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

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 ...

ist best known for his books '' Good-bye, Chunky Rice'' (1999), ''

Blankets A blanket is a swath of soft cloth large enough either to cover or to enfold most of the user's body and thick enough to keep the body warm by trapping radiant body heat that otherwise would be lost through conduction. Etymology The term ...

'' (2003), '' Carnet de Voyage'' (2004), '' Habibi'' (2011), ''Space Dumplins'' (2015), and ''Ginseng Roots'' (2025). 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 a successor to the Kirby Awards, which were ...

s, three

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 ...

s, and two Ignatz Awards. In 2007, his cover design for the

Menomena Menomena is an indie rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, made up of Justin Harris and Danny Seim. Both members of the band share singing duties and frequently swap instruments while recording. In concert, Seim plays drums, while Ha ...

album '' Friend and Foe'' 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, Michigan, Grand Traverse County, although it partly extends into Leelanau County, Michigan, Leelanau County. The city's population was 15, ...

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 an ...

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 television shows were screened or altogether censored by their parents, and the only music allowed was

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

. 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'' (''TMNT'') is an American media franchise created by comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), D ...

, 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 Omics is the collective characterization and quantification of entire sets of biological molecules and the investigation of how they translate into the structure, function, and dynamics of an organism or group of organisms. The branches of scien ...

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, Thompson left his hometown in 1997 and settled in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

.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 2007-12-10.

Career

Thompson worked briefly at

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

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

tendinitis Tendinopathy is 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 ( tenn ...

, 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, actor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notability as the creator of the Muppets. Henson was also well known for creating ''Fraggle Rock'' ( ...

, Dr. Seuss, and

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and producer. Known for popularizing Goth subculture, Goth culture in the American film industry, Burton is famous for his Gothic film, gothic horror and dark fantasy films. ...

. 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 a ...

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 ''

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

Nickelodeon Magazine ''Nick 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 magazine ...

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

album '' Friend and Foe'', which was released on January 23 from

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

. 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 West Coast of the United States, U.S. West Coast, founded as a weekly by Tho ...

''. 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. Founded in 1942 as an independent publishing house in New York City by Kurt and Helen Wolff, it specialized in introducing progressive European works to American readers. In 1961, it was ...

, in September

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

. The book is influenced by

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

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 rituals or myths. The primary focus of Islam is the practical and rational pra ...

: "I'm playing with

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

in the same way I was playing with

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

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 r ...

'' #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 may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...

'' magazine, ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'',

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

, ''

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 publis ...

'',

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

, ''

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 at Harvard University, an Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. The newspaper was founded in 1873, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduate students. His ...

''.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 Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', 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. From 2019 to 2024 Craig Thompson worked on a serialized comic, Ginseng Roots. The series is a "recherche du temps perdu" that tells the story of ginseng in parallel with Craig's childhood, among Christian fundamentalist parents, hard work to grow ginseng, and comics. The 12th and last comic book of the series was published by Uncivilized Books in February 2024. The series was published as a book by Penguin Random House in April 2025. Ginseng farmer Will Hsu likened waiting for the comic book installments to what it's like to grow ginseng: "It teaches you the patience of ginseng,” Hsu explained. “You know, you read a comic book and now you’ve got to wait months for the next installment. Well, you plant ginseng seeds, you’ve got to wait years until you harvest something.”

Style and influences

Thompson has acknowledged the influence of graphic artists Taro Yashima,

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 (comic book), Eightball'', a solo anthology comic book series. An ''E ...

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'' (2012 ...

, and

Joe Sacco Joe Sacco (; born October 2, 1960) is a Maltese-American cartoonist and journalist. He is credited as the first artist to practice rigorous, investigative journalism using the comics form, also referred to as comics journalism. His groundbrea ...

. 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 ''

''"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 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 ...

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 The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize out ...

for '' Friend and Foe'' *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) *''

'' (2003) *'' Carnet de Voyage'' (2004) *'' Habibi'' (2011) *''Space Dumplins'' (2015) *''Ginseng Roots'' (2025)

Mini-comics

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

Series

*''Ginseng Roots'' (2019–2024) In February 2024, the 12th and last comic book of the series is published by Uncivilized Books. The series is a "recherche du temps perdu" that tells the story of ginseng in parallel with Craig's childhood in Marathon, Wisconsin, one of the world's main exporters of ginseng.

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