Blankets is an emotional autobiography that narrates the struggles of childhood, teenage experience and how to reconcile those experiences as an adult. Focusing on Thompson’s devout religious upbringing in light of his sexual awakening, as well as the sexual abuse he endured from a male babysitter, Blankets offers a beautiful blending of realist panels with decadent and fluid symbolism. The story is compelling and nuanced, approaching highly personal experience with honesty and a touch of irony. Considering the hypocrisy of his small-town faith community, the trauma of sexual abuse, the fear of his childhood bullies and his own conflicting responses as a teenager, Thompson creates a revelatory autobiography that is simultaneously an unique story and an universal one that connects with its readers on a visceral level.
Blankets’ artwork is confined to muted colour palette, but the bold brush strokes of his line work bring the pages alive. The graphic novel consistently uses traditional linear panels mixed with splashes that break through the white gutter space in between that creates vivid and powerful symbolism. With this book, the devil is in the details as the lush art work gives you something new with every read.
When first published in 2003, Blankets received widespread acclaim in both mainstream comic book presses and academic communities. It won several Harvey Awards in 2004, including Best Artist, Best Cartoonist and Best Graphic Album of Original Work. In the same year, it also took home two Eisner Awards and two Ignatz Awards. It’s been discussed and analysed in several academic works, for example, M.P. Garcia’s article “Writing the Self, Drawing the Self” and Emma Tinker’s “Manuscript in Print”. Interested? Find a copy in the David Wilson Library!
