Viste da lontano, le città sono un mucchio di edifici, grandi
quantità di persone e grandi aree. Ma questo per me non è "reale". La
realtà è come la grande città viene vista dai suoi abitanti. La vera
immagine è nelle crepe del suolo e nelle piccole componenti delle sue
architetture, là dove turbina la vita quotidiana.
(pagina 3)

Vivere
in
un'arena
affollata
richiede
una
psiche
particolare.
(pagina 269)
( )

After the amazing collection The Contract With God Trilogy with the classic novel of the same name, more New York stories seemed like overkill. Little did I realize, New York was Will Eisner's home, and his muse.

While not connected to the Dropsie avenue stories per se (there's only one mention of it), this book collects many stories that just didn't fit anywhere else. Some are mediocre, but iffy Will Eisner is like bad sex: Even when it's bad, it's good.

And there are gems here! The Treasure of Avenue C shows the life of a grate. A would-be courtier fumbles an engagement ring, a murder weapon is disposed of... all hidden treasure casually divided up by a pair of young boys. The Building features the prototypical Gilda Green, who falls for an unpublished poet.

Mostly vignettes a few pages long: Illicit sex; the illusion of privacy in city living; and above all, butterfly-effect-style stories, where one small event opens a chain of events ending in tragedy, litter these pages.

Easily the most disturbing story in the book, the slightly longer story Sanctum deserves special mention. Pincus Pleatnik stays away from others, leading a solitary life. When a newspaper mistakenly and stubbornly reports him dead, his life falls apart in disturbing ways.

Mr. Eisner's trademark casual visual style is at its most eclectic and beautiful. A few of the stories are a little out of voice for the author, but these were obviously testing grounds for longer works. a few out-takes at the end reinforce this feeling. ( )

really enjoyed it. although I've not been to new York before but anyone who love in a city can relate to the situations illustrated in this book. i like how Eisner traced the social life in the city through its physical elements organized in a series of illustrated short stories. ( )

Will Eisner really had a great eye as an observer. In this graphic novel he shows his talent, he is very precise in his observations of urban places and people interactions. ( )

Raccolta di diversi gruppi di storie tutte con al centro New York e i suoi abitanti.
Si passa da una prima parte che ha come protagonista la Città con le sue strutture e i suoi meccanismi ai quali gli abitanti si adeguano sfruttandoli al meglio per i propri fini; un'affresco della Città, da quello che si vede fino a rumori e odori.
Le altre storie sono dedicate a protagonisti diversi, chi con rimpianti come i personaggi de "Il Palazzo", fino agli invisibili che popolano le storie più malinconiche della raccolta.
E' un inno d'amore per New York che è viva non solo per i suoi abitanti ma per il modo in cui gli abitanti interagiscono con essa; le dinamiche della grande città sono invece valide nella maggior parte delle città del mondo.
Disegno, personaggi e ambientazioni sono eccellenti, dimostrazione che non è necessario inserire un elemento immaginifico, ma che la realtà è sufficiente per far funzionare una graphic novel.

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Collection of various stories about New York and its inhabitants.
In the first part the protagonist is New York with its buildings and its culture to which the inhabitants mould themselves to obtain their purpose; it's a painting of the city, from what can be seen to sounds and smells.
The other stories have other protagonists, such as the regretful ones in "The palace" story or the invisibles who populate the most melancholic stories in the book.
It's a declaration of love to New York that is alive not because its inhabitants but because its interaction with them; the dynamics of the big city are instead convincing also applied to other cities.
Drawings, characters and settings are wonderful, this book demonstrates that a graphic novel to be compelling does not necessary need an imaginative element.
( )