Craig Thompson
Blankets (2003)
Author: Craig Thompson
Genre: Graphic Novel (Autobiographical)
Plot Summary:
With inspired pen and ink sketches and carefully chosen text, Craig Thompson shares intimate vignettes of his Wisconsin childhood in this coming of age memoir. Raised in rural poverty by rigid Christian-fundamentalist parents, artistic Craig’s only childhood ally is his younger brother, Phil. The two boys share a bed and blankets in the unventilated upstairs of their ram-shackled farm house. Craig’s drawings provide him bit of imagined power in a cruel world. Bullied at school and terrified by church-based threats of eternal damnation, mild-mannered Craig has no social life until he goes away to camp during the winter of his senior year of high school. There he meets Raina, a lovely, rebellious girl from a neighboring state who becomes his muse. She encourages his artwork, awakens his sensuality and, ultimately, introduces him to sex. The arc of their sweet, mostly long-distance romance draws Craig away from his spiritually abusive childhood and gives him courage to begin defining life in his own terms.
Geographical Setting: Rural Wisconsin
Time Period: 1984 – present (2002)
Appeal Characteristics:
The complex storyline (autobiography, social isolation, first-love, coming-of-age, religious fundamentalism, and spiritual/emotional growth themes) is the chief appeal element in this 2004 winner of both the Eisner and Harvey Awards. The book’s complexity is reflected in its length (almost 600 pages) and relatively slow pace. The setting (wintertime in northern Wisconsin) adds to the story’s cinematographic appeal. Illustrations and text combine to create an intimate, melancholy tone. Heavy, thick-lined renderings of religious symbols and nameless, stereotypic characters (bullies, teachers, ministers) portray (more effectively than words) the menacing aura that pervades Craig’s childhood. Lightly penned, expansive sketches of outdoor scenes (many without text) represent the hopeful, healing power of nature. Phantasmagorical patterns evoke the awakening of Craig’s sensuality and first experience with sex. The text, although sparingly used, adds complexity, detail, and nuance to book’s themes.
Read-alikes: Harvey Pekar’s The Quitter is a much shorter Eisner Award winning autobiography that details the author’s coming-of-age experiences as a multi-talented social outcast who prefers to quit rather than to risk failure. Jimmy Corrigan: the Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware is a lengthy graphic novel with a complex plot. Ware uses his superb artistic command tell the story of Jimmy, an ineffectual adult who retreats into fantasies of an empowered (but fictional) childhood that help give meaning to his current life. Persepolis: A Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi is the graphically-told autobiography of a rebellious young Iranian girl whose nonconformist behaviors endanger her life. She must flee her fundamentally Islamic homeland to become the individual she longs to be. First-love is a major theme in Michel Rabagliati’s graphic novel Paul Has a Summer Job which features a mature adult reminiscing about his experiences as a teenager working as a counselor at a church-run summer camp. Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned by Judd Winick is a non-fiction graphic novel that celebrates the life-altering emotional growth experienced by the author as he witnesses his young friend Pedro’s courageous battle with AIDS. If you like the narrative memoir and complex issues of the author’s life including self-realization and first love, you may also like the graphic novel Epileptic by David B. It is the story of the author’s childhood, dealing with his family and his brother’s epilepsy. American Born Chinese is the story of a boys struggle to overcome racial stereotypes and find himself. It shares the same self-finding storyline as Blankets and David B.’s lines and expressions he gives to his characters to create emotion will resonate with the reader, just as in Thompson’s book. The Fixer by Joe Sacco is the story of a charismatic and troubled "fixer" who helped guide Sacco through Bosnia during his sojourns there. Reader’s will appreciate Sacco’s, like Thompson’s, contemplative tone and true to life feelings and expressions that come out through drawings.
Red Flags: Negative portrayal of fundamentalist Christian doctrine, nudity, teen sex, violence, and child molestation
Goodbye, Chunky Rice (1999)
Author: Craig Thompson
Genre: Graphic novel (Fantasy)
Plot Summary:
Chunky Rice is leaving town. He is a turtle so his home is on his back, and he knows he must move on even though he will be leaving his mouse girlfriend Dandel behind. Dandel knows she cannot leave because she feels she belongs in their seaside town. This book depicts the loneliness and heartache behind a difficult decision to say goodbye. Chunky Rice leaves on a boat that sails across the sea while Dandel copes with her loss by sending him messages in bottles. The story also features secondary characters like Solomon, Chunky Rice's neighbor, and Solomon's brother, Charles, who is the captain of the ship that takes Chunky Rice across the ocean. Both brothers face haunting losses of their own. Goodbye, Chunky Rice may be a semi-autobiographical account of Thompson's move from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Portland, Oregon.
Geographical Setting: A seaside town and a ship at sea
Time Period: Present Day (1999)
Appeal Characteristics:
Goodbye, Chunky Rice deals with themes of friendship, loss, and healing. Its tone is sometimes humorous and hopeful as well as sad. the pacing gradually reveals more about the characters (especially Solomon and Charles) by interweaving flashbacks into the main story-line. Thompson often uses his art in innovative ways to seamlessly segue into different scenes. The artwork features expressive cartoon characters and rolling waves. The characters' expressions--especially their eyes--also effectively convey the story's mood. Goodbye, Chunky Rice won the Harvey award for New Talent in 2000.
Read-alikes: Fans of Thompson may enjoy his other graphic novels as well. Blankets is a much longer work (with more realistic drawings) that also focuses on themes of friendship and separation as well as first love. Those who enjoy the subplot involving Solomon and his family might be interested in Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth . Solomon, who may not be the sharpest person around, is nonetheless a very likable character who has met with sad circumstances. Ware's story features a family line of men that share Solomon's feelings of inadequacy. The Barefoot Serpent by Scott Morse also depicts the subject of loss (in this case, through death) and may appeal to readers who enjoy cartoony artwork. It weaves the story of Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa into the tale of a little girl who takes a trip to Hawaii after her brother's death. Those who enjoy some of the humorous elements in Goodbye, Chunky Rice might enjoy Peanutbutter & Jeremy's Best Book Ever by James Kochalka. This book's cartoon illustrations share the adventures of a cat who fancies herself as an office worker and a mischievous crow. The humor in this story, however, may be a little rougher than the humor in Goodbye, Chunky Rice. For a love story that features anthropomorphic cartoon animals, try Tell Me Something by Jason. This mostly wordless story depicts a poet who has fallen in love, but his beloved's father does not approve.
Red Flags: Charles, the sea captain, use's God/Jesus's name "in vain" a couple of times.
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