A CONTRACT WITH GOD | The Curator's Collection

A CONTRACT WITH GOD | The Curator's Collection | A Quick Overview

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Күн бұрын

Here's a close look at, and a quick overview of, the Curator's Collection edition of Will Eisner's A Contract with God. This two-hardcover-volume slipcased set offers one volume of Eisner's pencils and one of his inks for all four of the stories that make up this landmark comic.
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00:00 Overview and production design
02:30 Volume 1: The Pencils
03:42 The blue pencil and other details
06:43 Testimonials and essays 1
08:22 Volume 2: The Inks
09:40 'Composite' pages, clean pages
10:49 Testimonials and essays 2
11:48 What I think of this edition

Пікірлер: 62

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

Timestamps so you can jump around: 00:00 Overview and production design 02:30 Volume 1: The Pencils 03:42 The blue pencil and other details 06:43 Testimonials and essays 1 08:22 Volume 2: The Inks 09:40 'Composite' pages, clean pages 10:49 Testimonials and essays 2 11:48 What I think of this edition

@CemSelamet 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, much like the other folks, I was on the fence about picking this up beforehand. Thank you for tipping me over the edge!

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

I'm sure you'll love it!

@sordel5866 3 жыл бұрын

Great video; I really like how calmly you take us through these volumes.

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, so glad you enjoyed the video! As long s I am not putting you to sleep, I'm happy! 😁

@DebjyotisGaming 3 жыл бұрын

Coming back after a long time, yesterday I finished 'The Contract with God Trilogy' just one word phenomenal, also congrats for reaching 10k sub its indeed a big milestone 👍

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so very much! Hope all goes well with you?

@honeychugh7386 3 жыл бұрын

Fantastic video ! Was on the edge about picking this up but now will definitely get this edition

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

So glad you enjoyed it! It is truly a magnificent edition, you will not be disappointed. 😁

@AnindaDe 3 жыл бұрын

Had no idea about the blue pencils thing that they don't get photocopied! The books look gorgeous! I could probably spend days going back and forth between these two books

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

This is truly a pair of books to get lost in! The full stories being collected means it can be read cover to cover or random pages at a time equally easily. The hair I don't thinknis long for this world, but just when I thought the summer was going to make a home-haircut inevitable, we have cloudy days and a drop in temperature to provide a momentary reprieve!

@James-sf7yp 3 жыл бұрын

Oh no another format of one of the greats to buy. This seems very overdue given the truly ground breaking layout and design he used. Also like the hair difference between your first video on it and this one 🙂

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

Haha thank you for mentioning only the hair and not the aging, weariness, and other changes! 😝 This edition did come out some years ago, but I agree with you - even then it was overdue. Perhaps the project needed a long time to track down and scan all the pages?

@James-sf7yp 3 жыл бұрын

Ah. I did not know this was that old? I have Learnt something from you again. I have recently turned 46 so weariness and aging are daily battles.

@sleepyreader666 3 жыл бұрын

A drool worthy collection, wow. I passed on it when it came out...wonder if it’s still in print...

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

I too waited for a while but it was always something I was very interested in. It is still in print/ easily available for now I think and worth keeping an eye on for a discounted price for sure!

@LiterallyGraphic 3 жыл бұрын

Beautiful!

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

Isn't it just? 🙂

@nicklloyd9221 3 жыл бұрын

Brilliant review. Thank you.

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

@rafatopolski7628 3 жыл бұрын

This absolutely beautiful but crazy expensive, even for artist edition standards (production quality and two volumes really pump up the price). I'm slowly getting into these artist editions, they really are a treasure! I've got Sandman Gallery Edition and Byrne's X-men on order this month, but will definitely try next month to get this!

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

I have to admit the production and two separate bindings do push the list price up quite high, but for the right person it's worth it. Good luck on your quest!

@comicconcierge4059 3 жыл бұрын

Wow I really need to add that to my collection

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

It's a beauty!

@richardstevenjones 3 жыл бұрын

Phenomenal video. Thank you for the incredibly detailed overview and insightful description.

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much; thrilled you enjoyed it!

@ta5777 3 жыл бұрын

Your vid pushed me to buy a copy. Looking forward to having it hand. I have both of the other Will Eisner Artist Edition books and those are beautiful.

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

Ah lovely! I'd love to know how you think this compares to those - I've never even seen any copies of those Artist editions, let alone get a chance to buy them!

@ta5777 3 жыл бұрын

@@ftloc here’s how the Eisner spirit Artist edition looks like. It’s amazing. I got both volumes last year during IDW’s annual sale. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/l-ChiJmHm8_DoY0.html

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

@@ta5777 Magnificent!

@ta5777 3 жыл бұрын

@@ftloc volume 2 is shown in the vid: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Y7yqptCFu73XqKM.html

@cinder88 3 жыл бұрын

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful edition and look into Eisner's process, and as always a joy to watch! According to tradition I checked this release out and it seems to still be in print and available! Oh the possibilities! Do you have more editions in this "curator" style or whatever terminology other publishers use, and are you planning on showcasing more like this?

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed the video! Alas, I have no other of the Curator's Collection but it's from Dark Horse and the only other one I have heard of is for Frank Miller's _The Hard Goodbye_ , but I don't know if his pencils and inks are separate there the way Eisner's are here. As a _Sin City_ fan you should look into that too, eh? 😁

@cinder88 3 жыл бұрын

@@ftloc Just as I thought I was out they pull me back in!

