Habibi

An artistic and epic story that is a feat of drawing and literature.  Thompson (native of my hometown Portland) places his story of loss & love in an unidentifiable time period and a corrupted eden.  One understands why it took seven years for his sophomore release when viewing the intricately detailed pages of his book - they are at turns beautiful and grotesque.  I cannot recommend this to everyone - so much horror happens to the central children and it never truly attains a 'happily ever after.'  The artistry in Habibi surpasses his previous, award winning book Blankets, but Blankets realized its message and felt agonizingly truthful, while Habibi leaves one wondering what to make of it.  I still loved reading the story, seeing the depths of admiration Thompson expresses here for the beauty and familiarity of the Islamic culture, and enjoying the interweaving of stories throughout in an Arabian Nights style.  The power of a story is perhaps the main message the artist/author succeeds in revealing, and in this, I can be satisfied.  But I suspect there were a great many more messages trying to be heard.   I've never seen someone manage both words and drawings so beautifully as Mr. Thompson - he's really accomplishing something unique here.  But Blankets let me know that his writing can compete with any others (at least when it is his own tale) and so ultimately, he set the bar fairly high himself.  I'm hoping that his storymaking continues and improves to the point that his invented stories achieve the poignancy of his personal history.