A Contract with God by Will Eisner

A Contract with God tells four very unique short stories—in graphic novel format—of tenement life in the Bronx in the 1930’s.  Gritty, raw, and at times tragic, these stories and illustrations provide an unflinching look at the realities of life at 55 Dropsie Avenue: the death, the violence, the sex, the anger, and the despair.  Due to the adult themes and illustrations of this book, it is recommended for mature young adult audiences in a public or school library.

Index Card Synopsis:
-- Graphic Novel
-- Bronx Tenements
-- 1930’s
-- 4 Short Stories
-- “A Contract with God”: Death of a child
-- “The Street Singer”: Busking to survive
-- “The Super”: Enemies—superintendent vs. residents
-- “Cookalein”: Marriage, adultery, and sex

Awards and Recognition

A Contract with God, first published in 1978, is credited as one of the first graphic novels ever written.  Will Eisner himself has won many awards, including the National Cartoonists Society (NCS) Story Comic Book Award in 1979, the NCS Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994, the NCS Reuben Award in 1998.  In 1971 Eisner was inducted into the Academy of Comic Book Arts Hall of Fame. The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, which are commonly referred to as the Oscar Awards of the comic industry, were established in 1988.

Learn more

Will Eisner died in 2005 at the age of 87, but he continues to influence the comic industry today.  Learn more about Eisner, his life, his work, and his continuing influence on his website.  You can also connect with the Will Eisner Official Site on Facebook, or follow his site on Twitter.

To learn more in-depth information about Eisner, you can read his authorized biography, Will Eisner: A Spirited Life by Bob Andelman.  You can also watch a documentary about him titled Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist directed by Andrew D. Cooke.

Watch Stan Lee interview Eisner about his life and work for the Comic Book Greats series below:

Watch Part 2 and Part 3 of the interview.

A film adaptation of A Contract with God is currently in development.  Stay tuned here for more information.

The Spirit is one of Eisner's most popular comic series.  It was made into a movie in 2008.  Watch a preview of the movie below:

Eisner, Will. A Contract with God. New York: DC Comics, 1996. Print.
978-0393328042; Paperback; $10.00; 181 pages

Also available in hardback and ebook formats.