Hy Eisman

Who is Hy Eisman?

Hy Eisman is an American cartoonist who wrote and drew the Sunday strips The Katzenjammer Kids and Popeye. In December 2008, Eisman was the first to introduce the character of Bluto to the Popeye Sunday page. Bluto has continued to appear as the twin brother of Brutus.

He entered the comic strip field in 1950 and worked on several strips, including Kerry Drake, Little Iodine and Bunny. In comic books he was the last artist doing Little Lulu before it was cancelled in 1984. He took over The Katzenjammer Kids in 1986 and the Popeye Sunday strip in 1994. An extensive interview with Eisman on his career appeared in Hogan's Alley #15.

In 1976, Eisman, who lives in Glen Rock, New Jersey, became a teacher at the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. He has two daughters by his first marriage. His wife of 42 years died of cancer in the fall of 1997. On June 27, 2004, he married Florenz Greenberg, whose husband had also died in 1997. She is the managing editor at CavanKerry Press, a nonprofit publisher of literary works in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Their wedding invitation was a comic strip with Popeye and Olive Oyl.