Customer Reviews

Blankets

5 star:		(145)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When you first come into physical contact with this book, taking this brick-sized 600 page monster into your hands and cracking open the covers - the heft alone should tell you that this is no ordinary graphic-novel/comic-book. A few pages into this book and you'll immediately be hooked. Your fingers will flip through page after page and before you know it you'll already have consumed several hundred pages of what will surely go down as a monument to the medium of the graphic novel the way Art Spiegelman's, 'Maus,' did in the 80's and Neil Gaiman's, 'Sandman' series offered throughout the 90's.

'Blankets,' at its core is a simple, timeless story (coming of age, first-love, alienation, anxiety, pursuit of spiritual identity, teen-angst) told thousands of times over the millenia (books, poems, songs, movies, television) but perfectly captured, perhaps for the first time, in comic-strip form. This book is exquisitely plotted, paced, written and drawn and by the end of it all one can't help but be left dazed at the sheer artistic excellence demonstrated by Thompson, from start to finish, through thousands of panels. Visually, the black and white artwork is a stunner but perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of all is Thompson's gift for prose with not a wasted word to be found in his minimalistic narrative that still manages to be filled with layer after layer of subtext.

This truly is a title not to be missed by anyone with an appreciation for the written word, not to mention the graphical novel format. The stylish cover design and paper quality also lends itself very well as a gift-giving item.

Much has been made in recent years of how the graphic novel-and as a result, the comic book-has matured and come into its own. This is indeed, true, as subject matter and approach in the comics industry has become much more fluid. Yet, most stories were still serialized before they were printed in book form, and the ones that struck out on their own and did it in one-go (including some by my own company, Oni Press), were significant, but not yet reaching the full breadth that the word "novel" implied.

Enter Craig Thompson. Nearly five years ago, he released his first major work, GOODBYE CHUNKY RICE. It was an excellent piece of sequential fiction, but much like, say, the first album by Nirvana or Andi Watson's SKELETON KEY (or even THE COMPLETE GEISHA) or Todd Haynes' POISON, it was only a glimmer of what was to come. Since that time, Thompson has locked himself away and honed his first masterpiece-an ambitious narrative clocking in at nearly 600 pages. Sure, you can write it off as a coming of age story (a coming of age story in an art form that still is coming up with its standards for most literary genres, and thus still coming of age itself), but that would be to say THE BELL JAR is merely the story of a depressed poet or GOODFELLAS about a guy who gets an interesting job. BLANKETS is the story of an artist in a state of becoming, a boy walking down a road where people in the houses on either side are attempting to get him to stop and play in their yard. It's the tale of said boy figuring out how to stick to the middle, and stay true to himself.

Semi-autobiographical, BLANKETS outstrips the standard coming-of-age novel by giving it a perspective that only the comic book would allow him. Not even in movies could the story of an artist have that artist's vision so expertly rendered (think of how, in CRUMB, Zwigoff had to look over Crumb's shoulder to see what the illustrator saw). While the narrative thread of BLANKETS is straightforward, Thompson uses his pen to bend the world he portrays. Thus, you can step into an abstract world in the short span of a panel, see it as Thompson sees it himself. And there you get what makes the difference. The story of a boy discovering who he will be is also a book where an artist discovers a new form of expression.

And there we are, back to the beginning. This is a comic book that understands what a novel is, and a novel that has figured out how to be a comic book. There is going to be a lot of hype about this one, and the sorts of people who read and talk about "comix," needing the crooked letter to make them feel cooler, will likely come down on BLANKETS for not being cool enough, but ignore all that and trust yourself and trust the book. It's emotional and expressive and engrossing, and possibly the best thing you'll read this year-in any medium.

Craig Thompson's Blankets is a big, hefty, slab of a graphic novel -- the kind of book that requires you to develop strategies for holding it up when you're reading in bed or draping yourself over the edge of the couch. I found that the book was easiest to read in bed with my knees in the air. That way, its massiveness could be propped up on my knees and the pages fairly easily turned.

Blankets is an elegantly inked autobiographical coming of age story about a boy, Craig, who is dealing with mid-west mullet-sporting hicks, extremely overzealous Christians for parents, an only minimally explained instance of childhood molestation (by an apparent stranger with bad skin), much more direct and violent abuse from the before-mentioned extremely overzealous Christian father, and relief from all of this only in the form of church camp. When church camp spells your relief from it all, you know you're in trouble.

The character Craig's childhood is rendered sweetly charming by the author Craig's portrayal of two brothers sleeping in the same bed together in a poorly insulated attic room and managing to weather the turmoil of the childhood they didn't choose for themselves or each other. They draw, but most of all, they summon creativity: that force kids can bring to life in even the worst of situations.

