Product Description

This powerful graphic novel confirms Will Eisner as a master of the genre. In this classic graphic novel, Will Eisner’s pen cuts an expansive swath through all aspects of the human condition. A powerful portrayal of Jewish life in the New York City of Eisner’s youth, Minor Miracles encourages similar introspection as it examines how luck and coincidence converge in everyday life in ways that, in hindsight, seem miraculous.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1934251 in Books
• Published on: 2000-12-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 112 pages

From Booklist
Best known for creating the masked crimefighter the Spirit in the early days of comic books (see The Spirit Archives, v.1 [BKL Ag 00)]), Eisner also limns less heroic characters and deeds. Here, inspired by stories he heard while growing up, he depicts Jewish life in the New York City of his youth--specifically, how luck and coincidence converge in everyday life in ways that, in hindsight, seem miraculous. Those miracles range from a young immigrant outwitting a gang of bullies to the appearance of a mysterious, mute stranger who transforms the lives of everyone in a neighborhood by his very presence. In the most poignant story, a young couple, forced by physical disabilities to accept an arranged marriage, seems to find happiness, until another, deleterious miracle intervenes. Eisner, a master of pictorial storytelling, here relies, uncharacteristically, nearly as much on the captions as on the drawings and composition--a practice that emphasizes the fablelike nature of these tales set in a simpler era, when miracles seemed not only possible but essential. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Will Eisner (1917-2005) was the author of the legendary comic strip The Spirit. The comic industry's top annual awards, "The Eisners," are named in his honor.

Customer Reviews

SIMPLY WONDERFUL
Too often, comic books fall under the umbrella of mindless entertainment that one should dismiss as frivolous. I mean, it's not really an art form like painting or literature. I disagree with that. Well, Will Eisner takes a step into making comics an art form to rival those fields with this graphic novel (a form, by the way, that he is credited for having created).

Minor Miracles is a nostalgic look back to the New York of Eisner's childhood. The stories told within are mainly made up of tales told to him by his family about certain characters in the neighborhood. The stories range from the most trivial such as a young man outwitting a gang of bullies, to a fable of a rich relative finding out that a bum is his uncle. He gets him back on his feet by letting him run one of his stores, only to find their roles reversed later on. One of the best stories in the book is called "A New Kid on the Block" in which a boy with no name comes to the neighborhood, and like the Who's Tommy, spreads peace and love until soul-less bureaucrats hunt him down. Also great was a story of a crippled man and a blind mute woman being pushed into marriage by their families and finding that there is love in the world. Until she regains her sight, that is.

Some of these stories, if written without the pictures, would be moving. With the addition of the art though, it really blew me away. It's cool that an artist such as Eisner is still cranking out important work. Some of these stories were poignant and others minor, but the overall experience was one that I need to have again. It touched on some deep themes, such as loneliness, the superficiality of our society, and the need for us to see the beauty in every event, be it good or tragic. This book was a minor miracle. I look forward to reading Eisner's other work.

Minor Miracles
A graphic novel from the man who created them, Minor Miracles features three stories set in depression-era ethnic neighborhoods of a bygone New York City. Eisner admits in the forward to believing in miracles and follows his now familiar pattern of almost unbelievable happenings among everyday people.
Minor consist of three stories, the first deals with changing fortunes among relatives, the second with the appearance of a mysterious family-less young boy, and the third waxing and waning love among "cripples."
Eisner has this down to a science now but there was something about Minor the lacked the gravity of Eisners previous work. I almost got the felling that these stories were the ones that didn't make his other books. His previous semi-autobiographical stories all dealt with miracle-like happenings so why the need to announce it this time around?
For this printing, Mr. Eisner has used watercolors more overtly and the comics are printed in a mellow-brown tone rather than black. While somewhat pleasing, I found myself less impacted than Eisners earlier stark black drawings.
Having said all of this, is Minor minor? No. Even though these stories may not be the apex of what Mr. Eisner has or may accomplish they're still top-rate and the kind of stories that you have to exhale afterwards because you've been so wrapped up in the story that you've forgot to breath. Days later the stories (especially the third one) are still playing in my head.
Bottom line: For those new to Eisner, Start with To the Heart of the Storm or Contract with God. For those who can't get enough of Eisner's master storytelling, this will be a welcome addition to you library.

A miracle of storytelling
Will Eisner returns with another set of Depression-era stories, this time loosely centered on the idea of miracles. The humor, warmth, and pathos of all his books is here -- with the biggest miracle of all being those moments when human beings connect with one another. That's not to say this book is all sweetness and light -- most of the stories have a bittersweet feel. But that seems to be the point: that in the end, the major miracles are exceedingly rare, but there are things to be joyful about in everyday life, even in the Depression era.

Will Eisner may not have invented the comic book, but he's certainly perfected it. Eisner's art looks like the flow of memories, and the choice of ink and paper gives this book the smoky look of a half-remembered dream. The characters, though, could be anyone at any time who's hoping for something more and better.