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arf88's review against another edition
4.0
I hadn't realised until reading the introduction that it's considered the first-ever graphic novel - knowing that I went into this volume extremely excited.
This is a beautifully crafted but pretty grim collection of four stories. A somewhat heartbreaking but unsentimental look at what life was like in a 1930's tenement.
This is a beautifully crafted but pretty grim collection of four stories. A somewhat heartbreaking but unsentimental look at what life was like in a 1930's tenement.
filz__42's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tinynavajo's review against another edition
2.0
Not my favorite. I just liked the one story that the book gets its name from, A Contract with God.
andrewb21's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Very glad I read it since it transformed and started the graphic novel genre. The art is great, but the stories are tragic fables about deeply flawed and selfish people. A tough read, but worth the time.
raquelssilva's review against another edition
5.0
Will Eisner deixa para trás qualquer semelhança da sua assinatura com o tipo de letra da Walt Disney ao colocar-nos face a histórias tão cruas, irónicas e bem construídas, nesta sua novela gráfica de quatro contos que me foi emprestada para ler.
http://leiturasmarginais.blogspot.pt/2015/11/um-contrato-com-deus-will-eisner_15.html
http://leiturasmarginais.blogspot.pt/2015/11/um-contrato-com-deus-will-eisner_15.html
hvogado's review against another edition
4.0
Uma excelente iniciativa do jornal Público/Editora Levoir, por publicar uma coleção de novelas gráficas.
E começa bem com um inédito em Portugal do Will Eisner.
As estórias são muito boas, à volta do bairro da juventude do autor nos anos 30 do século XX. Gosto muito do grafismo, da composição e do desenho. Ponto negativo para as alterações nas feições dos personagens em cada situação. As personagens não estão muito bem definidas visualmente.
Um livro pioneiro.
E começa bem com um inédito em Portugal do Will Eisner.
As estórias são muito boas, à volta do bairro da juventude do autor nos anos 30 do século XX. Gosto muito do grafismo, da composição e do desenho. Ponto negativo para as alterações nas feições dos personagens em cada situação. As personagens não estão muito bem definidas visualmente.
Um livro pioneiro.
lukedaloop's review against another edition
2.0
The art and mastery of the graphic form is impeccable - but the stories seem to falter in their poignancy as the book goes on. Eisner's emphasis on them being stories he knows and remembers from a past life heightens the drama, but also creates a stark picture of the time period and mentality, as dark things like rape, murder, and even dalliances into pedophilia make their way into the story; each treated with a shocking amount of light-heartedness.
This may have been the fault of the medium or the artist that struggled to find the true horror of these acts, but characters brush off traumatic events almost effortlessly (or, worse, treat them as quotidian experiences) that either paints a horrific picture of what the past was like in this area or posits a wildly privileged authorial point-of-view, or some weird combination of the two.
It is, without a doubt, a work of mastery; but it is also, unfortunately, a work very obviously of a different time.
This may have been the fault of the medium or the artist that struggled to find the true horror of these acts, but characters brush off traumatic events almost effortlessly (or, worse, treat them as quotidian experiences) that either paints a horrific picture of what the past was like in this area or posits a wildly privileged authorial point-of-view, or some weird combination of the two.
It is, without a doubt, a work of mastery; but it is also, unfortunately, a work very obviously of a different time.
ppetropoulakis's review against another edition
4.0
Will Eisner’s definitive graphic novel is still relevant 40 years after it was published. It shows a world that is not fair. Where contracts are made with god by people that are fallible. It is a morally grey book that captures real people in real situations, failing and finding happiness in their lives.