The Best Graphic Novels Ever #12 -- The Building

12. The Building
by Will Eisner
Published by W. W. Norton & Company

"Especially troubling to me was the callous removal of buildings. I felt that, somehow, they had a kind of soul … And I wonder what is left behind when a building is torn down." —Will Eisner, The Building

This quote from the book captures for me why the book is such an amazing piece of both writing and art. In the stories contained in this graphic novel (or collection of graphic short stories) cut straight to the soul of the building in question. It becomes an extension of the very people who live inside it and call it home. It returns the favor and helps to shape those who occupy it.

In short, it becomes a part of them as much as they become a part of it.

This is another of Eisner's masterpieces of storytelling, getting right to the heart of what makes common people tick, and it should be required reading for anyone who wants to write or draw comics.