I’ve always had more of a European take on this stuff in media. I think there should be more sexuality in media and less violence. I actually used to have a rule for myself that I never wanted to have guns in my comics until Ginseng Roots, in which I end up writing a bit about the CIA’s secret war in Laos during the Vietnam War, which required me to draw a lot of guns—but definitely not glorified or glamorized. I always wondered if people asked for Blankets 2 partly because of the ending. It’s beautiful, but devastating. There’s a whole generation of people who got involved in your emotional life. Harper, Rachel (January 25, 2007). "Library board ready to approve new materials selection policy". Marshall Democrat-News. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016 . Retrieved January 26, 2007.

Très belle! And for those of you who have developed a love for the grown-up coloring book? You could defile the crap out of Mr. Thompson’s creation : ) Editions [ edit ] Covers of the French, Spanish and Italian editions of Blankets (from left to right) It was a really weird double standard. It’s reflected in that scene [in Blankets] too, where it’s OK that I’m drawing war on one side of the paper, but the fact that I drew a naked lady on the other side…I was always getting in trouble for that kind of stuff as a kid.Do people who have experienced family struggles or heartbreak similar to what you chronicle in Blankets come to you looking for clarity?

There is, perhaps, a feeling like no other as the morning greets you with a world of freshly fallen snow. You open the window or the door to find that the white stretches everywhere. Sound is muffled, and nothing moves. Thompson said that he believes Blankets was a success because he was "reacting against all of the over-the-top, explosive action genre [in alternative comics, and] I also didn't want to do anything cynical and nihilistic, which is the standard for a lot of alternative comics." [1] Despite the praise heaped upon the book, it resulted in tension between Thompson and his parents for a couple of years after they read it. [2] I first read about Blankets in an article on the history of graphic novels, where it was mentioned as one of the signature examples of the form - along famous works such as Art Spiegelman's Maus (Interestingly, Spiegelman liked the book, and sent the author a congratulatory letter after publication). Blankets was offered as an example of a serious and important work, which helped define the term and give it meaning and significance - by telling a mature and largely autobiographical story it helped distance the graphic novel from a stereotype of a comic book for children. I've never read anything by Craig Thomson before, so when the opportunity presented itself I chose to take it and dove right in.The artwork in Blankets is also a patchwork quilt of gorgeous, sweeping, romantic images of the natural world (snow, trees, weather), likening it to patterns in Raina’s dress and hair, open and free and spacious and lovely in contrast to the darker, more sinister patches of his oppressive house and Sunday school. There’s also an emblem or mark that weaves its way through the book, present whenever Craig recognizes something as sacred. At one point that essentially Calvinist-raised Craig even forgives himself enough for his transgressions to even share a halo with Raina. Through her, rather than earning Hell, he achieves the sacred with her for a brief time. Craig.Snow. Brothers. Church camp. Patchwork. Under the pool table. Cubby holes. Identity. Faith. The future. First loves. Doubt (“It’s reassuring”). Blankets is an autobiographical graphic novel by Craig Thompson, published in 2003 by Top Shelf Productions. As a coming-of-age autobiography, the book tells the story of Thompson's childhood in an Evangelical Christian family, his first love, and his early adulthood. The book was widely acclaimed, with Time magazine ranking it #1 in its 2003 Best Comics list, and #8 in its Best Comics of the Decade. In my opinion, a lot of what happens to Craig and the decisions he ultimately makes are a result of the religious fundamentalism that was a big part of his life. What impacted me the most was watching the change in this young man’s faith. I mean this literally too, as the graphics are so illuminating and emotive. Words were not always necessary to convey what was going on in Craig’s mind. When we do have the opportunity to read his thoughts, I found them quite powerful. In Blankets , young Craig draws a picture of a naked woman and is told that it makes God sad. But you draw the human body in a very respectful, reverent way.

Being raised in a born-again family - which is well-portrayed in this book - is not a foreign concept to me. I've spoken before about how damaging the church's messages about sexuality are. We always think of women being oppressed, repressed, damaged, and unhappy as a result of this message, but as I wrote in my review of TAKE MY HAND, men and boys are very hurt and damaged as well.Graphic novels are basically non-existent in my literary diet, so it’s difficult for me to review this one. I really have no ‘gold standard’ against which to compare. However, I can say that I found this one impressive. As Craig leads us through his path from childhood to adulthood, many themes are examined. Tough themes. The things that happen to us and make us who we are today. Nothing is brushed over lightly, including religious fundamentalism, child abuse, bullying, divorce, disabilities, faith, and first love. Thank goodness for those special people in our lives who help us to make it through the torment of childhood and the teen years. But even those relationships have their trials and mistakes, and at some point good things may come to an end. ‘First love’ has a certain connotation to it, doesn’t it? It’s not something I’d want to live through again, that’s for sure. Despite the sweetness of the term, it can be confusing and agonizing whether it ends abruptly or fades away slowly. This graphic novel is a real beauty !! I read it together with my teenage daughter and closing the book we both had a lump in the throat..... I would have liked to enter in the book and scramble with tenderness those two children, I found myself kidnapped in following their growth, melancholy in the face for their pain and mistreatment, happy for the first positive encounters and ecstatic for the first true tenderness of love with a girl. To me, it’s more about Craig’s isolation, his struggle with his faith and his need to find his place in the world. It's not all about love here. This memoir also gives you a great feel for Wisconsin in winter (cold), sibling rivalry (lots of urine), a sexually abusive babysitter (disgusting) and religious fundamentalist parents (thank God I didn't have them).

Craig can’t choose what he reads or sees on television. His father is a tyrant. He for a time willingly turns to his parents’ fundamentalist religion as a kind of escape from the world, with that promise of Heaven, and considers the encouragement from his pastor that he, a thoughtful, earnest boy, follow the ministerial calling. But it's a promise also filled with dark threats of Hell; at one point, led by a suggestion from his teachers that art is selfish, un-Christian, the darkly intense Craig burns all of his artwork. Arnold, Andrew. (December 18, 2003). "Top 10 Everything 2003: 1. Blankets by Craig Thompson". Time. accessed September 21, 2011. I feel a bit strange talking about this because obviously Blankets is a memoir and Craig is… uh, well real, but never mind. I feel saying whether I loved these illustrations will be redundant because it’s safe to say I love all illustrations.

However, I have struggled to understand the whole disruptive part of the biblical quotations and religious experience, I presume of some extreme Protestant wing.... ( For us Europeans, it is a bit strange and to understand certain realities of the Church, not having here so many Protestant confessions and all their variations of church) I especially appreciated the belly laughs he led us to near the end of the memoir when some of the church elders in his hometown warned Craig not to consider going to art school, lest it lead him to sin. Our hearts nearly break with what the teen will miss if he doesn’t follow his passion, but again he manages to avoid confrontation while following his dreams. Blankets. Pod śnieżną kołderką (Polish edition) ISBN 83-922963-7-0, Timof i Cisi Wspólnicy, December 2006 a b c Mechanic, Michael. "Craig Thompson—The Devil Made Me Draw It". Mother Jones. September/October 2011