Available in the U.S. on December 16, 2008, the three part documentary has already won awards, and been well received by critics across the globe. It explores the incredible, industry changing career of Will Eisner, made in Brazil, by filmmaker Marisa Furtado de Oliveira.

Will Eisner: Profession Cartoonist has already been seen in 36 countries. Featuring three 50-minute sequences exploring the world of Will Eisner, the DVD includes bonus material, personal stories and anecdotes by Eisner. The first episode titled “Spirit” focuses on the character who debut in 1940 and has continuously been published around the world, including the recent decade long reprint of all 645 stories and new authorized tales by DC Comics. In “The Dream” Eisner’s meetings with underground cartoonists in the 1970s and his tenacious decision to produce his first graphic novel are chronicled. Finishing the series is “Master Class” in which he demonstrates his techniques at the drawing board in a method similar to his instructional books.

Profession Cartoonist includes new animated sequences, beautifully crafted using Eisner’s original art. The first of its kind to do so, this three-part documentary dives deeply into Eisner’s life and career, featuring the cartoonist himself demonstrating his talent and technique. Interviews with comic legends, including Art Spiegelman, Bill Sinkiewicz, Denis Kitchen, Jerry Robinson, Ann Eisner, Angeli Guazzelli, Lailson, Mauricio de Souza, Ota, Ziraldo, Jano, and Francois Shuiten are given. The film, originally released in 1999, is making its way to U.S. shores; the UPC code is 0143811514728.

Eisner’s work continues to leave a deep imprint on pop culture, as his groundbreaking comic strip, The Spirit, has been adapted to film, with Hollywood stars Eva Mendes, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jaime King, and Gabriel Macht as The Spirit. Anticipation is building for the film version, likely another chapter in great comic based movies; it will be released this year on Christmas Day.

The filmmaker, Marisa Furtado, a native of Brazil from Rio de Janeiro, had her first meeting with Eisner and other major comics artists in 1991 while working as the head of International Guest Relations in Rio’s first International Comic Biannual Convention. During that period, she was working as a writer and artist, drawing her own comics and hoping to work close to the artists she admired.

In 1992 she met Eisner, Denis Kitchen, and Jerry Robinson in the United States, and began working on a dream to produce a series of documentaries on these influential, celebrated artists. The idea became real in 1994 when cable TV was introduced to Brazil. She earned a sponsorship from the new educational channel, TV SENAC in 1997, and started producing the first piece of the Profession Cartoonist series on Will Eisner. Furtado followed that with three more biographical pieces in the same series about Jerry Robinson released in 2001, then Brazilians Henfil in 2002, and Ziraldo in 2004.

Will Eisner: Profession Cartoonist was first released in Brazil where it rose to tremendous success, then saw airings in France, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Poland, and numerous other countries. In 2004 Furtado began working on an updated version of the documentary with Eisner, translating the balloons and dubbing the narration. The new version was shown at the San Diego Comic Con, though Eisner, sadly, died that year before seeing the finished product. But, continuing to celebrate his legacy, and Furtado’s filmmaking and fan touch, Will Eisner: Profession Cartoonist is ready for the American audience.

You can learn more about the DVD at professioncartoonist.com and view a clip on youtube.