Mainstream coverage of Eisner's passing

With the afternoon news cycle, the mainstream media have begun to report on the death of Will Eisner:

The Chicago Tribune quotes Neil Gaiman, Jules Feiffer and Paul Levitz. "Will Eisner was our Orson Welles," Gaiman told the Tribune. "He came into comics when everybody else saw them as cheap and disposable. Will perceived comics as an art form. Not only that, he had the chops and skill and vision to create comics that showed other people that they were an art form. There's a reason the Oscars of comic books are the Eisners."

The Associated Press has Eisner's obituary, and quotes Denis Kitchen: "He was absolutely the greatest innovator the industry ever saw."

Update: The New York Times (registration required) carries his obituary.

Tom Spurgeon has collected links to media coverage and personal rembrances.