The Contract With God Trilogy: Life on Dropsie Avenue (The Contract With God Trilogy, #1-3) by Will Eisner

The Contract With God Trilogy: Life on Dropsie Avenue (The Contract With God Trilogy, #1-3) Reviews

• 
  Brad

  I can't get over Eisner's really weak characterization of women. Yes, he's a great artist and storyteller, but he doesn't really present a strong woman anywhere in these three stories.
• 
  logankstewart

  Will Eisner is a rather significant individual in the history of the graphic novel, as well as the comic world at large. He is, after all, sometimes referred to as the Father of the Graphic Novel. In fact, the Eisner Awards (the comics' equivalent to the Oscars) are named after him. Of course, any serious fan of graphic novels has read some Will Eisner. Well, color me red and call me a strawberry, I can finally say I have.
  
  The Contract with God trilogy is one large collection of three individual graphic novels: A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories, A Life Force, and Dropsie Avenue. Each volume tells a complete story, though the three are interwoven and related. The stories largely deal with racism, religious bigotry, and hard life through the Great Depression. The colors are all muted sepia toned, seemingly from pencil. This medium choice adds a bleakness throughout the book, certainly fitting to the setting. Eisner's lines are sometimes rushed and simple, befitting of a comic creator of Old, but I think anything fancier (i.e., more Realistic) would detract from the story.
  
  A Contract with God is composed of four smaller stories: "A Contract With God", "The Super", "The Street Singer", and "Cookalein". In it we read the tale of a Jewish Russian man who comes to America and settles down on Dropsie Avenue, taking up residence in a Bronx tenement. Life is hard and goes awry, and the story is grim and tragic.
  
  A Life Force pretty much deals with man's goals in life, to love and be happy, and compares them to a cockroach. This one at least has more characterization, and was easier to relate to than the first. It also seemed to have more of a plot, one that was more than halfway interesting. Still, the story was bleak.
  
  Dropsie Avenue was probably my favorite of the three. Its main character is Dropsie Avenue itself. This story begins in the late 1800s and chronicles the development of the land and its Dutch settlers to where it is now. We see the land change, moving from farms to tenements and factories. We see the people change, phasing through Dutch, Irish, Jewish, Russian, Puerto Rican, African American, and many other races. We see how the society changes and how it affects Dropsie Avenue. I enjoyed this story quite a bit.
  
  This review doesn't paint a pleasant picture of Eisner's acclaimed work, and that's probably because the story was so danged depressing. Eisner was born in 1917, so he lived through the Great Depression and through the changes he's created. In fact, he drew from his own experiences for many of these tales, and I suppose they're probably more autobiographical than we know. Reading tragedy is hard for me to "like," per se.
  
  However, I can't really say that I enjoyed the read and thoroughly recommend you to all read it immediately, either. I can understand and appreciate the history of this book, how it is largely responsible for the creation of the graphic novel industry today, and I'm thankful for this. Still, the story is very complex and meticulous, weaving many threads through many characters and locations, and the book never rose above its potential.
  
  So do I recommend Will Eisner's Contract with God trilogy? Yes, and no. Yes if you're a graphic novel fan and are interested in reading something by a legend. Yes if you enjoy stories told with a Great Depression setting, especially dealing with race, nationality, and religion. No if you're new to graphic novels and are curious about them (for that I'd recommend Craig Thompson's
  Blankets for something Real, or Alan Moore's
  Watchmen if you like super-heroes in your graphic novels). No if you're wanting something with color and something less depressing. In the end, I'm glad I've read it, but I don't plan to read any more by the man, either.
• 
  Hilary "Fox"

  
  The Contract With God is arguably the first example of a true 'graphic novel' as it was
  Will Eisner who first coined the phrase. He sought to tell stories through the mixture of text and visuals, but rather than the superhero or adventure stories popular at the time, he wished to delve into deeper questions. Questions of meaning, of dealing with grief and life itself. What he did with the medium was absolutely astonishing for its time, and holds up well now. He touched upon universal truths, and didn't shy away from topics that are shocking to this day. It's a beautiful piece of art, and a worthy classic. Like
  Watchmen,
  The Contract with God Trilogy: Life on Dropsie Avenue could be called a graphic novel for people who generally don't like the medium. By defining the medium, it truly transcended it.
  
