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Good-bye, Chunky Rice, the first full length graphic production from Craig Thompson, is a deceivingly simple tale of friendship and all its many dimensions. To fully appreciate this, one must first recognise the appropriate reading pace and furthermore, be aware of Thompson's understanding of the medium and the need to read the images and text in equally measures. I'd even go so far as to suggest you read the spaces in between.

Good-bye Chunky Rice sees the departure of tiny turtle Chunky. Leaving behind close friend Dandel in search of a home and more importantly that sense of belonging, he boards the ship of Captain Chuck and in no time at all he is an uncomfortable guest of the boundless seas and the vessel that sails upon it.

The novel flows remarkably well, unhurried and controlled, viewing issues and the therapeutic options selected. The world of Chunky Rice, with its cartoon boat and bridges and buildings, and those that inhabit it are misleading in their comic book dynamics for, like our own, theirs is a cruel world in which happiness is a rare commodity. In actuality, it's quite likely that the sense of reality is actually exaggerated through the contrast of the visual environment.

I'm not entirely sure where appreciation starts and enjoyment finishes these days. Often reflection upon appreciation is where I derive much of my enjoyment. Good-bye Chunky Rice is one such example of this. It's frequently the same situation with cinema. The highlights of this year in cinema are looking to be films I've enjoyed after the fact. At the time I might think yeah that was not bad but later I'll be, that was really funny or that was actually quite clever. In comics this occurs less often, I'm sure the good stuff is out there circulating somewhere without adequate global distribution. A book such as Chucky Rice would benefit both in sales and appreciation from the availability of a greater choice in the comic book domain. Passion for the art would intensify. I think.

Reviewer: Andrew Morrison
November 1999

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