Blankets

Blankets
« on: May 12, 2012, 09:34 AM »



I am new to the works of Craig Thompson.  Yet I've been curious about him ever since the hype of Habib lit the indie scene on fire.  Angieness submitted her own review of the title here: http://entervoid.com/index.php?topic=11846.0.  I picked this book up at MoCCA Fest 2012 and read it that same day.  So while many of you might already be familiar with this title I thought I'd talk about it for a bit.

Blankets is a thick tome detailing Craig's autobiographical bildungsroman as he grows up and faces the struggles of family, faith and first love.  And though it is thick, don't let it scare you, it's a rather easy read and Craig's great pacing makes it a breeze.  Craig chronicles his childhood struggles with his brother, his faith in God in contrast to the community, his coming to terms with himself as an artist, his questions and desires and ultimately the longing and desire of a first love. 

I think the first and best thing that was great about this book is that despite being an autobiographical work it isn't an endless wankfest or a whiny rant; Craig not only highlights the casual ways in which other people have hurt him but the equally casual ways in which he's hurt those he's loved.  The story is equal parts regret and hope and the idea that you can always move on.  Thematically the book is all about relationships whether it's to oneself or others and how fragile they can be.

I can't say I found the book relatable as I've never grown up as a white boy in a small town with an Evangelical setting.  But that's part of why I was fascinated, because it was a sort of look at 'how the other half lives' and I thought it a new and interesting perspective.  But even with the unfamiliar trappings the emotions and grievances are all very familiar.  I particularly found Craig's question of faith interesting as it mirrors very closely one of my favorite books of all time, Dawn by Elie Weisel, who similarly questions the contradiction of faith and identity and how they can sometimes clash. 

The art itself is as detailed and lush as is expected of Thompson and while I haven't read Habib yet, I expect it to be at a similar level if not beyond.  The panels flow well together and I have no real complaints about the art.  The faces are simple but work well to express a good range of emotion.  Which is great because it's all very expressive and fluid and Thompson certainly shows his experience as a professional on each and every page.  And it's interesting to note, that the landscape that dominates the book is a wintery landscape where all the action seems to take place.  In fact, it's these often detailed landscapes that serve as another sort of metaphor for the overall story.

I do have one complaint about the book however, and it's that I was thoroughly interested in the drama of Raina's family but ultimately we never know her or her family's final fate and that's left up to our imagination.  I think that out of all the struggles that Craig goes through, it's ultimately Raina's struggle I'm interested in and it's rather unfortunate that with all the conflicting emotions and problems they're having there's no finality to it.  But I also think it represents another aspect of life, in that we don't always get to know and sometimes we only get to see a slice of another's person's life especially when it's someone we care about. 

All in all, I heavily recommend the book and if anything it's worth reading once.

Quality 9
Creativity 10
Entertainment 8
« Last Edit: May 12, 2012, 10:02 AM by William_Duel »

Re: Blankets
« Reply #1 on: May 12, 2012, 09:51 AM »
Blankets is such a great book, it's definitely a good idea to grab it before Habibi.
Kittens wearins mittens

Re: Blankets
« Reply #2 on: May 14, 2012, 11:17 AM »
This is seriously a great comic ... It's so personal and sincere, I just loved ever page. Ahh, I need to re-read this!

Re: Blankets
« Reply #3 on: Jul 12, 2012, 12:37 PM »
I got Habibi on a whim, and when I found out Thompson had another comic called Blankets I went nuts trying to look for it. I really really enjoyed it, despite the raw lonely feeling it gives you when you get to the end.

 

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