Back to Dropsie Avenue by the Father of the Graphic Novel himself.
Written: Dec 19 '02 (Updated Dec 19 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great story, Disney-esque art, and very thought provoking.
Cons: A Few Minor Direction Errors.
The Bottom Line: "A Life Force" is a must read for anybody into Alternative Comics!
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| Patach's Full Review: Will Eisner - A Life Force |
Mister Cockroach. What are you struggling for?? To maybe stay alive a few days more? … Well, there are only two possibilities! Either, Man Created God… or God Created Man! If Man Created God… then the reason for life is only in the mind of man! If on the other hand, God created Man, then the reason for living is still only a guess! After all is said and done, who really knows the will of God?? So in Either case, both man and cockroach are in serious trouble! Because staying alive seems to be the only thing on which everybody agrees!
Okay Alternative Comic readers, I don’t care if you think Chris Ware is a God, or if Johnny the Homocidal Maniac is a comical genius. All of you must salute to grandfather Eisner for bringing the storytelling genre of comics from Europe and Japan to the U.S. SALUTE NOW!
Alternative Comics is technically a 20-year tradition of Adult Intellectual American entertainment. Its endless battle against the Mainstream Superhero, have finally shown some optimism in this much ignored genre of literature, right after tour guides and encyclopedias. Thanks to the works of modern Alternative cartoonists, such as Chris Ware, and Joe Sacco, Alternative Comics have become a favorite in art schools as well as other small areas of commute. But probably not many would’ve gotten this far into the market if it wasn’t for Will Eisner’s “A Contract With God”, signifying the first American Graphic Novel, and probably the beginning of the new trend of Alternative Comics into the mainstream markets.
Though, the first graphic novel, was far from perfect. The concept and story were very good, but the story itself trailed in direction. Much like another comic I read called “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”, just look through my review archives and read that one later.
However, Eisner’s 1983 “sequel” to “A Contract with God”, is such an excellent improvement from the first American graphic novel, that it deserves godly amount of respect from the reader and cartoonists. It not only fixes the direction problems apparent in “A Contract With God”, but also has more of an involving story, and better character development. And you don’t have to read “A Contract With God” to understand this story either!
“A Life Force” brings back the old tenement from “A Contract With God”, introducing new residents of the worn down building in the Bronx. The 55 Dropsie Avenue tenement in Brooklyn is surviving the pinnacle of the Great Depression in the 1930s. During this time, people began losing their jobs, former wealthy families entered ghettos to make a living, the Mafia began to spring up in America, and Colleges were rampant with ideas for Communism. Will doesn’t miss many details, as he includes “scene transitions” filled with small real articles of instances in the Depression, ranging from a riot between Socialists and Communists in America to homeless men dying in the cold winter of the Great Depression.
New characters from the 55 Dropsie Avenue tenement offer diverse problems for the readers, which indirectly surround around the problems of aspiring poet and humble carpenter, Jacob Shtarkah. A former carpenter for his synagogue suddenly fired due to the economic problems in America. Heart broken, he creeps into an alley and issues a challenge to himself (and the readers). Is there a Life Force between beings?
The story is done in a poetic manner. Largely involving influences from the Jewish faith, the surviving aspects of both the cockroach and the human species, and the morality behind the pursuit of happiness versus the pursuit of humanity. Will Eisner also introduces each chapter of this graphic novel with history of the Great Depression (through his own words and real articles during the time) or an original poem that surrounds around the story. Will Eisner, as a survivor of the Great Depression, describes the event in art as well as he describes it in words.
As an “answer” to Jacob’s challenge, the story also introduces the other residents of the tenement all with their own separate problems. Some dealing with Unions, mafia, communism, escaping the Nazi Holocaust or a former past of wealth and fertility. The group of residents become interconnected in their quest for success.
As extremely complicated as this book seems at first, the massive list of characters and separate stories in “A Life Force” flow exceedingly well. None of the stories seem to slam into walls, there are no plotholes, and all stories have depth, originality, and an overall moral question asked for the reader. Eisner was obviously trying to show this “Life Force” between people, by showing even the most different residents of the 55 Dropsie Avenue had similar goals in their life.
Will Eisner pulls all the strings in order to keep this complex story from overwhelming the reader. He directs it at a much slower pace than his other work “A Contract With God”. Will puts dialogue where it is necessary, and actions where action is necessary. Most mistakes cartoonists have used in direction, Eisner has avoided for the most part, giving the novel a more clarified stance than its confusing predecessor. Though the direction sometimes goes too fast for a drama comic, it’s not too damaging to annoy the reader in any way. Especially someone who is reading it for entertainment and not to analyze it for a bloody epinions review!
Will Eisner’s art style will bring some of the old Disney classic film fans some nostalgia. As like the original (and still the best) animated movie of "101 Dalmations”, Will Eisner draws his characters including many points of wrinkles, complex variety of chins, body frames, and eyes… now usually lost in the new Disney films. Though, not as cartoony as the Disney classics, Eisner makes himself distinguishable in the Alternative Comics market as being the guy that “looks like Disney’s work”. Besides the Disney characters, Eisner’s style is very realistic in environments giving the reader a full “feeling” of the 1930s.
“A Life Force” is simply amazing, original, and thought provoking. Though, it’s best that you are somebody that is into mature intellectual work, and not Stan Lee’s “Spiderman” to have a fully enjoyable experience of Will Eisner’s work. For its content and its author’s improvements from his other work, “A Life Force” has added two more stars to the Dropsie Avenue tenement. It’s a classic, buy it now!!!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Patach
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Location: Ohio
Reviews written: 136
Trusted by: 9 members
About Me:
A Political cartoonist. Check out my webcomics at http://finaldraft.keenspace.com
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