Why not start with the work that is (mistakingly?) cited as the first Graphic Novel ever. I have mixed feelings on this one.

Things I love: Eisner's artwork (naturally)... Out of all the legacies he left behind (and there were many) I think my personal favorites are the contributions he made to typography in comics. He really blurred the lines between words and images, and birthed a more "complete" approach to the artform. And, you gotta respect 'A Contract with God' for its historical significance, if nothing else. Actually, I do like a couple of the stories here. They're kind of neat in a Looney Tunes meets Sin City sort of way.

Things I don't love so much: All right, as forward thinking as this book may have been *for comics*... it wasn't like Citizen Kane or Metropolis or something. This shit came out in 1978. I can only overlook so many faults. I admire the 'blue collar hero' approach Eisner took with his Spirit work. But his reach kinda exceeds his grasp on this one, and although I wasn't alive in '78, I find it hard to believe that this was ever biting or relevant social commentary. Then again, maybe that wasn't his intent. After all, the stories are kind of set in the 1930s. I think his main goal with this book was to approach comics as an *art*, and he did just that. So I can't really knock his hustle.

That leads me to my main beef with this book, and it really has nothing to do with the book itself- It really kicked off this "Graphic Novel" thing, along with the idea that comics could be art (GOOD!), but only when they tackle subjects such as wife beating, child molesting, dog poisoning, etc. (BAD!) This book raised the bar for comics as well as comic snobbery.

But overall it's a small price to pay for all the good it did for the medium.