''Blankets'' is an

autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

Craig Thompson Craig Matthew Thompson (born September 21, 1975) is an American graphic novelist best known for his books ''Good-bye, Chunky Rice'' (1999), ''Blankets (graphic novel), Blankets'' (2003), ''Carnet de Voyage'' (2004), ''Habibi (graphic novel), Hab ...

, published in 2003 by

Top Shelf Productions Top Shelf Productions is an American publishing company founded in 1997, originally owned and operated by Chris Staros and Brett Warnock with a small staff. Currently an imprint of IDW Publishing, Top Shelf is based in Marietta, Georgia. Top Sh ...

. As a coming-of-age autobiography, the book tells the story of Thompson's childhood in an

Evangelical Christian Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

family, his first love, and his early adulthood. The book was widely acclaimed, with ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine ranking it #1 in its 2003 Best Comics list, and #8 in its Best Comics of the Decade.

Publication history

In late 1999, Thompson began work on the graphic novel, which was published three and a half years later in 2003.Heater, Brian.
"Interview: Craig Thompson Pt. 1 (of 2)"
. ''The Daily Cross Hatch''. May 7, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-10. Thompson produced the book as a way of coming out to his parents about no longer being a Christian.Mechanic, Michael
"Craig Thompson—The Devil Made Me Draw It"
'' Mother Jones''. September/October 2011

Main characters

*Craig Thompson: Craig is the main character, who is depicted from childhood to young adulthood. Craig is a talented artist and devout Christian. At a

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

Christian winter camp he meets a girl from a similar background named Raina who becomes his first love. *Phil: Craig's younger brother. Like Craig, he likes to draw, and the first portion of the story details their childhood together, though they later drift apart. Their adventures are also recalled at least once in each chapter throughout the book. *Raina: Craig's first love, a fellow Christian whom Craig first meets at a church camp. Like Craig, her family is not well-off financially, and her parents' divorce causes her stress. She also takes care of her mentally disabled sister and brother. Although she believes in God, she does not believe as strongly as Craig does. *Craig's parents: Craig's parents are strict, devoutly religious Christians who are not very tolerant of liberal Christianity. *Raina's father: Raina's father is a man who is loyal to his own beliefs and is hoping to salvage his relationship with his wife. *Raina's mother: Raina's mother has no interest in repairing her relationship with her husband, and is trying to move on. Both she and her husband leave Raina to take care of her adopted siblings, as well as her niece. After being away from the home all day and upon returning, she frequented the medicine cabinet for some prescription drugs to retreat to her bedroom alone. *Laura and Ben: Raina's adopted sister and brother, both of whom are mentally disabled. Ben is a far more quiet and collected person, whereas Laura is far more energetic. It's implied that Ben has Down syndrome; Laura's disability is not specified, but she functions at the level of a very young child. *Julie and Dave: Raina's sister and brother-in-law.

Synopsis

''Blankets'' chronicles Craig's adolescence and young adulthood, his childhood relationship with his younger brother, and the conflicts he experiences regarding Christianity and his first love. Though written chronologically, Thompson uses flashbacks as a literary and artistic device in order to parallel young adult experience with past childhood experience. Major literary themes of the work include: first love, child and adult sexuality, spirituality, sibling relationships, and coming of age. Craig begins by describing his relationship with his brother during their childhood in Wisconsin. They have devoutly religious parents. Thompson also depicts a male babysitter sexually abusing both Craig and his younger brother, Phil. Craig suffers harassment from bullies at school and at church. Through his teen years, he continues to find it hard to fit in with his peers, but at Bible camp one winter, he comes to associate with a group of outcast teens which includes a girl named Raina, who develops an interest in Craig. The two become inseparable, and continue their relationship through letters and phone calls. They arrange to spend two weeks together at Raina's home in Michigan's

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan—also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. or Yoop—is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula b ...

. Craig arrives and meets Raina's family, which includes her two adopted siblings, Ben and Laura, her older biological sister Julie, and her parents, who are undergoing a divorce. Raina feels responsible for taking care of Ben and Laura, who are mentally disabled, as well as Julie's newborn daughter. Despite growing closer during the visit, the two return to their separate lives, but Raina eventually decides to break off the relationship. They maintain a friendship for a time, talking on the phone with diminishing frequency (and increasing inanity). Ultimately, Craig tells Raina that their friendship, too, is over. Craig then destroys everything Raina had ever given to him, and every memento of their relationship, except for the quilt she made. He stores it in the attic of his childhood home, and moves out to start his own life elsewhere. Craig comes to terms with religion and his spiritual identity while away from his family, and confides in his brother that he is no longer a Christian, but still believes in God and the teachings of Jesus. He returns to his childhood home after several years, seemingly a different person.