  
  The Contract With God is a series of stories about tenement living in the 30s. The titular story is about a Jewish man who is believed to be so good as to be favored by God. When he escapes his small town of Germany to go to America, he writes himself a contract with God... only years later, God breaks the contract. How do you live with that? What do you do? Next is a story of a street singer who nearly makes it big, only to squander the chance. Then the super of 55 Dropsie Avenue is looked at, and used by the schemings of the person you'd least suspect...
  
  The next volume in the trilogy is
  A Life Force. These stories follow the development of the Depression and its effect upon 55 Dropsie Avenue. The main thread that these stories follow is that of "Izzy the Cockroach and the Meaning of Life". Jacob, recently laid off after having helped build a shul, wonders what it is that separates man from the cockroach. We both feel the deep life force, the need for living. Are we better than the cockroach, or are we just living without purpose? Did Man create God or did God create Man? These threads are followed through the Depression as people's position rise and fall...
  
  Finally,
  Dropsie Avenue is the beautiful biography of that block itself from inception to modern day. The neighborhood rises and falls, but it's the people who make it up and their connections are surprisingly beautiful. This story deals with the goodness in people, in spite of the troubles and ills that befall them.
  
  It's a gorgeous trilogy, beautifully illustrated and lovingly written. A deserved classic strong as it was when first published even now.
• 
  paper0r0ss0

  Tutta una vita, piu' di una vita. Dalla seconda meta' dell'800 agli anni 70 del '900 la vita scorre in un quartiere di New York, nell'isolato di Dropsie avenue. Le esistenze, le speranze, le delusioni, le tragedie di generazioni di abitanti delle piu' disparate etnie e provenienze. Arrivati dai quattro angoli della Terra ognuno col proprio bagaglio fisico e morale. "Contratto con Dio" e' in effetti una somma di individualita', di vite al singolare che si affiancano. Lo sforzo di agni individuo muove inconsapevolmente l'ingranaggio generale sotto l'effetto di un' inspegabile volonta' di sopravvivenza, una volonta' che spinge in avanti anche quando non avrebbe piu' senso farlo viste le avversita'. Una inesauribile forza vitale che farebbe pensare a un disegno divino, anche quando il proprio dio, qualunque esso sia, parrebbe essersi distratto o addirittura messosi contro. Quanto ai disegni... beh e' Eisner!
• 
  Petra

  Three graphic novels in one volume. All three books are intertwined with Dropsie Street as the setting of each novel. This is a wonderful look at people, times and a neighbourhood through generations and changes.
  
  A Contract With God
  A young Russian Jew comes to America after signing a contract with God. Years later, when tragedy strikes, he breaks that contract. The conflict that ensues consumes his life, changing it forever.
  
  A Life Force
  Looks to understand the meaning of Life. Compares the meanings of Man's life with that of a cockroach. Set in the Depression, a man loses his job and begins to look at Faith. Did God create Man or did Man create God?
  
  Dropsie Avenue
  Follows the history of Dropsie Street for generations, from the time of farmland to tenement slum in a large city. It shows how society changed over time; how war, social change, immigration changed a neighbourhood; how Life continues despite Time. But most of all, it tells of the people who make up that neighbourhood.
  
  These books tell 3 different times and aspects of one neighbourhood. Together they tell a story of People in hard times making the best of life that they can.
• 
  Agnė

  WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
  
  Will Eisner’s “The Contract With God Trilogy: Life on Dropsie Avenue” is a collection of three stand-alone graphic novels set on Dropsie Avenue, a fictional street in the Depression-era Bronx, one of the five boroughs of New York City. The first book in this trilogy, “A Contract With God,” consists of four audacious and cynical stories of Dropsie Avenue’s residents. In addition to being extremely entertaining, these stories probe such timeless issues as injustice and morality. In the second book, “A Life Force,” numerous stories of Dropsie Avenue’s residents intertwine with each other, drawing a vibrant and realistic picture of an urban life in America during the Great Depression as well as attempting to shine the light on the meaning of life. “Dropsie Avenue,” the final book in the trilogy, is a century-long biography of Dropsie Avenue itself, in which the birth, growth, decay and resurrection of the street is told through everyday lives of its inhabitants as well as the ethnic and social changes of the community throughout the decades.
  
