Sometimes called the “grandfather” of the graphic novel, artist Will Eisner felt comic books should stand alone as a medium, instead of simple weekly strips.His comic art, “The Spirit” and “A Contract with God,” inspired the work of generations of graphic novelists and cartoonists.To showcase the 1940s era artist, Pittsburgh’s museum of cartoon and comic art, the Toonseum, will be opening a new exhibit celebrating Eisner’s work specific to New York City. The gallery opening reception for “Will Eisner’s New York” will be held on March 6 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.”He was probably the first artist that took comics as a serious art form,” Wayne Wise, an employee of Phantom of the Attic Comics, said in an interview in the comic book shop on last Friday.Wise, 50, of Green County, Pa., explained that Eisner was the first to coin the term “graphic novel.” He was also one of the first to produce comic books in a sequential narrative at a time when most were doing commercial art and illustration.  Wise, who has a background in teaching the history of cartooning on a college level, considered Eisner one of the “influential [artists] in terms of names.” “Eisner is just so wildly influential,” Toonseum Gallery Manager John Matthew Mattie said last Wednesday in the Toonseum. “He was always trying to tell a different story. New York City was just as much a character in his stories as the Spirit.”According to Mattie, the artist started out writing original comics with the help of his friend and editor Jerry Iger. Eisner then went on to create the comic book, “The Spirit,” which was inserted in the Sunday paper.”The Spirit” was a detective type character with no real super powers. Although, Mattie says it was mainly a “backdrop for other stories,” where the Spirit would “come in to save the day.””He was really talking about real people and real experiences,” Mattie said. “He believed comics could tell very, very deep and honest stories about people’s lives.”Another claim to fame for Eisner was his graphic novel, “A Contract With God.” Mattie refers to it as “arguably the first graphic novel.” Toonseum Executive Director Joe Wos chose the gallery exhibit due to Eisner’s prominence.”From a historical perspective this is a turning point,” Wos said in an interview at the Toonseum last Wednesday. “This is when the concept of graphic novel solidifies.”Wos, 41, was interested in the “Will Eisner’s New York” exhibit after it was shown at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art New York in 2011. The Will and Anne Eisner Family Foundation sponsored all the artwork for the gallery.Wos explained the fascination with the big city is consistent in many comics, from Gotham in the “Batman” series and Metropolis in “Superman.””[The city] is where there’s the greatest need,” Wos said. “Heroic stories rise up from the city landscape.”However, the artwork that Eisner did of New York City captures the simplicities of every day lives as well as the depression era New York he was surrounded by as a child, rather than focus on the flashiness of super powers.”Heroes had to be on every page to drive those stories,” Mattie said.  One set of work to be shown focuses in on what one can see in the windows of multiple apartment buildings in the city. Each window catches a snap shot of mundane life.Mattie said the oldest gallery piece will be from 1946 with work leading up to the most recent piece from 2001.”It’s a lot of the way the city has changed or in some ways stayed the same,” Mattie said.The plans for the gallery opening are not set in stone, but there may be a screening of a documentary on Eisner and some panel discussions. With a $7 admission, reception guests will receive a complimentary Eisner poster worth approximately $20. There will also be alcohol provided for guests over 21 as well as some other prizes and giveaways.According to Wos, the gallery opening is all about the celebration.”It’s the perfect combination of literature and visual arts,” Wos said. “Whether you’re a journalism major or studying movement and dance, no matter what your interest in the arts, something will garner your attention.”