Although both Eisner's Contract with God and Craig Thompson's Blankets are both categorized as graphic novels, I feel as though the two vastly differ as far as narrative goes. While Eisner is much more direct in his narrative, Thompson's pace is slow and ambiguous. Contract with God deals with the morality of the human being, while Blankets is an ode to the coming of age... that being said however, I think there are a few similarities to Eisner and Thompson's graphic novels that are worth pointing out. One example I can think of is how rooted in their own lives the authors narrate throughout their graphic novel. While Eisner's graphic novel is much more dramatic, his personal sorrows are often the basis of his stories; even Eisner spoke of it, "an exercise in personal anguish." Meanwhile, Craig Thompson's Blankets is a direct autobiography of his life - in the sense that everything that we read isn't a dramatization of his own hardships in life, but he's actually endured them.
I think Blankets was more of an emotional investment than Contract with God was. I find Blankets to be more relatable as well, but perhaps that's because I've just recently become an adult and the thought of losing my daughter is quite sad, but I don't think I've had the misfortune to experience something so incredibly tragic. Perhaps I should feel more emotional investment in the fact that Eisner's stories seem much more tragic; but with Thompson it feels all more real. The bittersweet goodbye to first loves that I felt for Thompson was much more harrowing than the tragic tale of a sinner was to me. Not to say that I disliked what Eisner created, because I think they're very striking stories. But Thompson's graphic novel left a mood that I can't quite shake out of.
