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Good-bye, Chunky Rice (3 Points)

This story almost brought me to tears.


 I don't know if it was because I was listening to Lofi while reading this which is known for making me feel sentimental, but I think it was mostly because Craig Thompson really knew how to hit you right in the gut with his storytelling.


Each character is very different, but all of them share the same kind of longing. Whether it be for a change of scenery, a loved one, grief, companionship, or to even just find a better life with a meaningful career, they're all longing for something. Thompson really made sure that this brief little story made sure you understood just how each character felt. It's something everyone can relate to, no matter what age, since it goes through so many different characters who all are going through something we as people are bound to experience someday. You feel the hurt with them.


I never thought a tiny turtle man named Chunky Rice and his rat girlfriend would make me want to cry. Even the twins were great. They were the neutral characters we needed to break up the heartache Charles, Soloman, Chunky, and Dandel had to go through. I'm so glad Soloman got to be with Merle.... And I'm so glad it ended with Chunky seeing one of Dandel's letters hit the boat. It really hurt. Even though it ended there, it left me hoping that those characters would indeed find a better life.


Thompson breaks his frames similarly to Eisner, although he does use bars to separate them. Speech and thought bubbles run over these boundaries and lead your eyes from one panel to the next- even going as far as to have the characters interact with them. There's something about this tactic that makes me feel like the characters are seld-aware and know that what they're going through can break the 4th wall into the lives of the readers.


I greatly enjoyed it.

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