Habibi - Graphic Novel
From the internationally acclaimed author of Blankets (“A triumph for the genre.”—Library Journal), a highly anticipated new graphic novel.
Sprawling across an epic landscape of deserts, harems, and modern industrial clutter, Habibi tells the tale of Dodola and Zam, refugee child slaves bound to each other by chance, by circumstance, and by the love that grows between them. We follow them as their lives unfold together and apart; as they struggle to make a place for themselves in a world (not unlike our own) fueled by fear, lust, and greed; and as they discover the extraordinary depth—and frailty—of their connection.
At once contemporary and timeless, Habibi gives us a love story of astounding resonance: a parable about our relationship to the natural world, the cultural divide between the first and third worlds, the common heritage of Christianity and Islam, and, most potently, the magic of storytelling.
Reviews
“The character depth, plot complexity, and storytelling in this lyrical, sexual, and scholarly epic would make any novelist proud…Thompson strings compositions that are often more tapestry than comics and that balance graphic design, illumination, calligraphy, and cartooning in steady alignment. It is unfair to expect two masterpieces in a row from anyone, but here Thompson sits securely in that rarefied air.” –Booklist, starred review
“A lushly epic love story that's both inspiring and heartbreaking…In addition to richly detailed story panels, the gorgeous Arabic ornamental calligraphy makes each page an individual work of art. A dense, swirling dervish of a tale…this will be the most talked about graphic novel of the fall.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review
“The exquisite beauty and deep magic of this Arabian Nights-style love story cannot be overstated...Habibi is certain to join the ranks of graphic novels that expand our understanding of not only the genre but also the world it describes.” –Library Journal, starred review
“A graphic novel that is sure to attract attention…A mature—in all its meanings—glimpse into a world few Westerners are at home with, and Thompson is respectful throughout.” -Kirkus
"Craig Thompson's new graphic novel, Habibi, is a masterpiece. This isn't an opinion. This book is a gorgeous object; to make it, Thompson apparently covered himself in honey and rolled around in a thousand years of Arabic calligraphy and Islamic art, and the result is breathtaking.” -The Boston Phoenix
“Erotic, grotesque, and profoundly moving…I don’t think I’ve ever read a book quite like this, and I expect I’ll be thinking about it for a long, long time.” –Boing Boing
“Mere words—or at least my mere words—seemed not enough to even try to convey just how intricate and ornate, lush and seductive, arabesque and sometimes knowingly grotesque this artistic epic is…a visual masterpiece.” –Comic Riffs, Washington Post blog
“Relentlessly virtuosic... It is a tribute to Thompson's skill as a cartoonist that the transition from an old fashioned Orient to modern Babylon leaves few visual seams." –New York Times Book Review
“Brilliantly imagined…celebrates the power of the artist to tell a story with ink teased into magisterial letters and visual images.” –Newsweek
“A lush commentary on love and lust, wealth and want, religion and storytelling…the power in this tale lies in human passion, sometimes cruel and sometimes sweet, combined with its geometric precision and deep sense of the sacred.” –Harvard Crimson
“Lushly illustrated, at times unbearably sad and unexpectedly erotic.” –Paste Magazine
“Habibi is like a big, rousing, unabashedly tear-jerking Dumas novel, with fascinatingly intricate designs and fabulous tales on almost every page.” –Salon
“Audaciously ambitious. Just the decorative and calligraphic elements of its design alone are enough to recommend this volume.” –Icv2 review
“Executed with enormous empathy and something that in earlier times would have been called divine inspiration, Habibi is an extraordinary milestone in the world of drawn stories. Who would have thought that black ink could make such complex, soul-filling music?” –FT.com
“A fascinating exploration of a foreign cultural tradition by an American cartooning auteur at the height of his powers…never anything less than a breathtaking visual and intellectual experience.” –Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“Brilliantly imagined…it celebrates the power of the artist to tell a story with ink teased into magisterial letters and visual images.” –Daily Beast
“The art and lettering are both stunning and Thompson has rendered a complicated, dense story that truly elevates the medium.” –Forces of Geek Holiday Gift Guide
“Thompson is a superb artist…Habibi is a success.” –Washington Times
“Habibi isn't just Thompson's greatest work yet; it's one of the most beautiful novels I've read this year…The artwork is elegant, striking, reverent.” –The Portland Mercury
“This is almost without question one of the most important graphic novel releases of the year. It overflows with elegant, elaborate and brilliantly composed hybrid imagery.” –warmoth.org
“Habibi reminds one of nothing so much as the work of novelist John Barth, with its clear love of patterns, narrative, and beauty…incredibly compelling and readable on many levels.” –Paste Magazine
“With Habibi, Craig Thompson elevates the graphic novel form to even higher levels.” –GraphicNovelReporter.com
“Part adventure epic, part exploration of Middle Eastern folklore, Habibi is a work of tremendous scope and jaw-dropping ambition… Habibi looks to be Thompson's next great book.” –Critical Mob
“A massive masterpiece…Habibi’s pages are rich with ornamentation.” –Willamette Weekly
“Richly detailed… Habibi fits in the grand literary tradition of stories about stories and the effect they have on us.” –National Post
“The year’s most critically acclaimed graphic novel.” –Wausau Daily Herald
“Part fable and part history, Habibi is all novel: In the end, you care profoundly for Thompson’s protagonists.” –Time Out New York
“The magic here is twofold: Dodola's love for Zam, which transcends all other loves, and the wise stories…And what images! Thompson's brushstrokes give us villains with weight, smoke that wriggles, architecture that positively grows from the page.” –San Francisco Chronicle
