Friday, September 16, 2016

Graphic Novels


Graphic Novels

    Blankets by Craig Thompson is a great read and it’s an exceptional example of what a graphic novel is. Breaking away from the norm of comic books and stepping out of the panels, Thompson fills an entire page with just one scene; this style is called Splash Pages. It allows Thompson to put emphasis on one scene or subject, showing its importance to the story. Blankets tells the life story of Craig Thompson, the story goes deep into subject matters that many people can relate to, whether it’s bullying, the feeling of not belonging or the story of our first love, with readers being able to relate to some of the problems in life that Craig had to face, this allows readers to understand the character and be able to feel for him.



   The Spirit by Will Eisner is an interesting take on the superhero comic book genre. The Spirit is a crime fighting vigilante with no superpowers, while he’s an interesting character the story isn’t completely driven by him. A good part of some of the stories are driven by what happens in the background. What I find interesting about Eisner’s villains are more flushed out than the protagonist. For example, Smooch was a villain but was also seen caring for a baby that he happened upon, this shows that the villains aren’t entirely evil; there are more sides to the villains than the Spirit himself. 

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