Habibi

Hello All-

    I had written a few posts ago about how I wanted to briefly review Craig Thompson's Habibi. I know it's a bit after the fact, since it came out last year, but I read it this February since I was so busy trying to finish up with school this past fall. Excuses, excuses. My review is quite simplistic, but I wanted to give a few thoughts.

   

    Let me just say that I loved the book. The art was remarkable, the writing was solid, and the subject matter was intriguing. For those of you who don't know, it follows the relationship between Dodola and Zam, two child slaves, who both struggle with physical transformations and separation from each other. They are eventually reunited after several years of trials and tribulations, only to grow into a new relationship with each other. Put simply, it's a love story, but one that deals with many types of love. Set in a fictional Arab land, the story is rich in Islamic and Christian parables, history, and imagery.

    Overall the graphic novel has been very well received. There have been a few complaints made though. The first was that it was too long and in some ways self-indulgent. I don't agree with the self-indulgent part, because if I had the time and ability to make something like this, you bet I would go all out. I can somewhat see that it was a bit long (672 pages), but I think this is a minor complaint.

    The other complaints concerned the "troubling" use of orientalism and the hypocritical objectification of Dodola. Some have argued that the Islamic and Arab characters portrayed are stereotypical and somewhat racist. Others believe that some of the male characters, such as the Sultan, are particularly violent, and that the harem is not acurately portrayed because courtisans may have had more agency. Dodola, who experiences an early (childhood) arranged marriage, sexual exploitation, and prostitution learns to use her body as a means of survival. Dodola is a complex female protagonist,  but some argue that it is this fact conflicts with Thompson's constant rendering of her as a sexual being.

    I don't have a very competent argument to defend against these accusations. All I will say is that I thought the book skillfully addressed many hard hitting topics such as slavery, race, gender, the build environment, exploitation, survival, adaptation, and love. In a way, the style of the book, including the aformentioned complaints (as well as the bits of humor thrown in) reminded me of some of Osamu Tezuka's later and darker works, such as Ode to Kirohito, MW, and Ayako. I don't know if this comparison has been made before, but that was immediately what came to mind.
    Both deal with larger societal problems, such as the degredation of the natural environment in the case of Habibi. Both have a way of sexualizing the main female characters, such as in Ayako. Both deal with some cultural stereotypes, such as Tezuka's portrayal of American, specifically African-American, GIs. Tezuka's lines are much finer compared to Craig's brushwork, but the layout and composition seemed similar to me. These statements could be totally ignorant, but again, this is MY perception.
   Anyhow, if you haven't already, READ THIS BOOK. It's awesome. I can't wait to see what he does next...even though it may be a while.