Week 5: Will Eisner and the eminence of Graphic Novels.

A Contract with God uses a lack of color with pen and ink hatching that help set the tone and theme of this graphic narrative: cold and dreary realistic depictions of life. The novel strays away from some classic characteristics of a comic book and from my impression is arranged like more of a children's storybook at times. In some pages, the words take up, as much space as, if not more than the artwork it's paired with. Other pages only depict a single moment while most comics use as multiple panels to move the story. Maybe this one page effect is used to emphasize the emotions of that scene or wants the reader to pause at that moment.
It should also be pointed out that the words themselves are treated as art to help emphasize certain aspects of the story. Some will be bolded and larger, and others would have a different type of calligraphy to help display the emotions the characters are feeling. Sometimes the placement of the words would be also embedded in the walls. I like to think this visually represents how the text is of equal value to the artwork of the story.
Though it's targeted towards a mature audience, it is not as heavily word based as the EC or batman comics I read last week. It appeared to me that when comics first gained more popularity, they needed to be more literary based to be seen as acceptable for adults to enjoy. Will Eisners' work shows that heavy amounts of texts isn't needed and a engaging story can still be told through the power of well made illustrated works.