Craig Matthew Thompson (born September 21, 1975) is an American

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 ...

ist best known for his books '' Good-bye, Chunky Rice'' (1999), '' Blankets'' (2003), '' Carnet de Voyage'' (2004), '' Habibi'' (2011), and '' Space Dumplins'' (2015). Thompson has received four

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 the successor to the Kirby Awards that we ...

s, three

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are List of Eisner Award winners, prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Acad ...

s, and two

Ignatz Awards 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 ...

. In 2007, his cover design for the Menomena album ''

Friend and Foe ''Friend and Foe'' is the third release from the Portland, Oregon-based band Menomena. It was released January 23, 2007 by Barsuk Records. The cover art is designed by Craig Thompson, writer and illustrator of the award-winning graphic novel '' ...

'' received a Grammy nomination for Best Recording Package.

Early life

Craig Thompson was born in

Traverse City, Michigan Traverse City ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population wa ...

in 1975. He, his younger brother Phil and his sister grew up in rural Marathon, Wisconsin, in a

fundamentalist Christian Christian fundamentalism, also known as fundamental Christianity or fundamentalist Christianity, is a religious movement emphasizing biblical literalism. In its modern form, it began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among British and ...

family. His father was a plumber, and his mother alternated between working as a stay-at-home mom and a visiting-nurse assistant for the disabled. Media such as films and televisions shows were screened or altogether censored by their parents, and the only music allowed was

Christian music Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely aroun ...

. Thompson's only access to the arts were the Sunday funnies and comics, since they were assumed to be for children, to which Thompson attributes his early affinity for the medium. Thompson and his brother were particularly enamored of black and white independent comics in the 1980s, such as the

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (named after It ...

, and the do-it-yourself ethic that they embodied.Mechanic, Michael
"Craig Thompson—The Devil Made Me Draw It"
'' Mother Jones''. September/October 2011. In high school Thompson entertained dreams of becoming either a small-town artist or a film animator. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Marathon County for three semesters, during which he began writing a comic strip for the college newspaper and "just kind of fell in love with

omics The branches of science known informally as omics are various disciplines in biology whose names end in the suffix ''-omics'', such as genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, metagenomics, phenomics and transcriptomics. Omics aims at the collective ...

suddenly. It filled all my needs -- I was able to draw cartoons, to tell a story; but I also had total control, and I wasn't just a cog in some machine somewhere."Kross, Karen L.
"An Interview with Craig Thompson"
''Bookslut''. February 2004. Retrieved 2007-12-10. After spending a semester at the

Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) is a private art school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1974, it offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. MIAD is considered the successor to the Layton School of Art, and was formerly known as ...

, Thompson left his hometown in 1997 and settled in Portland,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

.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 2007-12-10.

Career

Thompson worked briefly at

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops know ...

, drawing ads, logos, and toy packaging for the company while working on personal projects at night. After developing

tendinitis Tendinopathy, a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder (rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow (tennis elbo ...

, Thompson left Dark Horse and devoted his time to his own work. His debut graphic novel was the semi-autobiographical '' Good-bye, Chunky Rice'' (1999), which was inspired by his move to Portland and "cute cartoony stuff" from his childhood such as the work of

Jim Henson James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and '' Fraggle Rock'' (1983–1987) and ...

Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss"
'' Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), '' Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993 ...

. As a result of ''Chunky Rice'', Thompson won a 2000

for Best New Talent and received a 2000

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 ...

nomination for Outstanding Artist. Thompson followed ''Chunky Rice'' with the mini-comics ''Bible Doodles'' (2000) and ''Doot Doot Garden'' (2001). In late 1999, Thompson began work on a 600-page autobiographical graphic novel '' Blankets'', which was published three and a half years later in 2003 to critical acclaim.Heater, Brian.
"Interview: Craig Thompson Pt. 1 (of 2)"
. ''The Daily Cross Hatch''. 2007-05-07. Retrieved 2007-12-10. ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'' magazine named ''Blankets'' its #1 graphic novel for 2003, and Thompson won two 2004

s, for Best Graphic Album-New and Best Writer/Artist, three Harvey Awards, for Best Artist, Best Cartoonist, and Best Graphic Album of Original Work,"2004 Harvey Award Winners"
. The

s. Retrieved November 14, 2011. and two Ignatz Awards, for Outstanding Graphic Novel or Collection and Outstanding Artist. 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." 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 ...

