I am not against nudity, sex, and graphic violence (whether it be humorous like Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Deadpool or serious like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Law & Order: SVU) or any mixture/combination of the three in media and I am against censorship of any form.

I really respected the way Thompson handled that in this graphic novel and I was absolutely amazed by the way religion is presented. The graphic novel is also not “preachy”, it uses religion as a way to transfer the themes and ideas of the graphic novel but in no way is it trying to convert anyone or bash any specific religion. However, you do not need a religious background to appreciate or understand them.

The biblical allusions and stories that are present in the graphic novel are essential to the story.

The graphic novel is long (not Bone long, but pretty expansive) but the story doesn’t stagnate and keeps you wanting more.

The drama is tense and the resolutions are calming, Thompson does an incredible job with balancing tone and narrative. The struggles and perils they face throughout the graphic novel are terrible, but there is always that glimmer of hope that both you as a reader and the characters feel. You really do feel for the main characters Dodola and Zam. The dreamscape fairy-tale like structure coupled with the harsh realism of the world, it creates such a unique and elegant atmosphere. I was absolutely enamored by the narrative. What I liked LOVED about this graphic novel: I had no idea he had made another graphic novel! It was 2016 and Habibi had been out since 2011?!? Where was I?!? I finished the entire 672 page graphic novel in one sitting. I went into a library and saw Habibi and I was overjoyed. I gave up on Thompson after that and I hadn’t read anymore of his work until recent. I felt like he had gone into hiding or pulled a Harper Lee where he was satisfied with Blankets enough so he will never write another graphic novel again. If you haven’t read it, you must! Even Joss Whedon loved this comic and that’s saying something! 😉

Habibi novel