Adrian Tomine (; born May 31, 1974) is an American
cartoonist. He is best known for his ongoing
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
series ''
Optic Nerve
In neuroanatomy, the optic nerve, also known as the second cranial nerve, cranial nerve II, or simply CN II, is a paired cranial nerve that transmits visual information from the retina to the brain. In humans, the optic nerve is derived fro ...
'' and his
illustrations
An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in print and digital published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, video ...
in ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
''.
Early life
Adrian Tomine was born May 31, 1974, in
Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
.
His father is Dr. Chris Tomine, Ph.D. and Professor
Emeritus of
Environmental Engineering
Environmental engineering is a professional engineering discipline that encompasses broad scientific topics like chemistry, biology, ecology, geology, hydraulics, hydrology, microbiology, and mathematics to create solutions that will protect and ...
at
California State University Sacramento
California State University, Sacramento (CSUS, Sacramento State, or informally Sac State) is a public university in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is the eleventh oldest school in the 23-campus California ...
's Department of
Civil Engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...
. His mother is Dr. Satsuki Ina, Ph.D. and Professor Emeritus at California State University Sacramento's School of Education. His grandmother was Shizuko Ina, who was pictured in
Dorothea Lange
Dorothea Lange (born Dorothea Margaretta Nutzhorn; May 26, 1895 – October 11, 1965) was an American documentary photographer and photojournalist, best known for her Great Depression, Depression-era work for the Farm Security Administratio ...
's photo essay on the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII. He also has a brother, Dylan, who is eight years his senior.
Tomine is
fourth-generation Japanese American. Both of his parents, in spite of being
third-generation Americans, spent part of their childhoods incarcerated in
Japanese American internment camps during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
Tomine's parents divorced when he was two years old, after which he moved frequently, accompanying his mother to
Fresno
Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...
, CA, then
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, and
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, while spending summers with his father in Sacramento.
As a child, Tomine enjoyed reading
Spider-Man comics, and was inspired to experiment with drawing and creating his own stories. In an interview, he said, "Something about the medium just transfixed me at an early age".
In high school, he began writing, drawing, and
self-publishing ''Optic Nerve'', which he has continued producing as a regular
comic book series
a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...
for
Drawn & Quarterly
Drawn & Quarterly is a publishing company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, specializing in comics. It publishes primarily comic books, graphic novels and comic strip collections. The books it publishes are noted for their artistic content, a ...
. Tomine continued to produce the series while studying English as an undergraduate at
UC Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant uni ...
.
Career
Tomine began self-publishing his work when he was a teenager, but was also featured in mainstream publications like ''
Pulse!'' while still in high school.
In an interview published in ''
The Comics Journal
''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing r ...
'' #205, Tomine addressed criticisms of his work and discussed his influences; the magazine cover featured his self-parody of sorts, a sequence in which a
hipster girl says to the reader, "I'm so cute! I love coffee and
indie rock
Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...
! But... I'm sad. Can you relate?"
Tomine cites
Jaime Hernandez
Jaime (sometimes spelled Xaime) Hernandez (born 1959) is the co-creator of the Alternative comics, alternative comic book ''Love and Rockets (comics), Love and Rockets'' with his brothers Gilbert Hernandez, Gilbert and Mario Hernandez (comics), M ...
(''
Love and Rockets'') and
Daniel Clowes
Daniel Gillespie Clowes (; born April 14, 1961) is an American cartoonist, graphic novelist, illustrator, and screenwriter. Most of Clowes's work first appeared in '' Eightball'', a solo anthology comic book series. An ''Eightball'' issue typi ...
(''
Ghost World'') as two of his biggest influences. He is also a fan of his contemporary,
Chris Ware
Franklin Christenson "Chris" Ware (born December 28, 1967) is an American cartoonist known for his '' Acme Novelty Library'' series (begun 1994) and the graphic novels ''Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth'' (2000), ''Building Stories'' (201 ...
.
''Optic Nerve''
''
Optic Nerve
In neuroanatomy, the optic nerve, also known as the second cranial nerve, cranial nerve II, or simply CN II, is a paired cranial nerve that transmits visual information from the retina to the brain. In humans, the optic nerve is derived fro ...
