Week 5: Graphic Novel

The first thing I liked about Will Eisner's Contract with God was how the rainy effect he applied on his drawings was also applied on the opening text.  I think that's what ultimately separates this from a comic book.  I had never read a graphic novel, so I wasn't sure what to expect (even from an earlier version).  But I felt that the way some words were bolded or bigger or in different fonts helped you feel out the inflection of the words and I felt like it made it all the more powerful.  I felt that with the graphic novel vs just the Spirit comics, the words were designed as part of the composition instead of an afterthought.  This is a technique Craig Thompson also employs as well.  Though both artists have extremely different styles, they always incorporate the text to have the best emphasis for the message they're trying to get across.

  

Craig Thompson's example

Eisner's example

Both of these are illustrated in such a way that you feel the words rather than read them; it changes the way you read these words out loud or in your head, and that I feel is crucial to the Graphic Novel's success.

 

Specifically with A Contract With God, I thought the most powerful pages were right when Rachele died, and we see the sequences of the main character shouting against a white background to only receive a black background window in response.  After hearing the backstory of Eisner's life, you realize why this is even more touching, because you can feel the soul of what is being stated.  It established the tone for the anguish and really illustrated the fact that he felt left out or in the dark.

I related to these panels so well because I feel like everyone has had that moment in their life where they feel like shouting at life itself and you don't know why you're the one being treated unfairly.  It's a primal feeling that everyone has, and I feel like the first image above especially, with the dramatic shadows and the lines dripping down from the letters, you feel that.  The letters are almost crossed out, causing you to want to read the line with more of a texture.  You can see the pain in the characters expression and you are able to empathize with him easily, and I think that's something Eisner touches upon that everyone can relate to.