A Contract with God: And Other Tenement Stories

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It's fair to say that Will Eisner invented modern comic art. A Contract with God has been called the first graphic novel, and its divergence from traditional comics themes and forms highlights Eisner's foresight and brilliance. Dealing with stories and memories from his childhood in a Bronx tenement, he explores the brutality, fragility, and tenderness possible among people living in close quarters close to the poverty line. The four stories here are tough but funny, deep but finely detailed, much like the traditional Jewish stories he drew upon to flavor his own work. Ending reflectively (and perhaps autobiographically), A Contract with God shows us a young man peering out into his city as he decides whether and how to face adulthood. You won't see that in the funny papers. --Rob Lightner


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As the first true modern graphic novel, A Contract with God revolutionized the comics medium with its initial publication in 1978. Drawing on his memories of growing up in the Bronx in the 1930s, Eisner created a series of moving, thematically related stories exploring the immigrant experience and the struggle with life in a new nation. Centered on a powerful story of love, anger, faith, and betrayal, this is an unforgettable work whose influence can be found in the best works that have followed in its wake.


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