Product Description

With graphic narrative that 'was closer to the writing of Bernard Malamud or Isaac Bashevis Singer than any comic art which had preceded it' (The Economist), A Contract with God, originally published in 1978, was the first graphic novel: the prototype - along with Life Force and Dropsie Avenue - for such seminal works as Maus and Persepolis. Set during the Great Depression, this literary trilogy, assembled in one volume for the first time, presents a treasure house of now near-mythic stories that fictionally illustrate the bittersweet tenement life of Eisner's youth. With nearly two dozen new illustrations and a revealing new foreword, this book ultimately tells the epic story of life, death, and resurrection while exploring man's fractious relationship with an all-too-vengeful God. This mesmerizing, fictional chronicle of the universal American immigrant experience is Eisner's most poignant and enduring legacy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15686 in Books
• Published on: 2005-12-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 544 pages

About the Author
WILL EISNER (1917-2005) was the author of the legendary comic strip The Spirit. The comic industry's top annual awards, 'The Eisners', are named in his honour.

Customer Reviews

The creation of the Graphic Novel and some of the best stories you will ever read.
It's hard to get too enthusiastic about Will Eisner because even the most manic extremes of devotionalism towards the great man seem entirely appropriate. Although not the father of comic books he was, by his own words, 'present at it's birth'. However he did father the graphic novel and the his first of many, A Contract With God, is contained in this volume along with A Life Force and Dropsie Avenue.
Perhaps contraversially I prefer the latter two volumes to A Contract With God, which tends to recieve the most praise of Eisner's mature work simply because it was so groundbreakingly original when it first appeared. However for my money the other two stories contain more sophisticated storytelling (especially Dropsie Avenue, which is reminiscent of Gabriel-Garcia Marquez' One-hundred Years of Solitude in that the protagonist is the location and the human actors are relegated to almost supporting characters). This fact is perhaps unsuprising when you consider that when Eisner was creating A Contract with God he had been away from Graphic Storytelling for over two decades, therefore it is tempting to see the A Contract with God as a warm up for future achievements as well as a still remarkable read in its own right.
Technically the writing is sublime, Eisner imitates speech and accent with poignant simplicity, and the art perfectly contributes to the drama in Eisner's own inimitable cartoony, yet often ugly and gritty, style.
Why buy the hardback? For one it's currently a bargain (at least compared to when I bought it) and for two each of the graphic novels contained is short enough to read in one sitting and indeed I would recommend this as the ideal way to experience them. The hardback containing the three graphic novels will proabably stop you feeling cheated by the brevity of the stories.
All in all I can't recommend this volume enough, I have lent it to many friends who were suprised that graphic storytelling could be so sophisticated and adult. If you find you like this then you should certainly check out the other two Will Eisner Omnibuses, both of which are of similar and/or superior quality.
These stories stand up with the best of literature and it's a great shame that more people aren't yet aware of them.

Great great book
Truly mesmerizing and haunting (graphic) novel. Anyone who thinks that "comics" can't be art or serious form of literature should read this and think again. In this book there's pain, suffering, anxiety told with razor sharp insight and clarity. All the dark corners of the human psyche are revealed. But there's humanity and love too. Warmth and beauty in every word and picture. This is a legendary novel - rightly so.

Materpiece Masterpiece Masterpiece
How brilliant this is I cannot begind to describe. Suffice to say, with this work Eisner spawned a whole genre. Perhaps it's true the graphic novel already existed prior to A Contract With God, it just so happens that A Contract With God was that brilliant.

However, in spite of A Contract bearing the title for this compiled work, in my opinion, it's the wekeast link of the collection. Whereas the first "book" merely depicts several life scenes of Depression New York, Life on Dropsie Avenue actually takes you on a voyage through the years, from the Dutch Settlements of a primeval New York, through the construction of the underground, the arrival of Italians, Jews, Spanish and the general degeneration of the neighbourhood.

Social class, race, religion, all mix in this tale of real life social progression, jealousies, blackmail, cultural clashes, mafia, hoodlums, gangsters and politicians.

The trilogy really does feel like a novel and reads like a novel, recurring characters, side plots, heroes, villains and a bittersweet ending.

And the best bit? They'll never make a movie out of this.