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Graphic novels can definitely be great works of art. But as an illustrator and sometimes comic artist myself, I can say that few graphic novelists manage to find the potential of the medium.

Too often, graphic novels limit themselves to the trappings of established comic book themes and genres. Even the best, such as "The Dark Knight Returns" and "The Watchmen" often stick to familiar subject matter, although if in the hands of Frank Miller and Alan Moore, they manage to transcend it.

Blankets is a graphic novel by Portland artist Craig Thompson, and a great example of the graphic novel's potential as a medium. The story of the author's first love and the conflict it creates with his religious upbringing. It's a story that has been told a million times before. As a movie, perhaps in writing, Blankets would have been unremarkable.

What makes Blankets unusual is the way in which the author uses his lines, his patterns, his brushwork. It is as expressive as the finest of poetry: The pulsating circles of his sleeping lover's heartbeat and breathing... the flirtatious, erotic lines of her handwriting... the patterns of their shared blanket enveloping them in their own, warm, comfortable world together... All perfectly capturing the exhilaration of first love.

It is said that every story has already been told, but the best storytellers are the ones who find a new way to tell them and awaken their audiences to a fresh sensation. Craig Thomspon has created a work of art that stands up to some of the best in any medium. There are others too. Art Spiegelman's Maus comes to mind, as does Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis. All of these have set the standard.

Forget the superheroes: I hope to see more graphic novelists follow these examples.

posted 4 years, 6 months ago
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