When I opened my eyes this morning, I saw an email from American cartoonist Craig Thompson. I read it half-heartedly and immediately woke up. Haha, his new book is finally finished!
I couldn’t wait to download the PDF , and the familiar style of painting immediately caught my eye. This is the comic “Ginseng Root” that I must introduce today.
From the age of 10 to 20 , Craig and his brother Phil would wake up before dawn every day to help their mother with the hard work of weeding and collecting ginseng on her Wisconsin farm.
Working 8 hours a day , 5 days a week made Craig feel listless every day. The motivation that kept the two brothers going was the $1 per hour bonus, because this little change was just enough for them to buy a comic book. Craig and his brother “donated” almost all the pocket money they earned from work to Marvel. Coincidentally, many years later, when Craig worked for an American comic book publisher, Marvel happened to be one of his clients.
The ginseng grown on the farm was sold in China at a high profit, which gave Craig more pocket money to buy comics. From then on, the idea of becoming a cartoonist flashed in Craig’s mind. His obsession with comic books in his youth eventually made him a well-known cartoonist with outstanding achievements. Drawing comics also completely freed him from the constraints of living in the countryside all his life and having to be an ordinary worker.
After becoming a professional cartoonist, Craig worked briefly at Dark Horse Comics, where he drew advertisements, illustrations and designed packaging for the company, and drew some of his own projects in his spare time at night. But soon, Craig suffered from severe tendinitis and had to leave Dark Horse, continuing his projects while receiving treatment.
A little ginseng suddenly jumped out from his heart, just like the ginseng baby in the cartoon, as if guiding him to explore life. Craig and his brother Phil embarked on a ginseng-hunting journey.
While traveling around the world, Craig recorded what he saw and heard along the way. This is no longer a comic, but a wonderful “Remembrance of Things Past” documentary, which is part memoir, part travelogue, and part essay.
In the parallel world of Craig’s childhood, readers are shown the formation of the class divide, the connection between agriculture and society, the 300 -year trade relationship between China and North America, childhood life, and the bond between two brothers.
Craig does not create a fantasy or supernatural world. He peels off the ordinary surface, allowing people to find a sense of belonging in reflection and explore the complex beauty and anxiety of real life.
Craig was born on September 21 , 1975 in Traverse City, Michigan. He grew up with his brother and sister in a fundamentalist Christian family in rural Marathon, Wisconsin.
His father was a plumber and his mother was a stay-at-home nurse’s assistant who worked as a stay-at-home mom and a disabled person. Media such as movies and television shows were strictly censored by his parents, and the only music allowed was Christian music. Craig’s only exposure to the arts was Sunday family comedies and cartoons, as these were recognized as being prepared for children. As a result, Craig and his brother were particularly fascinated by black -and-white independent cartoons from the 1980s.
The two brothers spent their money on comic books. They were addicted to comics and soon they were drawing and creating their own comics. Craig said that without the money he made from weeding and collecting ginseng as a child, he would not have been able to afford comics. Without comic books, he is not sure he would be where he is today. So, it was because of ginseng that he developed this commitment or obsession with comics. Maybe that is why he created this book.
In high school, Craig dreamed of becoming a small-town artist or film animator. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Marathon for three semesters and spent one semester at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, during which time he began publishing cartoons in the college newspaper. In 1997 , Craig left his hometown and settled in Portland, Oregon.
Craig has won four Harvey Awards, three Eisner Awards, two Ignatz Awards, Best New Picture Album, Best Artist, Best Cartoonist, and Best Original Graphic Design. In 2007 , his cover for the album Friend and Foe by the Portland, Oregon indie rock band Menomena was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Album Packaging.
To be continued
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