Join Professor Emeritus Dan Howard for his talk “The Genius of Will Eisner,” where he will address Eisner’s influence on the comic book and graphic novel genre. Professor Howard cites comics as the impetus for his fascination with the visual arts and began his collection in 1946 when he received a hand-colored portrait by Milton Caniff. As chair of the art department at UNL, Howard was one of the first academics to recognize the value and impact of comic books when he sponsored the Mid-American College Art Association of 1976, which included several mainstream comics creators. Howard, through his scholarship and donations, has demonstrated a kinship with the spirit of Eisner Week.