Like almost all of Will Eisner's later work, Dropsie Avenue is about the City and the rise and fall of the lives within it. This story moves fast, beginning with the rural settlers and going all the way through development, burnout, redevelopment, and portents of blights to come. With many families and a few characters that tie the whole story together, this isn't really a character-driven work; it really stays detached, offering up a tragedy on almost every page to keep the reader from getting too emotionally invested.

Eisner's trademark cartoony, freeform panels and expressive lettering make this piece a pleasure to read despite all the sad tales within. The message - that it is ethnic tension and intolerance that leads to urban blight, not economic factors - is solidly delivered through the plot and dialogue, without being too heavy-handed, and it's a thought-provoking book that is required reading for graphic novel fans, or students of urban decay. Not sure why one would study urban decay, but man, Eisner sure loves that shit.