One of the first and finest...

Will Eisner was one of the greatest comic book writers and artists (um, rather, graphic novelists) of all time. His work in creating the Spirit and in promoting the serious consideration of graphic novels as a respectable art form did more for the art than probably anybody else. His two volumes - Comics & Sequential Art and Graphic Storytelling defined the basic ideas of of artform, codifying the work as few artists in any field had the opportunity to.

And his masterwork is largely considered to be A Contract with God and other Tenement Stories which I took a moment or two to read this past while. The stories are excellent and the artwork a little hokey, but as far as major landmarks, this is one that needs to be read for anybody with any serious interest in graphic novels. The effect of the then-revolutionary novel is still stunning. The emotional impact is impressive, and in addition to being a landmark, the book is a great read.