Reception

The Bloomsbury Review ''The Bloomsbury Review'' (''TBR'') was a nationally distributed literary magazine founded by Thomas Auer (1953–2003) in Denver, Colorado in 1980. It focused on small, regional, university, and international presses, as well as "smaller" titles ...

'' called ''Blankets'' "a superb example of the art of cartooning: the blending of word and picture to achieve an effect that neither is capable of without the other." ''

'' stated that Thompson's work "has set new bars for the medium not just in length, but breadth" and listed it as #1 in its 2003 Best Comics of the Year list, and ranked it as #8 in its 10 Best Comics of the Decade. The book was called a "magnum opus" in the inaugural issue of ''(Cult)ure Magazine''. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' wrote that "Thompson manages to explore adolescent social yearnings, the power of young love and the complexities of sexual attraction with a rare combination of sincerity, pictorial lyricism and taste". As a result of ''Blankets'', Thompson rose quickly to the top ranks of American cartoonists in both popularity and critical esteem.

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

-winning comic artist

Art Spiegelman Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman ( ; born February 15, 1948), professionally known as Art Spiegelman, is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel ''Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazin ...

sent him a long letter of praise for the work,Gallivan, Joseph
"Blankets' statement: Craig Thompson's new graphic novel is the epic story of his younger self losing his religion"
. ''

Portland Tribune The ''Portland Tribune'' is a weekly newspaper published every Wednesday in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Pamplin Media Group, which publishes a number of community newspapers in the Portland metropolitan area. Launched i ...

''. August 15, 2003. Retrieved on 2007-12-10. and in mock-jealousy,

Eddie Campbell Eddie Campbell (born 10 August 1955) is a British comics artist and cartoonist. He was the illustrator and publisher of '' From Hell'' (written by Alan Moore), and the creator of the semi-autobiographical ''Alec'' stories collected in ''Alec: ...

expressed a temptation to break Thompson's fingers. Another Pulitzer Prize-winning comic author,

Jules Feiffer Jules Ralph Feiffer ( ; January 26, 1929 – January 17, 2025) was an American cartoonist and author, who at one time was considered the most widely read satirist in the country. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 for Pulitzer Prize for Editori ...

, wrote that Thompson's "expert blending of words and pictures and resonant silences makes for a transcendent kind of story-telling that grabs you as you read it and stays with you after you put it down".

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...

praised the book in interviews as "an incredibly heartwarming human document" adding that he found it "touching and engrossing", and publicly defended it when it was attacked as pornography (see below).

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

wrote, "I thought it was moving, tender, beautifully drawn, painfully honest, and probably the most important graphic novel since '' Jimmy Corrigan''". Thompson said that he believes ''Blankets'' was a success because he was "reacting against all of the over-the-top, explosive action genre n alternative comics, andI also didn't want to do anything cynical and nihilistic, which is the standard for a lot of alternative comics." 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. In October 2006, a resident of

Marshall, Missouri Marshall is a city in Saline County, Missouri, United States. The population was 13,806 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Saline County. The Marshall Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Saline County. It is home to Missouri V ...

, attempted to have ''Blankets'' and ''

Fun Home ''Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic'' is a 2006 graphic memoir by the American cartoonist Alison Bechdel, author of the comic strip '' Dykes to Watch Out For''. It chronicles the author's childhood and youth in rural Pennsylvania, United States, ...

'' by

Alison Bechdel Alison Bechdel ( ; born September 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist. Originally known for the long-running comic strip ''Dykes to Watch Out For'', she came to critical and commercial success in 2006 with her Graphic novel, graphic memoir ''Fun ...

removed from the city's public library. Supporters of the books' removal characterized them as "pornography" and expressed concern that they would be read by children. Marshall Public Library Director Amy Crump defended the books as having been well-reviewed in "reputable, professional book review journals," and characterized the removal attempt as a step towards "the slippery slope of

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...