'' is Tomine's ongoing comic series that was originally self-published in
minicomic
A minicomic is a creator-published comic book, often photocopied and stapled or with a handmade binding. In the United Kingdom and Europe the term small press comic is equivalent with minicomic, reserved for those publications measuring A6 (105& ...
format and distributed to local
comics shops in his area. Tomine published seven issues of the ''Optic Nerve'' mini; most of the stories were later compiled into a single edition, ''32 Stories: The Complete Optic Nerve Mini-Comics'', published by
Drawn & Quarterly
Drawn & Quarterly is a publishing company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, specializing in comics. It publishes primarily comic books, graphic novels and comic strip collections. The books it publishes are noted for their artistic content, a ...
.
After Drawn & Quarterly became Tomine's publisher, ''Optic Nerve'' was published at
standard comic book size, and the issue numbering was restarted, with the first Drawn & Quarterly-published issue renumbered as #1. These comics range from a few pages per story to the 32-page standard in later issues.
Issues #1–4 included several stories each and were later collected in ''Sleepwalk and Other Stories''. Issues #5–8 included one story each and were collected in ''Summer Blonde''.
Issues #9–11 were compiled into the critically praised 2007
graphic novel
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
''
Shortcomings'', a complete story arc in which Tomine explored
Asian American racial issues directly.
''Killing and Dying''
In 2015, Tomine's graphic novel ''Killing and Dying'', a collection of six
short stories
A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...
, was released to critical acclaim and became a
''New York Times'' Bestseller.
It was named one of
''New York'' Magazine’s Top 10 Graphic Novels of the Year and one of
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
‘s Best Books of the Year, and was winner of
The Story Prize The Story Prize is an annual book award established in 2004 that honors the author of an outstanding collection of short fiction with a $20,000 cash award. Each of two runners-up receives $5,000. Eligible books must be written in English and first p ...
’s Spotlight Award. Stories from the book were also honored with an
Eisner Award for
Best Short Story and excerpted in ''
The Best American Comics
''The Best American Comics'' was a yearly anthology of comics in the United States published by Houghton Mifflin from 2006 to 2019 as part of ''The Best American Series''.
Stories were chosen using the same procedure as the other Best American ...
'' anthology.
In its review of ''Killing and Dying'',
''Wired'' magazine called Tomine “one of the most gifted graphic novelists of our time.” British author
Zadie Smith
Zadie Smith FRSL (born Sadie; 25 October 1975) is an English novelist, essayist, and short-story writer. Her debut novel, ''White Teeth'' (2000), immediately became a best-seller and won a number of awards. She has been a tenured professor ...
praised the collection saying, “
ominehas more ideas in twenty panels than novelists have in a lifetime.”
Comics artist
Chris Ware
Franklin Christenson "Chris" Ware (born December 28, 1967) is an American cartoonist known for his '' Acme Novelty Library'' series (begun 1994) and the graphic novels ''Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth'' (2000), ''Building Stories'' (201 ...
said of the compilation: “As a serious cartoonist, one secretly hopes to create ‘That Book’: a book that can be passed to a literary-minded person who doesn’t normally read comics: one that doesn’t require any explanation or apology in advance and is developed enough in its attitude, humanity, and complexity that it speaks maturely for itself… Adrian Tomine‘s ''Killing and Dying'' may finally be That Book, and I’m amazed and heartened by it.”
Album art
Tomine has contributed to several rock bands‘ album packaging design, including
liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes.
Origin
Liner notes are desc ...
and
album art
An album cover (also referred to as album art) is the front packaging art of a commercially released studio album or other audio recordings. The term can refer to either the printed paperboard covers typically used to package sets of and 78-rpm ...
for
Eels
Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...
' ''
Electro-Shock Blues
''Electro-Shock Blues'' is the second studio album by American rock band Eels. It was released in the United Kingdom on September 21, 1998, and October 20 in the United States by record label DreamWorks.
Background and content
''Electro-Sho ...
'', "
Last Stop: This Town", "
Cancer for the Cure", and ''
End Times
Eschatology (; ) concerns expectations of the end of the present age, human history, or of the world itself. The end of the world or end times is predicted by several world religions (both Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic), which teach that nega ...
