BLANKETS by Craig Thompson

Publisher's Description From the author of the critically-acclaimed and best-selling graphic novel, Good-bye, Chunky Rice comes Craig Thompson's all-new masterpiece. Clocking in at 592 pages, BLANKETS may well be the single most anticipated graphic novel of the year. 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. Artbomb Commentary BLANKETS is a rare exercise in comics autobiography that possesses both the substance and clarity to articulate its vision in a compelling and moving way. In a field cluttered by the maudlin and the mediocre, BLANKETS is an inspirational journey through the childhood experiences of Craig Thompson, marked by religious zeal and alienation, but also possessing a sense of hope that separates Thompson from his contemporaries. With BLANKETS, like Good-bye, Chunky Rice before it, Thompson displays a unique ability to explore themes of longing and despair without ever losing his sense of optimism. The story pivots on the maturing relationships between Thompson and his younger brother, Phil; and Thompson and his first girlfriend, Raina. Finding comfort in a world that has no place for them binds the two strands thematically, even though they have little in common at face value. The result is a work of sincerity and honesty drawn from the ink of a heartfelt pen. At nearly six hundred pages, BLANKETS is one of the more ambitious original graphic novels produced in the medium. More importantly, though, BLANKETS is a poignant document of lessons in discovery and self-realization both universal and enlightening. -- Peter Aaron Rose   (Click the cover image or the Preview Now! button above to view a six page sequence from BLANKETS.) "Thompson writes and draws with his heart on his sleeve and comics are a richer, more joyous place for it." -- Matt Fraction, on Good-bye, Chunky Rice