i’m a little behind in discovering (and enjoying) graphic novels…
we both finished Craig/Thompson’s delightful ‘Blankets’ and ‘Habibi’ over a few nights, and we’re already craving for more! (we even went down to Planerds@313 on the second day of CNY, optimistically hoping it was open, but it wasn’t, to our disappointment.)
i’ve always been a prose kinda person, but the first graphic novel i picked up – the husband’s copy of Marjane/Satrapi’s ‘Persepolis’ – surprised me, as a thought-provoking, insightful, evocative piece of literature, for all its comic-like illustrations and black & white panels.
‘Blankets’ and ‘Habibi’ similarly marvelled and moved me.
i personally preferred the more understated ‘Blankets’, a semi-autobiography of thompson’s childhood and adolescence, a beautifully-told memoir of a boy who never quite fitted in, and his questioning of the relationships that formed him during those growing-up years – with his brother, with his parents, with his first love, and importantly, with his religion.
a bittersweet story that i could connect with, for some reason, despite the geographical and cultural gaps.
except, if you look closely, we are in fact of the same generation – certain icons of the early 90s tacked on the walls as clues.
and then, a line from The Cure did it for me. 
the husband on the other hand preferred ‘Habibi’, an epic tale of a girl, sold into marriage at 9 years of age, who learned to read and write from her husband…
3 years later her husband was killed by thieves, and she escaped from being sold into slavery, along with an 3-year-old boy abandoned by another slave. she brought him up in the harsh, lonely desert, and as he grew older, the mother-son/sister-brother love evolved into something deeper and complex…
and while that, in essence, is the central storyline, what was more fascinating to me were the other stories interwoven throughout, lifted from the Quran and other sources, of Prophets and angels and their relation to the main characters, and in extension, to us, the reader.
and of course, the beautiful, intricate Arabic calligraphy and motifs (amazingly coming from a man who grew up in rural Midwest america, as a fundamental Christian no less), with poignant ruminations on each arabic letter depicted in the ‘magic squares’ (exploring the mysticism of Arabic numerology), as each chapter unfolds…
while its hard cover and sheer volume feels as if you are holding the holy book itself, be forewarned that there are depictions of nudity and sex within the pages so you may feel some discomfort if you aren’t able to reconcile such images in close proximity to the scriptures, but otherwise, read it with an open mind and you may end up appreciating the Quran and its teachings, the Arabic language and its aesthetics, and what they stand for, even more.
“When the last letter of the magic squares – Haa’ – reaches out to connect with the first letter – Baa’ – the word ‘Hubb’ – meaning ‘Love’ – is formed. ‘Habib’ means ‘Beloved’. Linked with the possessive ‘my’ – Yaa – it spells ‘HABIBI’.”
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