Friday, April 12, 2013

Cool book! Will Eisner's PS Magazine: The Best of The Preventative Maintenance Monthly


Spotted second-hand at Carson Books and Records (4275 Dunbar), where I've pulled a couple shifts recently: Will Eisner's PS Magazine: The Best of the Preventative Maintenance Monthly. From the blurb on the back, we learn that Eisner "believed in the teaching power of comics, and from 1951 to 1971 he produced PS magazine for the US Army. The Preventative Maintenance Monthly, called PS because it was a postscript to the standard technical manuals, was aimed at teaching American soldiers about weapons safety and proper maintenance of vehicles, aircraft, and electronics..." None of which, in fact, is exactly my thing - that sorta "guy stuff" usually loses me; I've always cared more about culture than tools and machines, which generally seem kind of alien and unfamiliar and intimidating to me, and I tend to find it annoying that some people presume that because I'm male, I should care about such things... but still, the idea of a comic book teaching soldiers how to start a stalled jeep or "How to Keep Your Hydra-Matic Happy" (whatever that means) is pretty appealing! Only $14.95, in great shape... and SOME of what Eisner does reaches my "inner guy"....

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