Blankets (graphic novel)
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''Blankets'' is an autobiographical
graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
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 Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' 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 Mary G. Harris Jones (1837 (baptized) – November 30, 1930), known as Mother Jones from 1897 onwards, was an Irish-born American schoolteacher and dressmaker who became a prominent union organizer, community organizer, and activist. She h ...
''. 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 form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
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 Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...
; 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. 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 it "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." ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' 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 B ...
'' 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'', he rose quickly to the top ranks of American cartoonists in both popularity and critical esteem.
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
-winning comic artist Art Spiegelman 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 in ...
''. August 15, 2003. Retrieved on 2007-12-10.
and in mock-jealousy, Eddie Campbell expressed a temptation to break Thompson's fingers. Another Pulitzer Prize-winning comic author, Jules Feiffer, 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 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 GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...
wrote, "I thought it was moving, tender, beautifully drawn, painfully honest, and probably the most important graphic novel since ''
Jimmy Corrigan ''Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth'' is a graphic novel by American cartoonist Chris Ware. Pantheon Books released the book in 2000 following its serialization in the newspaper ''Newcity'' and Ware's ''Acme Novelty Library'' series. ...
''". 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, attempted to have ''Blankets'' and '' Fun Home'' 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 memoir ''Fun Home'', which ...
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 governments ...
". 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 (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' i ...
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.


Awards

* 2004 Harvey Award for Best Artist"2004 Harvey Award Winners"
. The Harvey Awards. 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 prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...
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 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: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
,
Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
,
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, Spanish,
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
,
Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...
, Dutch, Italian, Czech,
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
, Hungarian,
Slovenian Slovene or Slovenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Slovenia, a country in Central Europe * Slovene language, a South Slavic language mainly spoken in Slovenia * Slovenes The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( sl, Sloven ...
,
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,
Serbian Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also

* * * Old Serbian (disambiguat ...
, Norwegian 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 case-bound) book is one bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other cloth, heavy paper, or occa ...
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 recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
, recorded by the
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
-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) , Top Shelf Productions *''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 Brussels, Belgium. History The company was founded in 1780 by Donat-Joseph Casterman, an editor and bookseller or ...
, 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 Oog & Blik was an Amsterdam-based Dutch publisher of comics founded by Joost Swarte and Hansje Joustra in 1985. Oog & Blik offers books mostly for an adult audience. They publish original and translated graphic novels, underground comix, autob ...
, May 2004 *''Blankets'' (Italian edition) ,
Coconino Press Coconino Press is an Italian publisher of comic books, founded in 2000 in Bologna, Italy. They are notable for their translations of comic books from around the world, including the Americans Daniel Clowes, Jason Lutes, Simon Hanselmann and Adr ...
, 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