Blankets by Craig Thompson

I’ve never heard anything about the book Blankets, by Craig Thompson, before I took this class. What a shame. No other graphic novel, or just plain novel for that matter, has ever inspired me to want to do something similar as much as this one has. After reading this book, I’m seriously considering making a graphic novel about my life. Of course in the far future, when I have time. Craig Thompson used all the elements to make this story a masterpiece. The drawing style, the intertwining of different stories, and the unabashed approach to revealing his inner most secrets to the world. This man is brave. This book dealt with so many problems that people go through everyday. The book focuses mainly on his first love: Raina. Unlike so many love stories this book never feels cliché or generic. This is because Thompson was completely honest about everything he ever did, thought, or witnessed. He mentions the great moments and the moments that made him ashamed of himself. He never hides anything. His wistful, delicate lines illustrate the emotions he once felt towards Raina. He uses tangible objects as metaphors of his past; blankets being the most important. He uses images of snow a lot. Perhaps the snow represents bliss. Snow is pure, clean, and new. Before it’s touched it blankets the ground perfectly and flawlessly. Thompson refers to a fresh batch of snow as a blank piece of paper waiting to be marked upon. Thompson’s love for Raina had the same pure, flawless feel to it. I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit this, but when I first picked up Blankets my initial response was “Oh God!” The sheer width of this book was pretty intimidating. But it took me all but three pages to realize that reading this book wouldn’t feel long at all. I was in the back of the library reading the thing for over an hour and didn’t even realize I had been there that long. I would have read the whole thing in one sitting had it not been for some lady turning the lights out on me and telling me the library was closed. Who knew the library closed so early on Fridays? Seriously though, I think I’m going to buy this book and share it with friends and family. It’s just so amazingly beautiful.