". On October 11, 2006, the library's board appointed a committee to create a materials selection policy, and removed ''Blankets'' and ''Fun Home'' from circulation until the new policy was approved. The committee "decided not to assign a prejudicial label or segregate

he books He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

by a prejudicial system", and presented a materials selection policy to the board. On March 14, 2007, the Marshall Public Library Board of Trustees voted to return both ''Blankets'' and ''Fun Home'' to the library's shelves. In 2021, book ban requests started to grow quickly in The United States, ''Blankets'' has been repeatedly targeted for banning and removal from schools and libraries. In 2024, ''Blankets'' was one of 13 books banned from all

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

public schools by the state school board for allegedly containing "objective sensitive material."

Awards

* 2004

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be a successor to the Kirby Awards, which were ...

for Best Artist"2004 Harvey Award Winners"
. The

s. Retrieved November 14, 2011. * 2004 Harvey Award for Best Cartoonist * 2004 Harvey Award for Best Graphic Album of Original Work * 2004

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...

for Best Graphic Album2004 "Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards"
Hahn Library. Retrieved November 14, 2011. * 2004 Eisner Award for Best Writer/Artist * 2004

Ignatz Award The Ignatz Awards recognize outstanding achievements in comics and cartooning by small press creators or creator-owned projects published by larger publishers. They have been awarded each year at the Small Press Expo since 1997, only skipping a ...

for Outstanding Artist"2004 Ignatz Award Recipients"
Small Press Expo. Retrieved November 14, 2011. * 2004 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Graphic Novel or Collection * 2005

Prix de la critique The Prix de la critique is a prize awarded by the Association des Critiques et des journalistes de Bande Dessinée to the best comic album released for a year in France. Previously, from 1984 to 2003, it was called ''Prix Bloody Mary'' and awarded ...

Editions

Editions are available in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, Danish,

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

, Hungarian, Slovenian,

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

, Norwegian, Catalan and Portuguese. Additionally, the English, Serbian and Dutch versions were available in a limited-edition

hardcover A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as casebound (At p. 247.)) book is one bookbinding, bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other clo ...

volume and Polish was available with special cover jacket for those who pre-ordered the book. There is also an accompanying

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

, recorded by the

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

-based band Tracker. The French, Spanish, and Italian editions all have different cover art. The first Italian edition has a red spine, while subsequent editions have a blue one. *''Blankets'' (English paperback edition) ,

*''Blankets – Manteau de Neige'' (French edition) ,

Casterman Casterman is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics, specializing in comic books and children's literature. The company is based in Tournai, 90 kilometres southwest of the centre of Brussels, Belgium. History The company was founded in 1780 by Don ...

, March 2004 *''Blankets'' (Spanish edition) , Astiberri Ediciones, April 2004 *''Blankets'' (Catalan edition) Astiberri Ediciones, April 2004 *''Blankets'' (German edition) , Speed Comics, May 2004 *''Een Deken Van Sneeuw'' (Dutch edition) , Oog & Blik, May 2004 *''Blankets'' (Italian edition) , Coconino Press, November 2004 *''Pod dekou'' (Czech edition) , BB Art, November 2005 *''Blankets. Pod śnieżną kołderką'' (Polish edition) , Timof i Cisi Wspólnicy, December 2006 *''Blankets'' (Greek edition) , Εκδόσεις ΚΨΜ, March 2007 *''Tepper'' (Norwegian edition) Egmont Serieforlaget AS, 2006 *''Retalhos'' (Brazilian edition) Cia das Letras, 2009 *''Blankets'' (Portuguese edition) Biblioteca da Alice, 2011 *''En dyne af sne'' (Danish edition) Forlaget Fahrenheit, 2008 *''담요'' (Korean edition) , 박여영 번역, 미메시스, 2012 *''Blankets. Ispod pokrivača'' (Serbian edition) , Komiko, 2014 *''Blankets – Takarók'' (Hungarian edition) , Vad Virágok Könyvműhely, 2018 *''Blankets. Lumeteki all'' (Estonian edition) , Pythagorase Püksid, 2021

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blankets (Comics) 2003 graphic novels 2003 comics debuts Comics by Craig Thompson Autobiographical graphic novels Eisner Award winners for Best Graphic Album: New Harvey Award winners for Best Graphic Album of Original Work Ignatz Award winners for Outstanding Graphic Novel or Collection Graphic novels set in the United States Graphic novels about Christianity Novels set in Wisconsin Graphic novels set in the 1980s Graphic novels set in the 1990s