@stephensotelo1094 3 жыл бұрын

This book is in my library...thanks for suggesting it

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@stephensotelo1094 3 жыл бұрын

Have you read or considered reading "Johnny Ryan's PRISON PITT"

@sca8217 3 жыл бұрын

Contract with God changed my view about comics, when my only knowledge of comics was about superheroes. The story of the Rabbi was heartbreaking with the feel of heavy rain coming strongly through some of the pages. The story of the Super was so brutally honest that I couldn't believe I was reading a comic book ( or Graphic novel, as Eisner would have it). Further led me to the Spirit, which is more commercial, but still has so many novel illustrative choices that blend so well with the story. My only gripe is that this book in a way paved the way for decompressed storytelling which has become so prevalent. I prefer my comic book pages to be material dense, making you work a little bit to read through.

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

The rain is Eisner's comics, famously, is like none other! Single unrelenting lines, as an essay here points out. I know what you mean by decompressed but I think there's actually a lot packed in. Especially in his later Dropsie Avenue books, Eisner uses history and ethnography in incisive slices throughout. I think he is so skilled at making something easy to read, though, where we are never confused as to where to look and what to absorb to what extent, that we glide over the pages, making it feel like an gentle flow.

@rewanji 3 жыл бұрын

Gorgeous edition no doubt but I think Dark Horse should have gone with the Artists Edition size (Charles Burns Black Hole…) opting with velum overlap sketch pages on top of the finished pages. That way Einer’s art would really shine….

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, they talk about it in the essays - Will Eisner, unlike most artists, drew and painted smaller, much more close to what the printed size would measure. It's similar to how Dark Horses Gallery Edition of Lone Wolf and Cub is smaller than their others - the artist there too drew smaller panels and pages. In both places the art is replicated at full 1:1 size and blowing it up further may have, I think, resulted in noise being introduced?

@rewanji 3 жыл бұрын

@@ftloc I see, quite unusual for artist in those times - anyway a beautiful object if not for the steep cover price. Hope you had a good deal on it…

@virus2003 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, sure, this edition looks sexy... but it's nothing compared to that mane you're growing. (灬ºωº灬)♡ EDIT: Jokes aside, this looks astounding! I've never seen pencils and inks separated like that and I could spend many hours appreciating them back and forth.

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

Hahaha! It's been a year since I got a haircut and every day I think today's the day I give in. But I think this is the longest it has ever been so a part of me just wants to see how far I can go before the summer heat kills it! Re: this edition, yes, I thought it was magnificent. I would have kept this video going for longer by making comparisons but it would have gone on forever. The write-ups, too, are very worthwhile, and each volume is a book you can read front to back several times over with no effort.

@virus2003 3 жыл бұрын

@@ftloc When the time comes, you're in good hands with Ashwitha's tonsorial skills based on your last stylish cut. But I know what you mean! Working from home afforded me the opportunity to see what I'd look like as bigfoot for Halloween. Though I finally shaved my beard off. RIP Nov 2020 - May 2021

@atheistsince1210 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the excellent run down I wish you lived closer to the US I would for sure trade volumes from my collection with you as I have purchased many based on your experience. I don’t think I would purchase this work based an the lack of religious beliefs HOWEVER I LOVE R Crumbs landmark Genesis artwork and graphic novel !!!! Maybe you can talk me into changing my mind I don’t know much about Eisner , he may be too “soft” for me as R Crumb and most of the great artists are anti- establishment.

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

Check out my intro video - I talk about how it is not a religious book at all, rather, putting the confrontation between faith and 'the world' front and center (and that too only in one out of four stories). I know what you mean by 'soft' as Crumb was definitely more in-your-face and transgressive (but with such wonderful expressive art). At the same time, I am surprised at how hard hitting most of these stories are. The violence and sex, sure, but more how casually everyday and without judgement, almost, they are depicted. It is the observation of all shades, and the incredibly clear way he gets us to read his work, that makes Eisner so great in my opinion.

@OffMyShelves 3 жыл бұрын

Stunning book, great video! I may have to pick this up as it is so stupidly pretty. Do both books contain every story page from the original printed version?

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! And yes, both volumes are of the complete book, all pages of all stories, plus original and later introductions and covers. Lovely reproduction across the board!

@OffMyShelves 3 жыл бұрын

@@ftloc I think I’m going to have to dive into this now. Thank you!

@ferg2914 3 жыл бұрын

Looks really beautiful. Would you recommend reading in this format as a first-time reader?

@ftloc 3 жыл бұрын

That's a very interesting question and I was giving it some thought while making this video. I would say, yes, with caveats. If you read the inks volume first, the majority of it is very clean and resembles the finished book closely. There will be some tape/white-out, but that can be seen as fanciful design if you want. There are a handful of pages, as I show here, that are made by pasting several panels together, so they will look like a composite. But the complete book is here, some wonderful commentary and analysis, a lot of extra art, and the lettering is legible and final, so if you don't mind the look of certain pages, I think it could definitely be read in this format as a first time read, it just won't be exactly like the finished book. Maybe I can do a quick comparison video of some sort?

@ferg2914 3 жыл бұрын

@@ftloc That is very kind of you to offer to do a comparison. I do appreciate it, but I think between your response and video, I have made my decision to go forward with obtaining this version of the book. I was considering reading the pencils first, trying to get into mindset of the writer at the time he first put the work together. Something about those blue hues against the blacks that really draws me in. But perhaps I should go inks first since that more closely approximates his finalized work. He did do the inks as well, right? Curious to know the purpose of the blue pencils if he did the inks himself, if not to provide the colorist direction or vision. By the way, love your channel and intro! Reminds me of watching a TCM, or Turner Classic Movie, introduction played at the start of a movie. Keep up the great content! And last, thanks for taking the time to give your response some thought.