Blankets

Blankets by Craig Thompson

Genre: “An illustrated novel” taken from the front cover

Craig Thompson is a very young artist to reach the achievement that he has. While inking for DC comics, Dark Horse, Marvel, and National Geographic, he penned his own way through his second graphic novel, “Blankets”. An autobiography at a mere 592 pages, this graphic novel is a coming of age story about a Wisconsin native. Thompson moves from high school to college, experiences first love, and escapes his stifling evangelical upbringing, while these beautiful memories haunt the pages via swirling sketches within this book. More of an under-current within the novel is Craig’s relationship with his brother—the most sincere of all the relationships— I find that this is the most pivotal narrative of the novel—and one that sticks with me even as I write this.

Steph

Kristen's note: we don't own this book

What It Is

Thanks to "our favorite reviewer" Steph who has been doing some summer reading and provided us with a bunch of reviews. We need them! Kristen

Author: Lynda Barry
Genre: Comic Books/Graphic Novels/Writer’s Block Help

Lynda Barry makes beautiful, nostalgic, almost child-like collages and comics about youth. They are at once heartbreaking and insightful while making you laugh not at Lynda Barry, but yourself. At once a self-help book for artists with writer’s block and writers with artist’s block, this graphic novel becomes a way to remember the ways of creating that many of us have forgotten along the way to be adults. There is a great quote that comes to mind for me when reading this book, and that is from artist Damien Hirst, “All children draw it is a shame they ever stop.”

This graphic novel looks like one we should buy -- almost a thousand libraries worldwide have it! Lynda Barry's work is featured in a book we own, The best American comics 2007