  THUMBS UP:
  
  1) Timeless specimen.
  Written in 1978, the first book in the trilogy, “A Contract with God,” marks the birth of a modern graphic novel, and the whole trilogy sets high standards for the genre. In addition to being so historically important and well-crafted, Eisner’s book is also timeless as it deals with eternal issues and truly seems like it could have been published yesterday.
  
  2) Realistic.
  Although the stories and characters in “The Contact With God Trilogy” are fictional, the book is extremely realistic. On Dropsie Avenue, bad things happen to good people for no reason, bad guys prevail, and the boundaries between right and wrong are blurred. Yes, it might seem bleak, hopeless and unnecessarily violent at times, but so is life, especially during the Great Depression. What is more, the life cycle of the street in “Dropsie Avenue” is so well-thought-out and masterfully written that it seems more of a first-hand experience than a made-up story.
  
  3) Thought-provoking.
  Even though most of the time Eisner’s tone is humorous and seemingly lighthearted, most of the stories carry a deeper message. Both directly and indirectly, the author often makes the reader pause and ponder upon the meaning of existence, reexamine shared values or reevaluate social norms.
  
  4) Gorgeous artwork.
  I simply adored the illustrations. They are not terrible detailed, especially when it comes to faces, as many of the characters look alike, while the same person often looks quite different in different panels, but I just love Eisner’s style: so lively, so expressive and so… stylish! I wish I could draw like that. By the way, the illustrations are colorless, just pencil and ink, but I think such artwork fits the gloomy mood of the Depression-era perfectly.
  
  COULD BE BETTER:
  
  1) Wordy.
  At times, especially in “A Life Force,” there is a little bit too much text for a graphic novel. On the other hand, the background stories or the newspaper clips really help to set the mood and understand the events better.
  
  2) Long and effortful.
  I loved the first book, but later my enthusiasm dwindled. However, it might be due to the fact that I read the book in a relatively short time. Although it is a graphic novel, I wouldn’t call it a light read as it makes you think A LOT, and it seems that the more I think about the stories and revisit certain pages, the more I understand and appreciate the gravity of this book.
  
  VERDICT: 4 out of 5
  
  If you are a fan of graphic novels, Will Eisner’s “The Contract With God Trilogy: Life on Dropsie Avenue” is a must-read as it has a historical importance in the world of graphic storytelling and is a fine example of what the genre has to offer. If possible though, don’t rush reading this trilogy and take time to think about what you’ve read as this might help to understand and appreciate the book more.
• 
  Praxedes

  This fantastic recompilation of three stand-alone graphic novels is a must-read for anyone who likes the genre. The first volume, A Contract With God, is considered by many to be the first true modern graphic novel. Prior to this work no one had ventured into this medium exploring concepts such as drug use, philandering, and the violence that so often accompanies poverty. The artwork is also gritty and dark, a departure from works which preceded it.
  
  The second volume, A Life Force, was my least favorite. But it is still an example of superb story telling combined with artwork. Read any recent novel about the proverbial 'underbelly of society' and you will recognize Eisner's technique reflected in it.
  
  The final installment, Dropsie Avenue, was perhaps the most elucidating --particularly if you are familiar with New York City. It chronicles the changes of a fictitious neighborhood in the Bronx as different ethnic and racial groups traverse through it over centuries. I enjoyed the work more at the beginning than at the end, since the plot does not dedicate enough space to new minorities as they moved in and out of the zone. The reader simple does not get a chance to get to know these newer migrants as well.
  
  Overall a very good read and highly recommendable for fans of graphic novels.
• 
  Christopher

  Apparently the book that marked the "birth of the graphic novel," according to the dust jacket, The Contract with God, the first volume in the trilogy that bears its name, is a fascinating collection of morality tales set on the fictional Dropsie Avenue in the Bronx of the 1930s. It's a community of then-new Jewish immigrants to the United States, and the stories feature colorful characters whose fortunes rise and fall as they navigate the vagaries of life amongst the (mostly) disenfranchised. Volume 2, A Life Force, presents a more unified cast of Dropsie inhabitants, whose tales intersect over the course of the Great Depression. This was my favorite of the three books, as we really get to know each character. In Dropsie Avenue: The Neighborhood, author Will Eisner pulls a James Michener, using a single location as the main protagonist, with generations of people coming and going, all in service of a narrative about history, change and the occasional line of continuity. It's a little disjointed, but still enjoyable. The entire trilogy – each volume published separately from 1978 to 1995, packaged together in this handsome hardcover tome – makes for a strong portrait of the American immigrant experience, all wonderfully illustrated in evocative black-and-white drawings by Eisner, himself. It's definitely a worthwhile read.
• 
  cloverina

  3.5
  This one is a little hard to rate. On one hand, there's a lot of reason for me to rate it highly. On the other, there's probably even more I don't enjoy about it. I was planning to rate this around 2 stars, but "A Life Force" (and partially "Dropise Ave") saved it.
  
