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Blankets I was excited to read “Blankets”. I was really impressed by Craig Thompson’s first graphic novel “Good-Bye Chunky Rice” which told the beautiful yet simple story of a small turtle and his quest of self-discovery. It also was a poignant tale of loss for those left behind as a loved one must move on and fulfill their heart’s desire. Craig Thompson has created another heartbreaking story telling achievement with his second graphic novel “Blankets”. “Blankets” is the autobiographical tale of Thompson growing up in Wisconsin. He often feels alone and trapped by his overbearing and religious parents. He is often picked on at school. He is forced to share a bed with his younger brother. His way of escaping this is through his artwork. He also enjoys the company of his younger brother at times while constructing fanciful tales, as they lie awake in their alternating freezing and scorching room. Thompson is also at a crossroads with his religious beliefs. His parents force him to attend church services. His pastor discourages his artistic endeavors. His fellow church members dismiss his budding artistic talent. Instead, the pastor tries to interest him in going into the ministry. Thompson often feels emotionally torn between wanting to please his parents and fulfilling his true calling, which is art. It is during a summer church camp that he meets Raina, a beautiful girl who shares his love of creative pursuits and similarly wants to break away from the mundane aspects of life. It is with Raina that Thompson feels secure. Raina encourages and inspires his emotional and creative side. Hopefully, everyone has had a “Raina” in his or her life. She is an example of the first taste of romantic love. Thompson is able to express this feeling beautifully through his words and his wonderful illustrations.
Thompson takes a very touching yet frank look back at his younger years. He is very honest with his emotions and feelings about faith and love. He expresses so honestly the realization that your first love is not always your life long love. It is remarkable how he is also able to communicate so clearly through his words and illustrations the difficult passage of discovering your destiny and beliefs are often different than that of your parents and the journey we all take to developing our own identities as adults. The artwork in “Blankets” is truly amazing. Thompson is able to communicate vivid emotions without using words in every panel. He chooses his words carefully and when he uses words, they carry tremendous weight. He doesn’t always have to fill every panel or page to the corners with illustrations to convey his story. I found it to be remarkably brave to utilize at times very few strokes of the pen to convey his story. To this reader, it made this story have very powerful moments of silence where the reader is able to reflect on what has happened and what may happen in the upcoming pages. “Blankets” is a monumental achievement for graphic novels. It is not only remarkable for its length at 582 pages, but for its inventive use of the medium of graphic novels to tell a very personal story. Any fan of graphic novels should posses a copy of “Blankets”. If you were new to graphic novels, this would be a perfect introduction to this avenue of storytelling. Suzie Lackey |
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Blankets
Written By: Craig Thompson
Review: The Artwork 9/10 The Story 10/10 Overall 9/10
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