Week Five: Blankets by Craig Thompson [Additional Response]

This week’s assignment was to read Craig Thompson’s graphic novel, Blankets. Off the bat I found this novel to be very similar to my artistic style and what kind of art I enjoy reading. Through his writing style and his illustrations, I can really feel Thompson’s emotions and trials and tribulations as the he makes the reader embark on with this character. Like discussed in class, his past emotions and life events really shine through in this novel as we get glimpse into his life. 

The novel also does a good job of heightening reality and making the world it takes place familiar yet fantastical that I greatly appreciated. In terms of themes, Blankets addresses the reality of a first love, a discovery of religion. With such broad and big topics, Thompson is able to capture these moments into panels that are enjoyable to read and look at for hours – while telling a compelling story. The main character, Craig is a Strict Catholic, due to his upbringing and serves as the sheltered character who is embarking out into the “real” world. We as the audience can relate to him easier as we are reading this story or embarking on this journey with Craig – something I greatly admire as a storytelling device. Presentation wise, on top of the illustrations, the narrative texts never felt like it was overbearing and it had a casual feel to it, especially with the handwritten words. In terms of panels, Thompson uses an outside the box method and uses many unconventional methods to frame his drawings – like letting characters or illustrations float on a page without the worry of having a border. 

I found Blankets a fun a exciting read with a style I can’t quite find anywhere else. Thompson’s use of being able to simplify themes and present them from his own experience is a blessing and his art style compliments the feelings of what he is trying to convey.