Minor Miracles Dc Comic/Will Eisner Library

Rating:
Summary: Minor Miracles
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable, but not as good as expected.
Review: Although I enjoyed Minor Miracles, I really expected more from it. Although a lot could be done with a book using this theme, most of the "miracles" presented here don't even seem to be GOOD things, necessarily. It's a fun read, but mostly forgettable.

I will mention that I was impressed by Eisner's art. It's fairly detailed, but in a sort of warm, human way that much modern comic art could stand to emulate.

Rating:
Summary: SIMPLY WONDERFUL
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A miracle of storytelling
Review: 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.