While their art styles are very different, the way the characters move, interact, and express themselves is very similar. When it comes to comics, expressing one's self through face alone is not enough for comics with heavier topics. Less intense comics, such as some of the Sunday comics we have been reading, can get away with just using facial expressions as a way to convey a mood. I think this works because those topics do not typically necessitate a complex reaction to their environment. However, in works like Eisner's and Thompson's comics, only using faces for expressing characters could lose out on some of the nuances of the characters.
Eisner's characters are more realistic in both their style and their expressions as compared to Thompson's, and I think this relates to the seriousness of the topics. While both of the topics presented in their comics are serious and, at times, very difficult to read, the style and characteristics of Thompson's work lends itself to being just a bit more lighthearted. We see brief periods of happiness and joy in Thompson's work, which shows in the characters as well. When a character is feeling good, they tend to become better looking in style and stand up a bit taller. When they are feeling bad, you can tell that they become more compressed. In Eisner's work, it is not as exaggerated, but a similar thing happens. The characters use very, very negative body language when upset or in a bad mood. And they become opened up (figuratively and literally).
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