Product Description

At 592 pages, Blankets may well be the single largest graphic novel ever published without being serialized first. Wrapped in the landscape of a blustery Wisconsin winter, Blankets explores the sibling rivalry of two brothers growing up in the isolated country, and the budding romance of two coming-of-age lovers. A tale of security and discovery, of playfulness and tragedy, of a fall from grace and the origins of faith. A profound and utterly beautiful work from Craig Thompson. The New Printing corrects 3 small typos, widening the spine graphics, but otherwise is identical to the first printing.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11839 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 592 pages

Synopsis
At 592 pages, Blankets may well be the single largest graphic novel ever published without being serialized first. Wrapped in the landscape of a blustery Wisconsin winter, Blankets explores the sibling rivalry of two brothers growing up in the isolated country, and the budding romance of two coming-of-age lovers. A tale of security and discovery, of playfulness and tragedy, of a fall from grace and the origins of faith. A profound and utterly beautiful work from Craig Thompson. The New Printing corrects 3 small typos, widening the spine graphics, but otherwise is identical to the first printing.

Customer Reviews

Wonderful, beautiful, despressing
There's no denying, Craig Thompson is a major talent. "Blankets" is a great achievment in many ways. It's story is complex; touching, aching, beautiful, sad and funny, and oh yes, quite depressing. There's some repetition in the story, so that's a flaw, but only minor. Some themes are often visited without adding anything new.
Thompson also draws with a terrific style. These pictures are alive and make the story seem more powerful. Pictures in themselves are powerful and haunting.

"Blankets" is quite clearly a labour of love (or need) and if you enjoy reading illustrated novels (graphic novels...), I'm sure that this one is worth the time and effort. Time, beacuse this is one big book and a big read; it's strength comes out more clearly if you give it time and reflect upon it.

Hope to hear more from Craig Thompson in the future.

A Graphic Novel we can all empathise with
Surely one of the most emotively drawn graphic novels, Blankets is a biographical story about childhood and growing up. Set in the snow covered Midwest, Craig Thompson lives in a devout Christian family, sharing a bed with his brother and cowering from school bullies. He finds comfort in drawing and meets a girl he meets at Christian Camp. Suddenly he finds the world may not be so hopeless after all. So begins a whirlwind teenage romance with all the associated longing and discovery. Blankets is a first-love story told with warmth and honesty. There is something for everyone to empathise with in the desperate bubbling of excited desire. But will Craig find spiritual peace when everything he sees and experiences is contrary to the teachings of his upbringing?
Full of interwoven themes and with bible passages to emphasise his meaning, Blankets is an intelligent recollection of childhood. It is a perfect starting place for graphic novel virgins. Like Persepolis it resonates with humanity and is simple and easy to follow. The desolate snow capped scenes are easy on the eye and welcoming. Indeed, Blankets is like a security blanket, thick and secure feeling it invites you to wallow in all that is recognisable about childhood and growing up.
There is something very satisfying about reading 600 pages in barely two hours but you could as easily spend days studying some of the wonderfully imaginative and superbly realised artwork. A joy to read.

An epic of autobiographical comic storytelling
Blankets is an autobiographical story by Craig Thompson about his childhood, brought up in a poor, strict Christian family in America. The book is mainly about Craig's relationship with Raina, a girl he met at a Christian summer camp. They keep in touch by post and spend a few days with each other at Raina's home, which is covered in real-time detail over the middle ~300 pages of the book. The last section is about how this relationship changes as they are apart and how Craig's outlook on life develops as he comes of age.

Blankets is rich in personal detail such as Craig and his younger brother's antics as siblings growing up not only sharing the same room but the same bed. One of the most heartwarming scenes is when the bed becomes a boat in their imagination and they must steer it through the sea during a storm.

Although almost 600 pages, the book doesn't ever feel like a slog as you always want to know what happens next and find out if Craig's Christian faith stays with him to adulthood. Although it is indulgent and over sentimental in places as well as giving you the feeling that events are being remembered somewhat subjectively (particularly in a way that makes the author look good), by the end this indulgence and one-sidedness is turned on its head with touching honesty and the implication that what has gone before is merely the precarious half-reality of remembrance. In this way, Blankets is able to comment on the psychology of belief, the ignorance of young love and the restrictiveness that can often be placed on children growing up.

The first 450 pages are compulsive, almost soap opera-esque in their hooking of the reader. The last 150 really provide something to think about and take away from the book.

A unique must-read of graphic storytelling.