Eisner & Thompson

I thought ‘Blankets’ by Craig Thompson was fantastic. I really like his style, simple and efficient. None of the pages ever felt crowded. I don’t think there were more than 7 panels on any one page. Which kept the story at a nice pace for the reader. His transitions were great too. I had to read the entire book (almost 600 pages) in one sitting! The story jumped between his childhood and teen years, but the time skips were to usually to explain why he reacted to things the way he did. Thompson’s story evoked real emotions. I felt genuinely sad for some of the things he and his family members went through. The chapter about the girl he fell in love with made me miss my boyfriend. Even if I hadn’t known that it was a autobiography, the story has a truthful and relatable substance to it.

The other graphic novel I read this week was ‘A Contract with God’ by Will Eisner. His beautiful is extremely simple the more you observe it. Most backgrounds are just some gradating line textures and dark shading is one large block of ink. Also, the volume I read was printed in a dark brown, so it wasn’t as stark of a contrast as black and white, making it easier on the reader’s eyes. In the first chapter, the story is very narrative, with text covering almost half the page at times. Other chapters are dialogue heavy, but Eisner has examples of how he can show motion and time without any words. There’s also sex in almost every chapter and in one a man is accused of molesting a young girl. I found the rape and cheating unnecessary. I know far too well that dishonest people exist, but in at least 50% of the relationships shown, one of the partners was unfaithful.