A Contract With God (1978) revolutionized the comics medium with its publication in the late '70s and is often referred to as the first modern graphic novel, a term Eisner helped popularise.

This semi-autobiographical work captures with pen and ink the drama of the city and its all-too-human inhabitants. Set in the same Bronx neighborhood as later works Dropsie Avenue and A Life Force, the four stories that comprise the book — "A Contract With God", "The Street Singer", "The Super" and "Cookalein" — examine the world of immigrant life in New York City in the 1930s with a unique look at the emotion and character of its denizens.

First published in 1978 by Baronet Press, the book was released in softcover by Kitchen Sink Press, and then reissued later as part of The Will Eisner Library imprint by DC Comics. The book forms part of the 2006 hardcover collection The Contract with God Trilogy: Life on Dropsie Avenue published by W.W. Norton, together with A Life Force and Dropsie Avenue.

Visit the WW Norton page on this graphic novel.