Carnet De Voyage

The guy at the local comic shop recommended this one to me when he discovered I liked Craig Thompson's Blankets. Carnet de Voyage is Thompson's travel diary - comic style - of his two month European trip in 2004.
I like Thompson's style - it's b&w but very expressive. I particularly like his drawings of women; they seem more expressive than his men. This is often a beautiful book, containing Thompson's images of the many sights and people he sees. And it is often a funny book - Thompson's drawings of his - err- stomach troubles are quite fun (to look at- not to have). The two almost don't seem to go together. But Thompson is honest about his trip; he burns out on sight-seeing, gets tired of signing books at promotions and giving away free portraits when he draws in the streets. He's kind of whiney - how many of us would give anything to have our publishers pay for an extended trip to Europe, even if it did involve public promotions & book signings (heck, how many of us would be thrilled to have a book to sign right here in the good old USA?). Still, I bet almost every one of us would also feel like Thompson - alone and homesick when the shine wore off the travel.
This isn't one that will be of great interest to teens, but it's definitely a different twist on the typical travel account.

Thompson, Craig. Carnet de Voyage. Marietta, GA: Top Shelf Productions, 2004.

What I'm Reading: Nick & Norah

On My Bookshelf: Johnny Hazard, Blood Red Horse, and so many more - not sure what's next...