Will Eisner & Craig Thompson

Created in 1978, Will Eisner’s Contract with God is considered the first graphic novel. I read the graphic novel for the first time this past summer. It was striking to me because of the complex ideas dealing religion, sexuality, cultural assimilation, and morality. Will Eisner uses small vignette stories to deal with this topics. The stories are all set through  a Jewish community in a tenement in uptown, New York City. He further enhances the social realistic story through extreme staging, dramatic facial expressions, and pacing. I also admire the craftsmanship of the graphic novel. His draftsmanship and visual communication abilities are admirable.
Blankets by Craig Thompson is a contemporary graphic novel. It was published in 2003. It is an autobiographical coming-of-age story. It begins (and bounces from) scenes from when the author was just a young boy. It goes on into his teenage years. Both the younger and older character's experiences hold equally impactful and resonating events. It is a very sophisticated, yet emotional, work. It deals with the events of the creator's childhood. The author addresses his first love, thoughts on morality, and identity through his formative years. It is well written and drawn. Te story was extremely engaging and poignant.
I thoroughly enjoyed both Will Eisner and Craig Thompson's works. Although you can notice the differences through the time period in which each was created, I thought they were still very similar. They both had brush-y visuals and monochromatic color. Outside of visions, they both dealt with very personal and complex topics. The way they were addressed were different. Will Eisner's approach seemed "outside looking in". While Craig Thompson's was clearly a self-analysis/autobiographical account. I enjoyed how Will Eisner dealt with similar/building topics through multiple points of view - even though the views were all from the same community. I also enjoyed how Craig Thompson approached the topics more personally. While, I think more young people will relate to Craig Thompson's story because it is a modern rendition (seen through the eyes of an adolescent). I still believe Will Eisner's Contract with God is equally impacting. Both works are masterpieces that I encourage others to read for themselves.