Blankets creator Craig Thompson has just finished a new book, Habibi, which he describes thusly:

Sprawling across an epic landscape of deserts, harems, and modern industrial clutter, HABIBI tells the tale of Dodola and Zam, refugee child slaves bound to each other by chance, by circumstance, and by the love that grows between them.

At once contemporary and timeless, HABIBI gives us a love story of astounding resonance: a parable about our relationship to the natural world, the cultural divide between the first and third worlds, the common heritage of Christianity and Islam, and, most potently, the magic of storytelling.

Ambitious! The book is due out in September from Pantheon, but Thompson launched a Habibi website yesterday, with basic information and an amazing Process Gallery filled with pages in various stages of completion—sketches, pencils, inks—as well as a few photos of the creator in action. Stop by and check it out, and if you're going to San Diego, well, surprise! Thompson will be there too.