At church camp one year, much later in his adolescence, Craig meets Raina, the alluringly drawn bad-for-a-Christian girl who Craig falls for and then the book falls for -- about half of the text, right up until a very-nearly tacked on section at the end, is spent describing Craig's slow-boil relationship with Raina. By focusing on a two-week visit to Raina's house in Michigan (Craig lives on a farm in Wisconsin), the book manages to describe and show two teenagers all crazily obsessed with each other, their families, and the bible. This mixture of obsessions keeps Craig and Raina drawn to each other and kept distant because of a complex array of barricades.

[Spoiler Warning!] When the two-week visit to Raina's house is over (look to this section of the book for some fairly scintillating teen-age heterosexual action), the book accelerates toward its closure. Craig and Raina fall apart -- but it's not that tragic; I mean really, who can sustain a long-distance relationship while in high school? Craig moves out of his parents' house at age 20, and in a revelation the entire perspective of the novel tells you is coming but is hard to imagine the particulars of, Craig falls away from the force that has captivated him his entire life: organized Christianity. In the final pages, too, we see Craig and his younger brother reconciling a bit, as the years of deprivation (emotional, mainly, but also environmental and cultural) had kept them from loving each other in the ways close brothers seem to ought to.

The book ends with Craig treading softly through the rural landscape; we know him, in those final pages, to be living in a city far from it all -- far enough to gain the needed author's perspective on the hazards of small town life and provincial thinking this book explores in such detail.

I have long been a fan of comics, graphic novels, penny dreadfuls, whatever you decide to call them. I've read a lot of exceptional comics; Sandman, Jimmy Corrigan, Maus, Watchmen....the list goes on. However, none of thses books, with the possible exception of Maus, touched me on such a personal level. "Blankets" is a masterfully told tale of love and loss, a beautiful story rife with powerful imagery, incredible storytelling and a looming sense of inevetibility. Craig Thompson, on an artistic level, may well be the next Art Spiegelman. Spiegelman has long been the best in my mind, in his inate ability to draw anything. Craig Thompson follows in his footsteps with the incredible art in this heartbreaking book. When "Blankets" first arrived on my doorstep, i had thought the art to be ridiculously cartoony and the writing to be almost trite. That was the first page. After that, i fell into a moving, realistic and wonderfully non-pretentious story that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go even after you've closed the book. Craig's doomed romance with Raina, the failing relationship of her parents, the awkward atmosphere between Craig and Raina's adopted brother Ben, and characters that moved and spoke realistically enough to make the entire world that Craig Thompson tells his story through entirely believable, a spitting image of our own, flaws and all. The other wonderous thing about his world is that his art really works with his characters. He's not one of those artists who draw cartoon people and photorealistic buildings, or vice versa. His world looks like his characters would actually live there. The story was almost too real for the art, however. His conservative christian life was utterly believable, as was his relationship with other people and especially the way they talked. Not like Alan Moore dialogue, like realistic, but more like his people did not ask stupid questions that are all too common in most mainstream comics. Each character had their own voice, and they never lost it throughout. The end of the story honestly made me cry. More than the despair of Maus or the intensely depressing story wraught by Jimmy Corrigan, this story made me cry at the end because the end was not sad. It was hopeful, and said that even after the things that happened, even after events unfolded the way they did, the world did not end. This story alone continued past the pages for me. I saw the miracles Thompson spoke so reverently of, and felt that things would just keep on going beyond the eye of the mind. Easily the best effort made in comic form in memory. BUY THIS BOOK!!

You will completely lose yourself in this story. This is the type of story you can read at a horrible place like the doctor's office and completely forget where you are! This is a true life story. A story about a first love and growing up in general, but also in a very religious family. This book will make you laugh, make you want to cry, and make you feel completely at peace. I was genuinely upset when this book ended. I read it in 3 days! I almost want to read it again because the photos contain so much emotion and useful background that they are worth a second look. I took a lot away from this story that I will not soon forget. It awakened feelings in me and it will do the same for any and everyone that is human! Do not miss out on this one. Up until this point I was yet to find a graphic novel that I could really get into. I found storylines to be lacking and conclusions abrupt. This one was truly magical. (and its super cheesy that I just wrote that, but it's true)

This is one of two graphic novels that have intensely gripped me and opened up to me a whole new literary world. (The other was Posy Simmond's 'Gemma Bovary'.) I'm often bewildered by comics which either have an interesting story but boring artwork, or tales with lovely artwork but which are nearly impossible to follow or have few references I can understand, or are just too male. This novel transcended all those difficulties.

The storytelling is clear and well-paced, has a lovely balance between gritty reality and the character's inner fantasies, and the artwork and layout is superb. I could relate to so many things the main character struggled with, regarding a strange American Christian culture and the place of an artist in it, and I keep giving away copies as gifts to friends whom I know have gone through some of the same experiences. Now I spend my time in comic bookshops and libraries trying to find something along similar lines, although I can imagine the staggering amount of work Thompson has put into this book makes it unique.