  I know it's definitley a controversial opinion, since most people here seem to consider it the best story in this collection, but "The Contract With God" and the stories that it includes is not enjoyable for me. I don't like it even a little bit. The only thing I can compliment is the art, which is VERY good, and definitley better than the next two stories. My big issue is with the story.
  
  It's just so needlessly depressing. There's no happy side to any of it. Normally, I wouldn't mind this. I love depressing stories. But it's hopeless and tragic while simultaneously being completely disinteresting. It's all about a pedophilic landlord killing himself or a girl getting raped while the rapist gets away with it and lives luxuriously. I could deal with it if there was a points, but it doesn't even seem to have any point to make. It bores me and grosses me out.
  
  "A Life Force" is my favorite story in this collection. It's mostly just a view into life in the fictional Dropsie Avenue at the time, but assuming it's realistic, I love seeing what life was like at the time; even if it's also hopeless and depressing. The only issue I had with it is that rather than following one set of characters, it can focus on things that don't come back up or matter at all, with characters that don't contribute to the overall story. Still, if it's all about life, it makes sense to focus on the overall Dropsie experience rather than what a few people experience, especially since experiences are so diverse.
  
  "Dropsie Ave" is very similar to "A Life Force". Rather than one time period, though, it focuses on Dropsie Ave over many years, and ends past where either story takes place in a prosperous community built upon the collapse of the tenements. It's not quite as interesting to me as "A Life Force", but it's still an excellent look into what life was like for various communities over the years.
  
  I'm glad I powered through rather than quitting, because this is probably something every comic fan has read or should read since it's considered by many to be the first graphic novel. I can't reccomend it much, but if you enjoy cartoonists making serious work and this sounds interesting to you, you'll probably like this one.
• 
  Ivan Jovanovic (Valahiru)

  Svaki ljubitelj žanra je sigurno čuo za Vila Ajznera ili prestižnu Ajznerovu nagradu. Pred nama je trilogija nastala u periodu od više od četvrt veka. Smatra se Ajznerovim najupečatljivijim i trajnim zaveštanjem, a takodje je u pitanju prvi grafički roman i začetnik svega što nam je kasnije došlo.
  
  
  Ajzner u trilogiji obradjuje gomilu tema i mislim da ih se ne mogu svih setiti. Od nasilja u porodici, alkoholizma, silovanja, politike, borbe za život, ljubavi, raznih vera, istrajnosti, finansijske propasti, ljudskih emocija, osećanja i odnosa, do zavisnosti od narkotika i raznih drugih tema. Ajzner je realan, bez ustezanja i njegovi likovi su takvi. Prikazuje svet i ljude kakvi jesu, sa svim vrlinama i manama. Ovo mi se mnogo dopalo i uživao sam u toj gomili različitih likova. Uprkos mračnoj atmosferi/pozadini koju delo kasnije dobija, ne može se osporiti kvalitet čak ni tada.
  
  Crteži su fantastični, živopisni i kroz njih se može iskusiti atmosfera i emocije. Medjutim, meni ovde crteži spadaju u nebitniji deo, jer sam više bio očaran pričom. Scenario je ono što je ovde vredno, mada je naravno i crtež neosporivo odličan. To je bar moj lični doživljaj.
  
  Ovde ima toliko materijala, da je Ajzner lako mogao da napiše knjigu ili da snimi film ili seriju. Dovoljno o kvalitetu govori i to da sigurno ne bih proveo vreme u čitanju 500+ stranica, a da me to delo nije ozbiljno zainteresovalo i oduševilo. Upravo je takav slučaj sa Ugovorom s Bogom. Nisam prekinuo sa čitanjem dok ga nisam završio. Toliko me priča interesovala, toliko me Ajzner "zaludeo".Drago mi je što je Čarobna knjiga objavila ovo, jer sam svestan koliko bih propustio da ga nikada nisam pročitao. Zaista, jedno kolosalno delo sa pregršt poruka, alegorijama i temama o kojima se dugo može razmišljati.
  
