Will Eisner is one of the comic industry’s all-time greats. He has been held in high regard by fans and pros alike for many years to the point where the most prestigious awards in the comic industry were named after him. Legitimising the art form in the eyes of many and initiating the examination of comics from an educational standpoint, he is not only responsible for the legendary pulp comic hero The Spirit, but also popularised the term “graphic novel.”
It was his 1978 work A Contract with God that is viewed by many as the book that solidified the term in comic vernacular in the United States. (Graphic novels had already been published elsewhere before then). Now, Dark Horse has released a “Curator’s Edition” of this classic work in an oversized format that belongs on the shelf of anyone who values comic history.
For anyone who hasn’t already read A Contact with God, it is an absolute classic. Four stand-alone stories that focus on different residents of a Bronx tenement and the difficulties they encounter in their lives. This includes a deeply religious Jewish man who finds himself losing faith upon the death of his young stepdaughter, a struggling street singer, a bigoted super who kills himself after he is wrongly accused of child abuse and a trip to the Catskill Mountains by several of the residents that turns sour.
Eisner’s amazing take on the reactions of people to social hardships is just as powerful today as it was at the time of publication, and it captivated me when I first read it.
But the main purpose of this edition (which comes at a high price!) is to highlight the artistic talent Eisner possessed and present it in the best way possible. Fitting right alongside other artist and curator editions, this limited edition, deluxe sized slipcase not only includes the final inked pages in a companion volume, but also his original pencils in the main volume that have survived due to a different technique Eisner used when it came time to ink his pages.
These pencil pages reveal details that ended up being removed from the final product and includes commentary from publisher Denis Kitchen and editor/designer John Lind that shed some light on Eisner’s creative process and why certain elements didn’t make the final cut.
In addition, several essays from comic industry legends including Eisner Award winners Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons who discuss how Eisner’s opus helped shape their careers.
• Will Eisner’s A Contract with God Curator’s Edition is out now from Dark Horse
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, US Comics
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