At long last, Craig Thompson returns and it was worth the wait. After wowing the comics world with his "Goodbye Chunky Rice" Thompson left us all wanting more. 'Rice' was a beautiful tale, a poignant little love story and one you could read over and over again and always find something new. It was cute and grotesque, charming and bittersweet, layered and fullfilling. A tough act to follow it would seem. But after devouring his latest (and prolific) illustrated novel "Blankets", we see that 'Rice' was just the tip of the iceburg.

For "Blankets" is everything it should be and then some. Thompson's storytelling skills have skyrocketed to amazing new heights. His drawing skills, brilliant from the begining, continue to amaze and fascinate. Facial expressions, body gestures and scenery are beautifully crafted into each meticulously designed page. The narrative and dialogue are naturalistic and without the usual hint of drama that comes along with these types of stories. From all these somewhat technical aspects of the book, Thompson is no doubt in top form and at the top of his game. There is little to criticize here. He has, no doubt, transcended the genre while at the same time lifting it up to new heights.

But what is most impressive here is the heart of this tale. Thompson isn't telling us a brand new story. On a very basic level, this is an angst teen romance. But how he tells it is key. He wraps his love story in memories of his childhood, his religious beliefs, his family. This, we come to see, is a love story about love. It is about first love. It is about brotherly love. It is about spiritual love. It is about all the complexities and nuances that come with all the different ways in which we love. Thompson avoids using his tale as a soap box to eloquently voice his hatred of the "popular kids". Nor does he candy-coat his childhood memories. Like so much of Thompsons work, it is a mix of joy and darkness. He never overstates to make a point. Such restraint is what sets his work miles apart from any other comic artist/storyteller out there. In one memorable scene, the two young brothers see static electricity in the blankets of the bed they share. These three pages (250-252) sum up the brilliance of this book and capture it's heart so perfectly. These are the passages that make you stop and think. To read over them too quickly would be cheating yourself of the full impact of this book. Like 'Rice' before it, "Blankets" demands to be read more than once. But I'll be happy if everyone read it at least once.

This is the book I give to friends who have never read graphic novels and think that comics are only good for telling superhero stories.

Blankets is not the only book to show so clearly the strengths of this format. (I think Jimmy Corrigan actually takes the unique attributes of graphic novel story telling even further) but it is excellent as an introduction because it is eminently readable even for a comics novice.

Especially geared towards twenty-somethings and teens in story and I could see it being a seminal work in the lives of many teens in the way of Catcher in the Rye. But as a work of fiction it holds up for all ages. Anyone with an interest in good storytelling, and especially in pushing the boundries of the comic format, should check this book out.

...and I've read quite a few.

But first, let me tell you about a theory of mine.

It is that the more complex the medium, the more powerful a message is possible.

So, books, verbal, and art are all simple media, in that they are one concentrated, direct medium. All of these media have matured, in that there are the best books, the best speeches, and the best art already available.

Music, graphic novels, and movies would be the next level of complexity in that they combine two forms of media. Music is the only one of these media that has fully matured, in that there is lots of music out there that is better than the best in either vocals or poetry. There have been a few movies that have transcended the separate media of photographs and literature, but really not very many. Movies is still a relatively new media, and I think that in about 20 years you will see lots of movies that are better than either of the components of photographs or literature.

Which brings me to this book--this book is a land breaking book in that it finally pushed graphic novels past the point that either books or art can achieve on their own. Craig Thompson has finally brought the medium of graphic novels "into its own."

And, then the Internet and "TV of the future" would be ultra-complex media. My guess is that it's about 100 years from now before anyone makes a website that's better than a good book.

This story made me cry. Every chapter made me cry. I read it a chapter at a time, and savored it. I recommend that, because there is so much in this book.

If you're looking to be surprised by a book, read another one. I could tell the ending from the first chapter or two, but it didn't matter. The strength of this book is in the emotions it evokes.

This book did something really cool toward the middle--it portrayed perfection. Everything was perfect for just about 10 pages. I don't know how Craig Thompson did it, but he created something in this book that is larger than life, that is tangible, and that will probably stick with me forever.

Maybe in a few years after I've read this book five more times, I'll figure out the magic of it and post another review and explain it all. But, for now all I can say is that I'm awed by how perfect this book is.

Also, this book isn't a teenage love story. It's a story about childhood memories. It has the phantasmagoric effect of remembering. I loved it.

This might be a stretch, but I would suggest this book to anyone who typically "dosen't do" graphic novels or comics. It's funny, heart-breaking, and eerily real. It starts off unassuming and soft, then wraps you up in the story before you can object. Completely engrossing, the way books were when you were a kid reading under the covers with a flashlight. Stays with you long after you've read it. Highly recommended.