  Ovo nije samo priča o jednoj zgradi ili o aveniji... Ovo je priča o narodu, o njihovim sudbinama - ovo je svedočanstvo o životu. Apsolutna preporuka. Ovo se mora pročitati!
• 
  Paolo del ventoso Est

  Sicuramente tre stelle è un po' ingeneroso per uno dei padri del romanzo grafico. I disegni sono bellissimi nel loro tratto abbozzato e retrò, le storielle hanno quel giusto sapore yiddish newyorkese di inizio Novecento e c'è pure una disperazione di fondo che dà spessore al tutto. Ebbene forse leggerlo in contemporanea con un altro gigante della letteratura ebrea americana, Saul Bellow, l'ha naturalmente ridimensionato; non si dovrebbe mettere in competizione la densità articolata di un romanzo con la levità del fumetto (letto in meno di un'ora), tuttavia viene istintivo e niente, va così e ciao. Forse l'ultimo racconto illustrato, Cookalein, è quello che mi è rimasto più in mente.
• 
  Michael (Mai)

  This was a very interesting read. I wouldn't have picked it up if it hadn't been recommended to me by a friend. It's supposed to be the first graphic novel and all of it looks like newspaper comics. It's definitely different than anything else I've read. A lot of the story is focused on the great depression era and before. It's about how this one street, Dropsie Avenue, has changed through time and what the people that live on it have experienced. It's main focus is the Dropsie Tenement, we even see the history of how this building comes to be.
  
  It was great but hard to read at times because of so much hate and racism. It depicts the time though. It's worth reading if you haven't already but be prepared for some bleak stories that break your heart.
• 
  Nnedi

  Still the best graphic novel I've read, to date. Despite the fact that Eisner seems to only be able to draw grotesque-looking black people. I mean, look at how he drew the little girl. WTF was that all about? Lol. Anyway, despite that- a most excellent piece of art that I will read again in a few years.
• 
  Kolumbina

  This book didn't work for me. Perhaps outdated. No feelings for the book at all.
• 
  TK421

  History is but a sketch and a drawing away from being continuously rewritten. Bravo, Mr. Eisner, bravo!
• 
  Ritinha

  A masterpiece (3, actually) by the Master.
• 
  David H.

  Will Eisner has always been a mixed bag for me. I frequently love his art and hate his characters, with nasty families often cruel to each other (like in
  A Family Matter or
  The Name of the Game). But in this and his other works I've read, he can really capture moments and settings--New York City, immigrants, and families.
  
  The first two books of this trilogy are basically short stories (A Contract with God has 4, A Life Force has 11), with the third a continuous "single" story. But all three are set in the fictional Dropsie Avenue in the south Bronx of New York City, and many characters from the earlier books appear in the later. The title story of the first book, "A Contract with God," is a pretty rough story of a former rebbe who loses his daughter, and his anger is palpable and hard to read. A Life Force, the second book, has a continuing thread with Jacob, an elderly Jewish carpenter I just really liked a lot, despite his dissatisfaction in life and hopes for his future.
  
  The third book, Dropsie Avenue, just follows the rise and fall and rise and so on of the neighborhood, and that one just really spoke to me. A line I loved was "In the end buildings are only buildings but people make a neighborhood."
• 
  Rubén Soler Ferrer

  Leí por primera vez "Contrato con Dios" en la universidad, después que de Eisner me conquistara con el dibujo de The Spirit (que no he leído). Investigué sobre el autor y terminé encontrando este libro en la biblioteca de mi Universidad. Lo leí, me emocioné y me cambió. Fue entonces cuando comprendí el poder de una buena novela gráfica. Años más tarde me compré este volumen editado por Norma que tiene tres novelas gráficas, la ya citada, "El ansia de vivir" y "La avenida Propsie". La primera se centra en una serie de vidas de la avenida Propsie, la segunda en unas familias en concreto y la última habla de la vida de la propia avenida, es decir, desde su creación a finales del S.XIX hasta hoy en día.
  
