The Contract with God Trilogy
written by Will Eisner
Published by W. W. Norton
Hardcover
ISBN: 978-0393061055
Hardcover
ISBN: 978-0393061055
Long considered to be the first graphic novel, A Contract with God comes from comics pioneer Will Eisner, who created fictional Dropsie Avenue in New York City’s Lower East Side to serve as the setting for his semiautobiographical work. The Jewish merchants and inhabitants of Dropsie Avenue play out their lives here and embody quintessential American experiences. Eisner uses the Great Depression, World War II, civil rights, and more to encompass the large canvas of his work. Three separate volumes are included here; they seamlessly blend together to create a rich landscape of human drama.
-- John Hogan
I studied with Will for a few years and I can tell you HE didn't believe he had created the first graphic novel. He would always concede that Lynd Ward had done it way before. Will coined the genre description, "Sequential Art," and was the true master of the form.