash, who was among Eisner’s very first students at Manhattan’s School of Visual Arts in the mid-1970s. Lash, best known for his comic book Supernatural Law, which began life as a comic strip called “Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre” in the pages of The National Law Journal, was a favorite of Eisner’s... but not because he thought the young man would ever amount to anything as an artist! We’ll talk about that. BATTON LASH podcast excerpt: "Ann Eisner is so adorable. A couple of years before Will passed away, she said to my wife Jackie Estrada and me, 'You know, I loved Will. I didn't care if he was a plumber or a cartoonist. That's what he did; I just loved him. I never really read anything he did. But just recently, I started reading The Spirit comics. And you know what? They're really good!" What was it like to be in Eisner’s class, learning directly from a master of the comic arts? We’ll talk about that, too, as well as Lash’s time studying under the great Harvey Kurtzman and being Howard Chaykin’s assistant. Incidentally, Lash has another long-running tie to the Eisner name: his wife, Jackie Estrada, is the administrator of the prestigious Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards – the Emmys, Oscars and Tonys of comics – given out annually at Comic-Con International in San Diego. BATTON LASH podcast excerpt: "Art is very subjective. This guy may think you suck, but that one says, 'Hey, not bad!' You can't take it to heart; you just have to keep moving ahead." I first interviewed Batton about a dozen years ago for my biography of Eisner, Will Eisner: A Spirited Life, which will be published in a new deluxe, illustrated second edition in April. You can pre-order it now at Amazon.com or any Barnes & Noble store. If you love art and comics in particular, you won’t want to miss this interview, which will include a drawing demonstration by Batton. And did I mention Batton Lash is also the man behind the classic comic book The Punisher Meets Archie? Batton Lash  • • • •  •