  He devorado literalmente estas novelas en tres días y me confirma lo que sabía, que Eisner es el gran narrador del medio gráfico, concretamente el creador de la novela gráfica a nivel conceptual. Su trabajo es impecable, capta a la perfección la condición humana y plasma en sus páginas temas como el racismo, la xenofobia, la pederastia, las dependencias emocionales, y muchos temas más, siempre tratados con humor y el candor especial que tiene la narrativa de Eisner.
  
  Para mi es la mejor novela gráfica muy por encima de totems como Alan Moore o Frank Miller, que por cierto, siempre han venerado a Eisner como el maestro.
• 
  Dilena Lezpin

  Este libro tiene dentro 3 novelas gráficas, que en realidad son consecutivas.
  La primera y mas conocida es Contrato con Dios, luego viene Ansia de vivir y termina con la avenida Dropsie.
  
  Todas abordan temas relacionados a la convivencia ciudadana, en donde el hilo conductor es la Avenida Dropsie. Pasa por etapas de sus historia, sus inicios, su transformaciones,y principalmente la mudanza y partida de sus habitantes.
  
  Su esencia cambiante es muy interesante de leer. Además de que los dibujos del Eisner pueden llegar a ser cautivantes e impactantes. Tiene secuencias de acción sin palabras que son muy geniales. También tiene una peculiaridad que no tiene los bordes externos de los recuadros(no se ve esto en novelas gráficas modernas); y fue interesante como parecía fusionarse como una arte.
  
  Es fácil conectarse con los personajes, entender sus emociones, sus decisiones, sus reacciones.
  También aprendí mucho del mundo de bienes raices, política y migración.
  
  Un libro que no es para niños. Y aporta mucho tanto o más que una novela corriente.
  Recomiendo esta la "primera novela gráfica" de la historia.
• 
  David

  I've read some of Eisner's other work, particularly his Spirit comics...which are both brilliant and a little bit awkward. This is a primal graphic novel, one that predates most of the modern genre. It's intense. The energy of his inking is undeniable, as is his preference for the visceral and the edgy.
  
  I'm entirely sure this couldn't get published today, but that doesn't necessarily diminish it. The ground of this story is a tenement in the Bronx, as we're offered up three variant spins on the lives that have played out in that little universe-in-itself. Character studies, vignettes, and an array of interlocking narrative arcs all wok.
  
  The way Eisner toys with ethnicity can be particularly challenging to our contemporary ethos..and it's difficult to say just how much I clicked with it at times. It's rough, alive, cynical, and hopeful, all at the same time.
  
  A fascinating, beautiful, horrible work from a 20th century master.
• 
  Glen Farrelly

  I know this is a classic and the original works were integral for creating the graphic novel medium. Other reviewers here cover Eisner and this work's cultural impact and legacy. I acknowledge the importance of the work, I just didn't much enjoy this work reading it today in terms of its story and characters. The artwork and world-building are solid, but the stories were bleak and the characters too one dimensional or uninteresting.
  
  To get a sense of Eisner's genius, I prefer his work on the Spirit. I highly recommend this as a much more enjoyable and impressive read:
  The Best of the Spirit
• 
  Robin K

  3.5 stars. Interesting graphic novel. Each book of the trilogy is set in one location, a street in the Bronx. The first book is made up of longer, stand alone short stories. The second is a set short stories, which interweave as neighbors’ lives intersect. The third traces the history of the location from the first European settlers to the 20th Century. I thought the art seemed somewhat racist and dated, but also the fact is, I’m just not a short story person, so hence this rating.
• 
  Lee

  Beautifully illustrated but it's hard to say that I truly enjoyed it? At its heart, it's a slice of life with all that comes with it.
  
  I did find the earlier sections stronger in their storytelling than the final ones.
  
  It is very easy to see why it's such a famous example of graphic novels though.
• 
  Federica

  Nel Bronx, a Dropsie Avenue, e in particolare al n. 55, passa la storia, quella dell'America del cuore del '900, della Grande Depressione, delle bande di quartiere, della povertà, dell'immigrazione... e passa l'uomo, quello deluso da un contratto con Dio, il cantante di strada che perde un'occasione, l'uomo comune che si chiede il senso della vita, e uno scarafaggio che (soprav)vive e basta.
  Eisner racconta in questa trilogia l'uomo, fatto di mille sfaccettature e contraddizioni, e racconta una parte della sua vita, e di ciò che ha visto. Quello che esce fuori è il ritratto di un quartiere inventato, ma vero come non mai.
• 
  Eduardo

  Es largo, muy largo, muy muy largo. Pero merece la pena echar el tiempo en las páginas. Entiendo porque es considerado un clásico, se lo merece.
• 
  Daniel

  The first ever graphic novel. A unique look at a small part of the history of New York through the medium of comics.
  