-winning comic artist

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

sent him a long letter of praise for ''Blankets'', and in mock-jealousy,

Eddie Campbell Eddie Campbell (born 10 August 1955) is a British comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Chicago. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of ''From Hell'' (written by Alan Moore), Campbell is also the creator of the semi-au ...

expressed a temptation to break Thompson's fingers. Despite the praise, the book, which was Thompson's way of coming out to his parents about no longer being a Christian, resulted in tension between him and his parents for a couple of years after they read it. Thompson followed ''Blankets'' with 2004's

travelogue Travelogue may refer to: Genres * Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling * Travel documentary A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or ...

'' Carnet de Voyage'', which received Ignatz Award nominations for Outstanding Graphic Novel and Outstanding Artist. He also contributed numerous short works to ''

Nickelodeon Magazine ''Nickelodeon Magazine'' is a defunct American children's magazine inspired by the children's television network Nickelodeon. Its first incarnation appeared in 1990 and was distributed at participating Pizza Hut restaurants; the version of the ma ...

'', as "Craigory Thompson". In 2007, Thompson created the artwork for the Menomena album ''

'', which was released on January 23 from

Barsuk Records Barsuk Records ( ) is an independent record label based in Seattle, Washington, that was founded by the members of the band This Busy Monster, Christopher Possanza and Josh Rosenfeld, in 1998 to release their band's material. Its logo is a drawi ...

. Thompson's design received a Grammy nomination for Best Recording Package, to which he responded, "I wanna get it! I think it would be very funny to be a cartoonist with a Grammy ... if nothing else it helps bring attention to the band."Lopez, Luciana.
"Craig Thompson talks about Grammy nomination"
''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 18 ...

''. December 12, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-10. In late 2004, Thompson began working on '' Habibi'', a graphic novel published by

Pantheon Books Pantheon Books is an American book publishing imprint with editorial independence. It is part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.Random House, Inc. Datamonitor Company Profiles Authority: Retrieved 6/20/2007, from EBSCO Host Business Source ...

, in September

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

. The book is influenced by

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined ...

and

Islamic mythology Islamic mythology is the body of myths associated with Islam and the Quran. Islam is a religion that is more concerned with social order and law than with religious ritual or myths. ''The Oxford Companion to World Mythology'' identifies a numbe ...

: "I'm playing with

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

in the same way I was playing with

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...

in ''Blankets''", as he said in a 2005 interview.Hatfield, Charles. "The Craig Thompson interview". ''

The Comics Journal ''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing re ...

'' #268 (June/July 2005). Seattle: Fantagraphics. 78-119. Unprinted excerpts of the interview appear o
''The Comics Journal'' website
The book was praised by ''Time'' magazine, ''

Elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...

'' magazine, ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'',

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon ( ...

, ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'',

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

, ''

The Millions ''The Millions'' is an online literary magazine created by C. Max Magee in 2003. It contains articles about literary topics and book reviews. ''The Millions'' has several regular contributors as well as frequent guest appearances by literary no ...

'', ''Graphic Novel Reporter'', and ''

The Harvard Crimson ''The Harvard Crimson'' is the student newspaper of Harvard University and was founded in 1873. Run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates, it served for many years as the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Beginning in the f ...

''.du P.C. Panno, Natalie
"'Habibi' Gracefully Subverts Orientalist Tropes"
''

''. September 20, 2011. Other reviewers, such as Michael Faber of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'', and a six-person roundtable discussion of the book conducted by Charles Hatfield of ''

'', while lauding the quality of Thompson's visuals and his use of various Eastern motifs, narrative parallels and intertwining plots and subplots, had negative reactions to the book's length, or the degree of sexual cruelty inflicted upon the main characters.

Style and influences

Thompson has acknowledged the influence of graphic artists

Taro Yashima was a Japanese-American artist and children's book author. He immigrated to the United States in 1939 and assisted the U.S. war effort. Early life Iwamatsu was born September 21, 1908, in Nejime, Kimotsuki District, Kagoshima, and raised there o ...

Daniel Clowes Daniel Gillespie Clowes (; born April 14, 1961) is an American cartoonist, graphic novelist, illustrator, and screenwriter. Most of Clowes's work first appeared in '' Eightball'', a solo anthology comic book series. An ''Eightball'' issue typic ...

Chris Ware Franklin Christenson "Chris" Ware (born December 28, 1967) is an American cartoonist known for his '' Acme Novelty Library'' series (begun 1994) and the graphic novels ''Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth'' (2000), ''Building Stories'' (201 ...