'';
Yo La Tengo's 2006
covers albums ''
Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics
''Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics'' is an album by the band Yo La Tengo, released in 2006, consisting solely of covers.
Yo La Tengo supported the fundraising efforts of independent radio channel WFMU with annual studio visits. All listene ...
'' and ''
Murder in the Second Degree
''Murder in the Second Degree'' is a 2016 album by the American musical group Yo La Tengo. The album consists of cover songs originally written by other musicians, all of which were played live in the studio by Yo La Tengo as fundraisers for indep ...
'';
The Softies
The Softies were a musical duo consisting of Rose Melberg and Jen Sbragia, who are known for their minimal approach to pop music.
History
Beginning in 1994, the band was intended to be a side project for both artists. Along with an eventual ...
' ''It's Love''; and
The Crabs
The Crabs were a Portland, Oregon-based indie-rock band. Originally formed as a duo with Jonn Lunsford (vocals, guitar) and Lisa Jackson (vocals, drums), the pair later added keyboardist Sarah Dougher following their 1997 release ''What Were Flam ...
' ''What Were Flames Now Smolder''.
Commercial illustration and ''The New Yorker''
Tomine regularly works in
commercial illustration. He frequently contributes illustrations and has done several magazine covers for ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
''; his first was the sequence entitled "Missed Connection". Tomine also illustrated the "Alpha Teens," a group of cartoon characters who appeared in commercial bumpers for
Noggin
Noggin may refer to:
General
* Noggin or gill (volume), a unit of volume
* Noggin (cup), a small cup
* Noggin, slang for head
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, an ...
's teen block,
The N
The N (standing for Noggin) was a nighttime programming block on the Noggin television channel, aimed at preteens and teenagers. It was launched on April 1, 2002, by Viacom and Sesame Workshop. Before the block's introduction, Noggin's daytim ...
.
Collected works
*1998 – ''32 Stories: The Complete Optic Nerve Mini-Comics'' ()
*1998 – ''Sleepwalk and Other Stories'' ()
*2002 – ''Summer Blonde'' ()
*2004 – ''Scrapbook: Uncollected Work 1990–2004'' ()
*2005 – ''New York Sketches 2004'' ()
*2007 – ''
Shortcomings'' ()
*2011 – ''Scenes From an Impending Marriage'' ()
*2012 – ''New York Drawings'' ()
[
*2015 – ''Killing and Dying'' ()
*2020 – ''The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist'' ()
]
Awards
*2021 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Memoir
The Eisner Award for Best Graphic Memoir is an award for "creative achievement" in non-fiction American comic books.
History
Up until 2020 memoirs were included in the category for Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work, Best Reality-Based Wor ...
for ''The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist''
References
9 Lindberg, Melissa “Her Name is Shizuko”—A Mother’s Influence (May 5, 2021). Library of Congress May 5, 2021.
External links
*
Tomine page at Drawn & Quarterly
Nichi Bei Times interview
Scene Missing Magazine interviews Adrian Tomine
from ifpthendirt.
* Comics Reporter: Tom Spurgeon
Thomas Martin Spurgeon (December 16, 1968 – November 13, 2019) was an American writer, historian, critic, and editor in the field of comics, notable for his five-year run as editor of ''The Comics Journal'' and his blog ''The Comics Reporter'' ...
A short interview with Adrian Tomine
Review of Shortcomings @ The Culturatti
Tomine interview (Jan 2008) Fresh Air, NPR
2011 radio interview (50 minutes)
at The Bat Segundo Show
''The Bat Segundo Show'' was a podcast based in New York City run by writer and literary critic Edward Champion between 2004 and 2012. It was revived in mid-2013.
The program features comprehensive interviews with prominent figures in arts and ...
"Interview with Adrian Tomine"
''The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
''. July 26, 2010.
Q&A with New Yorker Magazine about "Killing and Dying"
The New Yorker. January 15, 2015.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tomine, Adrian
1974 births
Living people
Alternative cartoonists
American graphic novelists
American people of Japanese descent
Harvey Award winners for Best New Talent
Artists from Berkeley, California
University of California, Berkeley alumni
Writers from the San Francisco Bay Area
American male novelists
American novelists of Asian descent
American cartoonists