  Beautiful art and wonderful stories.
• 
  Sonora Taylor

  4.5 ⭐️ The second and third installments of the trilogy were my favorites, but of course the whole trilogy is a masterpiece of a graphic novel.
• 
  Masz Ka

  ❤️
• 
  Phrodrick

  
  This review is from: The Contract with God Trilogy: Life on Dropsie Avenue (A Contract With God, A Life Force, Dropsie Avenue) (Hardcover)
  There is a reason why the top award for American comic books is the Will Eisner Award. He was that good. His Spirit and Lady Luck comics (He would call his craft sequential art) were among the early efforts to target an adult audience and were famous for their sophistication and artistry. Eisner was also famous applying cartoon techniques to US Army maintenance manuals.
  
  With the publication of A Contract With God, book one of this trilogy Eisner created the Graphic Novel. In this volume are all three books of the Dropsie Avenue Trilogy. Properly the Contract with God Trilogy, but it is easier to specify the first book from this volume by referring to the trilogy under Dropsie Ave.
  
  Book one focuses on one pious Jewish emigrant Frimme Hersh, who has just lost his daughter. This he considers an act of God that violates the contract he thought he had with God. It is Jewish tradition that the act of Circumcision is conducted as part of sealing an ongoing contract with God, But Eisner needs this contract to be more literal.
  
  The young Frimme had just barely survived a Russian Pogrom aimed at killing the Jews in his area. The other surviving Jews chose him as one of the few they could afford to get to America. The young boy needing to know asks: Is God is Just? By this he means, if I do good things will God see to it that good things happen to me. On receiving assurances that God is Just and will reward good for good, the boy writes and lives by this contract. It is the problem of bad things happening to good people that will drive much of this first book.
  
  Each book will concern itself with large questions while refusing to create worlds that are absent good and evil each meted out in almost arbitrary ways. Good employers are beset by Union thugs. Bullies exist behind almost every cause and government can be corrupt and a method of doing good. In this way the almost indestructible slum tenant house on Dropsie Avenue because the stage where on humans will strut out their days and try to find meaning.
  In addition the last book will be an extended history of the 200 years of the Dropsie neighborhood. As the population changes from Dutch , to English to Irish to Italian to Jewish to Puerto Rican, each new group must earn trust and respect and in turn try to deal with the slow collapse of what was comfortable as the next group arrives. When does a neighborhood or a civilization begin to decline? What can humans do to counter this collapse?
  
  The Dropsie Ave Trilogy is beautiful. The artistry is consistently detailed. Emotions, physical conditions and class are very easy to identify. The power of the visual to impart meaning is a part of what made Wisner the inspiration his namesake award implies. Each story has its O'Henry surprise, but many of these have the feel of the old comic book tradition from Tales of The Crypt and other of the more melodramatic monsters and gore comics Where people get their comeuppances, there is a overly dramatic, written for the comics feel. This may be the standard comic book convention, but it can become too predictable. Occasionally story lines will disappear or get lost in transitions. Eisner generally has more than one plot line going but on occasion he has problems keeping all of them moving smoothly.
  
  Visually this is a great book. The narrative can be over wrought. Note the phrase `can be'. The more subtle plot lines had me wishing that more of his stories could play-out in quieter tones.
  
  Being a graphic novel does not mean comic book. Eisner's designed his trilogy for adults. There is language, violence and sex. Note that violence does not mean gore and the sex includes bared females but not graphic intimate depictions. This is pretty much a history of white, New York City immigrant life in the early 20th century. Many of the main characters are Jewish. I did not find that any people were stereotyped. Generally people were either good or bad and sometimes alternating. This would be a product of their personalities, not racial or ethnic background. All of this may be important to your decision making.
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  Absolute triumph(s). Watch a master put down the adventurer's pulpy tropes and explore a neighbor he effectively grew up in for 500 pages. Whatever Eisner's reputation as a craftsman and storyteller, he earns it in spades in these three books. If you like sequential art as a medium, you should explore it's development! It's books like A Contact With God where comics came into their own, and folks like Eisner were the folks who carried it there