Habibi

Craig Thompson’s Habibi is a singular, sprawling graphic novel published by Pantheon in 2011, telling an epic tale of love, slavery, and faith set against a mythical Middle Eastern landscape. Written and drawn entirely by Thompson, the book weaves together the stories of two former child slaves, Dodola and Zam, as they navigate a world of brutal reality and rich, allegorical beauty. Renowned for its intricate, ornate artwork and deep engagement with Islamic calligraphy and scripture, Habibi stands as a monumental, ambitious work that explores the intersection of the sacred and the profane. It remains a defining, standalone achievement in contemporary graphic fiction.