Craig Thompson & Will Eisner: Nothing to hide (9 Points)

Understanding. A desire that exists deep within all people. We want to be able to bear our full selves to someone and have them understand and accept us. It is such a strong desire we often expect people to understand our actions and expectations, because deep down we’re all the same… right?  And if we can’t find acceptance or understanding we close ourselves off, until something inevitably breaks down the doors once again. It is this concept that I believe is explored to an intimate degree in Eisner and Thompson’s works.

Einser's Novels can be considered case studies into the lives of his subjects, most of them being tragedies. “Contract With God” explores the life of a man who had convinced himself that he had made a deal with God, if he does good, no bad will befall him. He spent his life adhering to a contract that only he had signed, and when his adopted daughter met an unfortunate and early death, he felt betrayed beyond belief. An intimate and private contract between him and his creator. A creed he had lived by for his entire life. His self actualized and understood way of living. Broken. Destroyed in the most unfair and painful way possible. Heartbroken that his deal - his understanding - with God was gone, he begins to live life as indulgent as possible. Years later, in the moment of his own death, he realizes he never had been happy with his new life, and swears to do better just as he meets his own end. This story is tragic and is indicative of Eisner's storytelling. A repressed and reviled super believing he had reached an understanding with a girl, only to be betrayed and baked into a corner. A soldier who had protected the life of a naïve and weak man ultimately losing him to the war because the two were separated for a week. These people had things They wanted to do. They had security. But it was all ripped from them. 

So how do Thompson’s works (specifically “Blankets”) Tie into this concept. Well Blankets is essentially a longform autobiographical version of Eisner’s works. Wrought with raw unfiltered emotion, and written rather intimately and honestly, Blankets tells the story of Craig’s own journey for acceptance how he had it with his brother, how the two drifted apart, how he looked for it in god and religion, in his artistic abilities, in his girlfriend and her family, and finally how he reconnected with his brother. The story doesn't cut corners to an infuriating degree, introducing people and plot threads that never get concluded since he and his girlfriend break up and her entire family’s lives suddenly become irrelevant despite being the focus of an entire book. But that's just life I guess. It reminds me of the Eisner book "Cookalein" in a way. 

To summarize, Thompson and Eisner lay bare the stories’ subjects desires and seeing this raw emotion creates captivating and addictive stories that really resonate with the reader.