Sunday Review: Will Eisner’s The Contract With God Trilogy

Prior to 2000 I only knew two things about Will Eisner:
1. He created comics
2. He has an Award named after him at Comic Con International

I know it sounds sacrilegious, but I grew up on superhero comics from DC and Marvel and you really never saw his name on a regular basis in any of those comics. But something special happened in May 2000 – DC Comics started Will Eisner’s The Spirit Archives. 26 Volumes in nine years, it collected every single newspaper strip of the title character whether it be from Eisner’s pen or not. It even collected comics from other publishing houses. Dark Horse got into the action with a Volume 27 reprinting their 1998 comic book run. I bought every volume as it came out and in 2010 I finally sat down and read them all in one calender year. It was a challenging task to say the least – both in size and in my wallet, but it was worth every penny. Since I finished just a few months ago I’ve been itching to read more from this master of the craft. I was pleased to find out that W.W. Norton attained the rights to several of Eisner’s other works. Among the catalog are two deluxe hardcover omnibuses that I will talk about over the course of two consecutive Sunday’s.

The first is The Contract With God Trilogy. Put simply, it is a masterwork. It’s three parts are the title graphic novel, A Life Force and Dropsie Avenue. Let’s look at the book now:

A Contract With God (1978)
Here we are brought into the Bronx, NY during the Great Depression – 55 Dropsie Avenue to be exact. We are introduced to the people that live in this tenement building. It’s a hard time for all that live there. Ethnic tensions abound and poverty is ever present. Eisner pulls no punches as he sees it like it is (and was). This includes very uncommon topics that you wouldn’t normally find in other comics of the day like violence, rape, profanity, bigotry, failure, slumlords and above all religion. You name it and it is here in gritty black and white. But always ever present is love and hope; dreams of prosperity in the well of despair. At first we have no idea who the tenants are but Eisner is a gifted writer and artist and makes us root for them all. The four short stories here all take place in the building and although they don’t crossover you are always looking in the background for a familiar face.

A Life Force (1988)
More of a single graphic novel then it’s predecessor, Eisner let’s us wander the streets in and around Dropsie and we get to witness several intertwined tales. The main protagonist searches for lost love and work all the while dealing with corruption and what makes life special. It comes down to relationships and community and the lesson that we are all spokes in the wheel. That every action has a reaction. After a few years away, Eisner gives us a richer blend of situations and at times it can be tough to keep track of everything going on. About ¾ the way in, I felt I was watching a soap opera but had no idea who the characters were and it worked better for me after I read it twice. Looking back it resonated the most with me.

Dropsie Avenue: The Neighborhood (1995)
Serving as both an origin story and an epilogue to our journey into the life of a small slice of New York over a 100 year period. From a simple farm community to prosperity, depression and renewal. We see the people struggle for survival as they deal with just more then ethnicity and race. WWI, WWII and Vietnam play minor parts as life moves along and can never be stopped – even with a gun. The people of Dropsie must play with the cards they are dealt and sometimes they gamble too much.

As far as the extras go, there isn’t much, but they are important and significant. First we have a preface by Eisner, himself, from 2004 written shortly before his death the following year. In it he guides us through his history and his reasons behind the book. Next there are 12 new illustrations created just for this volume. Even in his last years Eisner was at the top of his game and it is well shown here.

Growing up in a big city like Detroit I can relate to some of what Eisner portrays even though I am not Jewish nor a New Yorker. And if you aren’t either don’t let that stop you from reading one the the most important works of comic book literature.

Next week I’ll be taking a look at Will Eisner’s other deluxe edition – New York: Life in the Big City. I expect no less then similar unfettered themes and the true token of greatness.

The Contract With God Trilogy: Life on Dropsie Avenue
By Will Eisner
$29.95, 498 pages, W.W. Norton, 2005
Collects A Contract With God, A Life Force and Dropsie Avenue: The Neighborhood

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Tags: graphic novel, Will Eisner, ww norton