Will Eisner: Contract with God triology

[jackdaw53]

Last time I browsed round graphic novels section of a bookstore my eye was caught by this book (Will Eisner's Contract with God trilogy, comprising A Contract with God; A Life Force; and Dropsie Avenue.)

After a calming coffee to sedate myself from impact of spending money I bought it. Started reading it last night... really glad I bought it, think its wonderful stuff.

Anyway... just posting this mainly to see if anybody else has fond memories of reading the book.

When this first came out it must have been like a blast of lightening in the world of American comics?? Any veteran lucky enough to read it back then?

And why... when threads asking for any really good graphic novels appear... does this not take pride of place?

[Dan Felty]

I love these comics!

Yes, it was apparently a blast of lightning, but no, I wasn't born yet!

I actually liked A Life Force best of the stories--for quite a while it had a place as my favorite comic.

Skip this if you haven't gotten there yet, but I found the story of Duke and Rosie (might this have been in Dropsie Avenue?) to be very deeply touching. After reading through story after story of people that are born losers, beaten down by life at every turn, it was incredibly wonderful to get a picture of two people that appear to be headed for pain finding fulfillment, hope, and love--it really gets me; I have a lump in my throat even now!

Will Eisner does masterful work. It's accessible, it's charming, it's deep, and I think anyone who reads it will be rewarded.

[jesse_custer]

I read A Contract With God not too long ago. I was blown away by how much Eisner could say about a character in one page. The titular short is outstanding in this respect and conveys a powerful lesson through tragedy. In contrast, The Super is just tragic.

And why... when threads asking for any really good graphic novels appear... does this not take pride of place?

A lot of people simply haven't read it ... or even heard about it.

I remember walking into my local comic book store and chatting with the owner. I said: "I just got A Contract With God. It's excellent."

The owner and everyone in earshot looked at me like I had lost my mind.

"Um, A Contract With God ... y'know, by Will Eisner?"

Just baffling. They thought I was talking about an actual contract with God. But I'm sure if I had said "Watchmen" they wouldn't have thought I had somehow acquired men with clockhands on their faces.