Habibi [Hardcover]

Set in a fictional country in what seems to be the Middle East, a 6 year old girl called Dodola is sold by her poverty-stricken parents to a calligrapher to be his wife. The man is brutally murdered and the girl is stolen and sold into slavery. She saves an infant boy from certain death by claiming him as her own and then later escaping with him to live on an abandoned ship in the middle of the desert. She names him Habibi. The two of them manage to survive for a few years by Dodola prostituting herself to merchants travelling across the desert in exchange for food. Then one day she is stolen once again and taken to join the harem of the Sultan. Habibi does his best to survive but must take himself to the city in order to survive and from there the story begins, the two of them striving to meet one another again.

To say that the book is beautiful is an understatement and an insult to Craig Thompson; the book is sublime. Clearly an enormous amount of research has gone into the book and every page contains stunning details whether it's the designs of the rugs to the elaborate jewellery of the Sultan or the clothing of the guards to the swooping flights of mythology from Islam and Christianity. There's a two page splash drawing of a giant heap of garbage and it stops you in your tracks, it's so detailed. Thompson dives into the story never shying away from the hardship of drawing a crowd scene (and there are several scenes set in marketplaces) or drawing rivers of discarded human waste as well as bringing to life the wonderful characters of Dodola and Habibi.

There is a lot more to the book than I've let on in the brief summary at the top, after all it is a nearly 700 page book, but the epic scope of this love story is utterly compelling and the way Thompson weaves in aspects of religion and mythology into the contemporary story is flawless. He goes into etymology with the detail of a scholar and then he's talking about how the designs of clothing are influenced by old stories. He effortlessly describes an alien society (from the perspective of the West that is) with the confidence of a sociologist and not once does it seem inscrutable.

Having read his previous books, and if you haven't I highly recommend them, I can see aspects of "Good-bye, Chunky Rice" in the book in the way that Dodola and Habibi are separated, pine for each other, and strive to one day meet again. I see the way that the simple, innocent love between a man and a woman depicted in "Blankets" is transported to this book but elaborated upon and explored further. And even in his "Carnet de Voyage" which was essentially a sketch book of Thompson's travels in the Middle East, a lot of those designs and ideas are incorporated into this book, and this was nearly 8 years ago! In short, "Habibi" is the culmination of Thompson's career as a writer/artist thus far and as close to a masterpiece as can be in comics.

I utterly fell in love with this book. The love of storytelling and words that Thompson infuses into Dodola is infectious and if there were moments I felt that the book could have been edited into a shorter story, I would say that the pure joy found in the expression of art and literature triumphed over any such cynical thoughts. This is a book that transcends the comics genre and becomes a work of literature to be enjoyed by anyone who loves books. This is not just one of the best comic books to come out this year but one of the best books, full stop, and shows that Craig Thompson has not just reached the same level as other masters of the genre like Will Eisner or Bryan Talbot, but has the potential to surpass them.

I highly recommend "Habibi" because as much as I've talked about the book, I haven't even begun to describe a tenth of what it contains - the wonder of which awaits the reader to discover themselves. Go and discover it.

Where do I start when reviewing this work? Firstly I should state that I havent read Craig Thompsons' highly praised graphic novel Blankets. Although I have looked at it many times and seriously considered buying it, there have always been other options at the time. So this is my first, proper, introduction to Thompson.

What an introduction this is! Habibi tells the story of two child slaves Dodola and Zam brought together by fate who take us through some of lifes most important lessons as we read their continuing stories in a fictitious Arabian landscape.

This book must have been painstakingly researched by the author as its scope and breadth of storytelling is just breathtaking. It was almost too much for me, and I read lots of comics and graphic novels. Encompassing quotes from the Koran and the Bible we see the similarities of the faiths, beautiful drawings of Arabic calligraphy, chemistry, biology, philosophy and all encompassing unconditional love. Indeed it is this which keeps you coming back for more as at its core this is surely a story of love between two people(s)

A beautiful 670 page hardback book it is stunningly designed and drawn from front cover to back cover. It reminds me somewhat of the manga Buddha by Osamu Tezuka which is also a work of incredible scope.

Beware though, the book does not shy away from adult themes and therefore is probably not for everyone.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

After much hinting I received this book as a present for Christmas. Both the artwork and storyline are beautiful throughout this book. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down and found myself reading into the early hours of the morning.