, and

Joe Sacco Joe Sacco (; born October 2, 1960) is a Maltese-American cartoonist and journalist. He is best known for his comics journalism, in particular in the books '' Palestine'' (1996) and '' Footnotes in Gaza'' (2009), on Israeli–Palestinian rela ...

. Thompson has said that, in his composition process, pages are initially composed "in a very illegible form, a shorthand where words and pictures blur into alien scribbles ... I'm working with words and pictures right from the beginning, but the picture might not look any different from a letter, because they're just a bunch of scribbles on a page." Then he rewrites those sketches into "a detailed thumbnail with clear handwriting, and that way I can go back and edit." Even on his long works, Thompson drafts the entire book in ballpoint pen before beginning the final brush-inked version.

Personal life

Thompson has explained that he is no longer a Christian, a status that evolved gradually beginning with his high school years, during which he became disenchanted with the church and its dogma, though he still agrees with Jesus' teachings.

Awards

*2000

for Best New Talent for '' Good-bye, Chunky Rice''"2000 Harvey Award Winners"
. The Harvey Awards. Retrieved November 14, 2011. *2004

for Best Graphic Album for '' Blankets''"2004 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards"
Hahn Library. Retrieved November 14, 2011. *2004 Eisner Award for Best Writer/Artist for ''Blankets'' *2004 Harvey Award for Best Artist for ''Blankets'' *2004 Harvey Award for Best Cartoonist for ''Blankets'' *2004 Harvey Award for Best Graphic Album of Original Work for ''Blankets'' *2004

for Outstanding Artist for ''Blankets''"2004 Ignatz Award Recipients"
Small Press Expo. Retrieved November 14, 2011. *2004 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Graphic Novel or Collection for ''Blankets'' *2005 Prix de la critique for the French edition of ''Blankets'' *2012 Eisner Award for Best Writer/Artist for '' Habibi''"Archaia’s ‘Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand’ Takes Home Three Eisner Awards"
''

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 ...

''. July 14, 2012. *2016 Rudolph-Dirks-Award for Best SciFi / Alternate History for ''Space Dumplins''"Die Gewinner des Rudolph-Dirks-Award 2016"
December 3, 2016.

Nominations

*1999 Harvey Award for Best New Talent for Top Shelf, ''Doot Doot Garden'', et al.
. The Harvey Awards. Retrieved November 14, 2011. *2000 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Artist for ''Good-bye, Chunky Rice''"2000 Ignatz Award Recipients"
Small Press Expo. Retrieved November 14, 2011. *2000 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Artist for '' Carnet de Voyage''"2005 Ignatz Award Recipients"
Small Press Expo. Retrieved November 14, 2011. *2000 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Graphic Novel for ''Carnet de Voyage'' *2007

Grammy Award for Best Recording Package The Grammy Award for Best Recording Package is one of a series of Grammy Awards presented for the visual look of an album. It is presented to the art director of the winning album, not to the performer(s), unless the performer is also the art dir ...

for ''

'' *2021 Eisner Award Nomination for Best Graphic Memoir for 'Ginseng Roots'"2021 Eisner Award Nominations"
ComicCon Eisner Awards. Retrieved June 12, 2021. *2021 Eisner Award Nomination for Best Writer/Artist for 'Ginseng Roots'

Bibliography

Graphic novels

*'' Good-bye, Chunky Rice'' (1999) *'' Blankets'' (2003) *'' Carnet de Voyage'' (2004) *'' Habibi'' (2011) *''Space Dumplins'' (2015)

Mini-comics

*''Bible Doodles'' (2000) *''Doot Doot Garden'' (2001)

Ongoing series

*''Ginseng Roots'' (2019–present)

References

External links

* (blog)
Meakin Armstrong interviews Craig Thompson'
in '' Guernica / A Magazine of Art and Politics'' (September 15, 2011)
Excerpt from ''Habibi''
at ''Guernica''
Craig Thompson
at Top Shelf Catalog
Craig Thompson
at Uncivilized Books * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Craig 1975 births Living people Alternative cartoonists American comics artists People from Traverse City, Michigan Writers from Portland, Oregon People from Marathon, Wisconsin Novelists from Michigan Novelists from Wisconsin American graphic novelists Eisner Award winners for Best Writer/Artist Harvey Award winners for Best New Talent Harvey Award winners for Best Artist or Penciller Harvey Award winners for Best Cartoonist Ignatz Award winners for Outstanding Artist American male novelists Novelists from Oregon