Week 5: Eisner and Thompson
I've read two graphic novel; Craig Thompson's Blankets and Will Eisner’s A Contract With God. These are two different novel but have similarities among difference.
Visually, Blankets feels like it's been made out of woodblock print because of its bold and repetitive line. It has more flow on the drawing, which made me gain speed while I'm reading the novel. It has style of simplified people, but still detailed enough to show the character's emotion. I think the art matches with the theme of this novel, the rough styled lines seems like it’s already explaining the author’s life, especially the beginning of the novel. Blankets talk about Craig's personal experience from his childhood. I personally think this novel was the one that really allows yourself to emphasize the protagonist. The opening of this book is never the brightest. Pious parents, being bullied, no teacher defending you— everything made me so depressed and uncomfortable from the beginning. It’s not the most common problem you would go through as a child or teenager, but I think the emotion that the protagonist feels is pretty relatable to any of us; childhood, first love,being an adult, spirituality, family relationships…
On the other hand, A Contract With God is more illustrative and free hand drawn looking, which is because of irregular pattern of shading and more realistic people. I think the drawing style really matches with the message of the novel, because when I read it, it feels like I’m looking a satire cartoon illustration. It’s not personal as Thompson’s Blankets, but it is still detailed but not very charming; especially when you see characters struggle through the story. It feels like this novel talks more about the social issue problems that people can relate with. However, it seems like Eisner makes a negative depiction of female characters; by putting them in a desperate position. It was quite pity for me to watch women to be shown as a victim of physical and sexual violence, but at the same time, that’s what female goes through even these days.
Visually, Blankets feels like it's been made out of woodblock print because of its bold and repetitive line. It has more flow on the drawing, which made me gain speed while I'm reading the novel. It has style of simplified people, but still detailed enough to show the character's emotion. I think the art matches with the theme of this novel, the rough styled lines seems like it’s already explaining the author’s life, especially the beginning of the novel. Blankets talk about Craig's personal experience from his childhood. I personally think this novel was the one that really allows yourself to emphasize the protagonist. The opening of this book is never the brightest. Pious parents, being bullied, no teacher defending you— everything made me so depressed and uncomfortable from the beginning. It’s not the most common problem you would go through as a child or teenager, but I think the emotion that the protagonist feels is pretty relatable to any of us; childhood, first love,being an adult, spirituality, family relationships…
On the other hand, A Contract With God is more illustrative and free hand drawn looking, which is because of irregular pattern of shading and more realistic people. I think the drawing style really matches with the message of the novel, because when I read it, it feels like I’m looking a satire cartoon illustration. It’s not personal as Thompson’s Blankets, but it is still detailed but not very charming; especially when you see characters struggle through the story. It feels like this novel talks more about the social issue problems that people can relate with. However, it seems like Eisner makes a negative depiction of female characters; by putting them in a desperate position. It was quite pity for me to watch women to be shown as a victim of physical and sexual violence, but at the same time, that’s what female goes through even these days.
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