Frimme Hersh breaks his contract with God and ends up as a Depression-era slumlord, while Jacob Shtarkah strives to help an old friend trapped in Nazi Germany and struggles with poverty and the corruption of the residents of Dropsie Avenue.
A black-and-white graphic novel chronicle of the rise, decline, and rebirth of a neighborhood in the South Bronx over the course of more than one hundred years.
“Eisner was not only ahead of his times; the present times are still catching up to him.”—John Updike Called “a masterpiece” by R. Crumb, A Life Force chronicles not only the Great Depression but also the rise of Nazism and the spread of socialist politics through the depiction of the protagonist, Jacob Shtarkah, whose existential search reflected Eisner’s own lifelong struggle.
In 'Life, in Pictures' Eisner presents an intimate and personal perspective on his life as a writer and artist through his graphic art. The book features famous characters from the world of comics (under pseudonyms) and other historical figures and family members.
A team of neuroscientists uncovers amazing new capabilities in the brain that may steer human evolution toward miraculous and deadly frontiers in this spectacular debut work of speculative science fiction—Limitless meets James Rollins—that combines spirituality and science in an inventive, mind-blowing fashion For decades, scientists have speculated about the untapped potential of the human brain. Now neuroscientist Chuck Brenton has made an astonishing breakthrough. He has discovered the key—the crucial combination of practice and conditioning—to access the incredible power dormant in ninety percent of our brains. Applying his methods to test subjects, he has stimulated abilities that elevate brain function to seemingly “godlike” levels. These extraordinary abilities can transform the world, replacing fear and suffering with tranquility and stability. But in an age of increasing militarization, corporate exploitation, and explosive technological discovery, a group of influential power brokers is determined to control these new superbeings for its own manipulative ends—and its motives may be far from peaceful.
In 1940, legendary creator WIll Eisner (A Contract With God) began an amazing new newspaper comic strip, The Spirit, which changed the face of comics forever. Clad in his famous blue suit and fedora, crimefighter Denny Colt brought his own brand of hardened justice to the corrupt streets of Central City! This huge collection of twenty-two timeless stories from 1940-1950 period features famous first appearances, classic confrontations, human interest tales, and all those magnificent splash pages! Soon to be a major motion picture from celebrated writer and creator Frank Miller (Sin City), this volume also features an introduction by New York Times best-selling novelist Neil Gaiman (The Sandman).
Following his highly acclaimed A Contract with God, which initiated the modern graphic novel, Will Eisner came back in 1978 with this fast-paced, engaging tale of espionage and power. When a signal from intelligent life in outer space is received here on Earth, it triggers a mad race for information and power. At the center of it all is CIA operative Jim Bludd, who is forced to extreme measures to keep himself and the mysterious woman he loves alive.
The revolutionary work of graphic storytelling that inspired a new art form. Will Eisner was present at the dawn of comics. In the 1940s, he pushed the boundaries of the medium with his acclaimed weekly comic strip The Spirit, and with the publication of A Contract with God in 1978, he created a new medium altogether: the graphic novel. It was unlike anything seen before, heralding an era when serious cartoonists were liberated from the limiting confines of the comic strip. Eisner’s work was a shining example of what comics could be: as inventive, moving, and complex as any literary art form. Eisner considered himself “a graphic witness reporting on life, death, heartbreak, and the never-ending struggle to prevail.” A Contract with God begins with a gripping tale that mirrors the artist’s real-life tragedy, the death of his daughter. Frimme Hersh, a devout Jew, questions his relationship with God after the loss of his own beloved child. Hersh’s crisis is intertwined with the lives of the other unforgettable denizens of Eisner’s iconic Dropsie Avenue, a fictionalized version of the quintessential New York City street where he came of age at the height of the Depression. This centennial edition showcases Eisner’s singular visual style in new high-resolution scans of his original art, complete with an introduction by Scott McCloud and an illuminating history of Eisner’s seminal work. Now readers can experience the legendary book that launched a unique art form and reaffirmed Will Eisner as one of the great pioneers of American graphic storytelling.