“Impeccably researched and beautiful…a fount of delight for the attentive reader; a work of staggering ambition…Habibi was not just written or drawn; it reads like it was practically birthed in a tremendous effort of will.” –WSJ “Live Mint” blog
“Thompson took the literary establishment by its starched lapels and made the case for graphic novels as capital "A" Art.” –Flavorpill.com
“Incredibly gorgeous. Expect Habibi to join Maus on college syllabuses soon.” –Comic Book Day: Top 5 Comics of 2011
“Exotic and lush, yet heartbreaking at times, Thompson’s book is an exploration of the Islamic culture by one of comics’ most deft craftsmen.” –NewsOK blog
“A beautifully told and drawn story, as complex in its narrative as in its drawings.” –OnMilwaukee.com
“A lushly epic love story that's both inspiring and heartbreaking…In addition to richly detailed story panels, the gorgeous Arabic ornamental calligraphy makes each page an individual work of art. A dense, swirling dervish of a tale…this will be the most talked about graphic novel of the fall.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review
“The exquisite beauty and deep magic of this Arabian Nights-style love story cannot be overstated...Habibi is certain to join the ranks of graphic novels that expand our understanding of not only the genre but also the world it describes.” –Library Journal, starred review
“A graphic novel that is sure to attract attention…A mature—in all its meanings—glimpse into a world few Westerners are at home with, and Thompson is respectful throughout.” -Kirkus
"Craig Thompson's new graphic novel, Habibi, is a masterpiece. This isn't an opinion. This book is a gorgeous object; to make it, Thompson apparently covered himself in honey and rolled around in a thousand years of Arabic calligraphy and Islamic art, and the result is breathtaking.” -The Boston Phoenix
“Erotic, grotesque, and profoundly moving…I don’t think I’ve ever read a book quite like this, and I expect I’ll be thinking about it for a long, long time.” –Boing Boing
“Mere words—or at least my mere words—seemed not enough to even try to convey just how intricate and ornate, lush and seductive, arabesque and sometimes knowingly grotesque this artistic epic is…a visual masterpiece.” –Comic Riffs, Washington Post blog
“Relentlessly virtuosic... It is a tribute to Thompson's skill as a cartoonist that the transition from an old fashioned Orient to modern Babylon leaves few visual seams." –New York Times Book Review
“Brilliantly imagined…celebrates the power of the artist to tell a story with ink teased into magisterial letters and visual images.” –Newsweek
“A lush commentary on love and lust, wealth and want, religion and storytelling…the power in this tale lies in human passion, sometimes cruel and sometimes sweet, combined with its geometric precision and deep sense of the sacred.” –Harvard Crimson
“Lushly illustrated, at times unbearably sad and unexpectedly erotic.” –Paste Magazine
“Habibi is like a big, rousing, unabashedly tear-jerking Dumas novel, with fascinatingly intricate designs and fabulous tales on almost every page.” –Salon
“Audaciously ambitious. Just the decorative and calligraphic elements of its design alone are enough to recommend this volume.” –Icv2 review
“Executed with enormous empathy and something that in earlier times would have been called divine inspiration, Habibi is an extraordinary milestone in the world of drawn stories. Who would have thought that black ink could make such complex, soul-filling music?” –FT.com
“A fascinating exploration of a foreign cultural tradition by an American cartooning auteur at the height of his powers…never anything less than a breathtaking visual and intellectual experience.” –Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“Brilliantly imagined…it celebrates the power of the artist to tell a story with ink teased into magisterial letters and visual images.” –Daily Beast
“The art and lettering are both stunning and Thompson has rendered a complicated, dense story that truly elevates the medium.” –Forces of Geek Holiday Gift Guide
“Thompson is a superb artist…Habibi is a success.” –Washington Times
“Habibi isn't just Thompson's greatest work yet; it's one of the most beautiful novels I've read this year…The artwork is elegant, striking, reverent.” –The Portland Mercury
“This is almost without question one of the most important graphic novel releases of the year. It overflows with elegant, elaborate and brilliantly composed hybrid imagery.” –warmoth.org
“Habibi reminds one of nothing so much as the work of novelist John Barth, with its clear love of patterns, narrative, and beauty…incredibly compelling and readable on many levels.” –Paste Magazine
“With Habibi, Craig Thompson elevates the graphic novel form to even higher levels.” –GraphicNovelReporter.com
“Part adventure epic, part exploration of Middle Eastern folklore, Habibi is a work of tremendous scope and jaw-dropping ambition… Habibi looks to be Thompson's next great book.” –Critical Mob
“A massive masterpiece…Habibi’s pages are rich with ornamentation.” –Willamette Weekly
“Richly detailed… Habibi fits in the grand literary tradition of stories about stories and the effect they have on us.” –National Post
“The year’s most critically acclaimed graphic novel.” –Wausau Daily Herald
“Part fable and part history, Habibi is all novel: In the end, you care profoundly for Thompson’s protagonists.” –Time Out New York
“The magic here is twofold: Dodola's love for Zam, which transcends all other loves, and the wise stories…And what images! Thompson's brushstrokes give us villains with weight, smoke that wriggles, architecture that positively grows from the page.” –San Francisco Chronicle
“Impeccably researched and beautiful…a fount of delight for the attentive reader; a work of staggering ambition…Habibi was not just written or drawn; it reads like it was practically birthed in a tremendous effort of will.” –WSJ “Live Mint” blog
“Thompson took the literary establishment by its starched lapels and made the case for graphic novels as capital "A" Art.” –Flavorpill.com
“Incredibly gorgeous. Expect Habibi to join Maus on college syllabuses soon.” –Comic Book Day: Top 5 Comics of 2011
“Exotic and lush, yet heartbreaking at times, Thompson’s book is an exploration of the Islamic culture by one of comics’ most deft craftsmen.” –NewsOK blog
“A beautifully told and drawn story, as complex in its narrative as in its drawings.” –OnMilwaukee.com
