Cover

A Contract with God is a graphic novel by Will Eisner, its full title being A Contract with God: and Other Tenement Stories. It takes the form of several stories on a theme. It was originally published by Baronet in 1977. The current printing runs to 196 pages. Although the paperback edition of 1978 is widely credited as being the first work to describe itself as a graphic novel, scholars have since discovered this is not the case. A graphic novel (GN) is a work of art produced within the form of the comic book. ... Will Eisner (March 3, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an acclaimed American comics artist who is considered one of the most important contributors to the medium. ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ... 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ...

ISBN 1563896745

Plot

The work consists of four short stories, all set in a tenement in the Bronx in the 1930s. Eisner utilises his talents for expressive lettering and cartoonish figures to relate the separate narratives, linked by the common setting and the common theme of the immigrant experience. Categories: Stub | House types ... The Bronx is one of the five boroughs of United States. ... Events and trends Technology Jet engine invented First atom was split with a particle accelerator Golden Age of radio begins in U.S. Science Nuclear fission discovered by Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassmann Pluto, the ninth planet from the Sun, is discovered by Clyde Tombaugh British biologist Arthur...

Impact

Whilst A Contract with God is not the first graphic novel, and nor is it the first to use the term, it is certainly the book that the industry of comic book publishing recognised as the standard bearer, and it created in its wake a deeper understanding of the mediums worth. It also seems to have served as an inspiration to younger creators than Eisner, who in turn developed on the format of Eisner's work. This has led to the acceptance of the graphic novel as a viable format for artistic expression, certainly to publishers, but more importantly to the creators, and to the librarians and bookstore buyers who previously ignored the comic book format. Thus Eisner's first stab at creating a contained work of sequential art, whilst not inventing anything new, and possibly by dint of being the right book at the right time, can be seen to have popularised a forgotten medium to the benefit of popular culture. A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... ...