Comics master Will Eisner wasn't widely recognized for his influence and merit until late in his life.

But since his death in 2005, Eisner has been elevated to the level of legend, and publishers have responded by reissuing much of his catalogue. DC Comics has republished Eisner's massively influential "The Spirit" -- which ran from 1940 through 1952 -- in both hardback and paperback versions, while W.W. Norton has collected his more serious, late-era graphic novels into two themed collections.

Until now, though, a wide swath of Eisner's career has gone largely ignored. During what's been termed his "missing middle years" -- roughly 1951 though the late '70s -- Eisner produced instructional materials for the Army's "PS, The Preventive Maintenance Monthly" magazine.

Now, Paul Fitzgerald -- a Botetourt County resident who served as Eisner's editor for much of that time -- has published "Will Eisner and PS Magazine," a 224-page book that includes interviews with many of Eisner's collaborators as well as an extensive collection of art from that time.

For Eisner fans, the book offers the chance to observe the evolution of one of comics' most cherished innovators.

Eisner's early work with "The Spirit" is groundbreaking, as he continually reinvented and reworked the "language" of comics to better tell his story.

At PS magazine, however, Eisner stretched himself even further, as he illustrated fairly dry technical matter. As the magazine evolved, Eisner was given the capability for wall-to-wall bleeds -- meaning that he could use the "gutters" in a two-page spread.

He used the opportunity to experiment and plow the creative fields that were harvested in the late '70s, when he published "A Contract with God" -- considered by many to be the first long-form graphic novel.

"I think there's been a growing appreciation of Eisner's work on PS magazine, particularly as his life is complete and we can come to understanding of the entire career," said Tom Spurgeon, a journalist who writes the Web-based "Comics Reporter" Web site. "There's a great deal of beautiful, elegant and clear cartooning in the PS magazine material."

Spurgeon said that comics are well-suited to "how-to" material like that found in PS magazine.

"Comics use both words and visuals the way we might use our hands and voices when explaining a process to a child," Spurgeon said. "Unlike film, comics are under the complete control of the reader, so if you get stuck on a step, you can easily transport yourself to where you need to go, linger over some parts, shuttle past others.

"I never got the feeling Eisner was fond of a lot of the material his studio did for PS magazine, but they offer a window into his rock-solid understanding of craft and form."

The PS magazine work shows Eisner moving away from classic comic strip-style panels to a variety of other shapes: Circles, starbursts and even splatter effects. He used whatever best conveyed his message.

"Will Eisner and PS Magazine" not only shows off Eisner's expertise with layouts, but also his knowledge about how to keep an Army man's attention. The most frequent recurring character in the material is "Connie Rod" -- a shapely blonde (whose name plays off the connecting rod, a component in the internal combustion engine) whose presence likely had readers looking forward to each new issue.

Unfortunately, Fitzgerald wasn't able to obtain Eisner's original art for the book. It had been burned, and "not inadvertently," he said. Instead, the publishers transferred the art directly from old copies of PS magazine. In most cases the art reproduction looks great, but in others the secondhand source is apparent.

Beyond the opportunity to view the evolution of a comics master, "Will Eisner and PS Magazine" also tells a story -- or rather, several stories:

n There's the story of PS magazine itself, and how it changed to reflect a changing military and culture.

n There's the story of how Eisner -- a civilian -- and members of his shop struggled in their dealings with the Army bureaucracy.

n There's also the story of Fitzgerald and Eisner's personal friendship. Fitzgerald obviously felt a close connection to Eisner and his work for PS magazine, and the warm tone of his writing reflects this.

Roughly a third of the book is devoted to various appendices, which delve into Eisner's work during World War II, the changing magazine staff and correspondence between the author and the artist.

The final appendix is dedicated to interviews with PS magazine's other artists -- many of whom will be familiar to comics readers. Mike Ploog, Murphy Anderson and Joe Kubert were among those who drew for the magazine and are interviewed here.

Fitzgerald published 500 copies of "Will Eisner and PS Magazine," which he is selling on his Web site at www.willeisnerandpsmagazine.com.