32 Stories: The Complete Optic Nerve Mini-Comics [Paperback]

Adrian Tomine (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1998

In 1991, Adrian Tomine self-published the first issue of Optic Nerve. Consisting of three xeroxed sheets of paper, and with a print run of twenty-five, it was a less-than-auspicious, largely unnoticed debut. In the following three years, though, Optic Nerve developed at a startlingly rapid pace: the artwork and writing evolved with each story, production quality improved, page counts increased, and by issue seven, sales had reached 6,000. In 1994, Drawn & Quarterly took over the publishing duties of Optic Nerve, and the original seven issues sold out and were left out of print. 32 stories presents these rare, early editions, collected for the first time in a single volume.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Adrian Tomine was born May 31st, 1974 in Sacramento, California. His uneventful childhood was spent in various small towns along the West Coast. He currently resides in Berkeley, where he studies English at the University of California and continues to write and draw Optic Nerve.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly (February 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1896597009
• ISBN-13: 978-1896597003
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #543,423 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #82 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Publishers > Drawn and Quarterly

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Birth of a Talent, May 1, 2002

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 32 Stories: The Complete Optic Nerve Mini-Comics (Paperback)

The 32 stories collected here reprint the self-published first seven issues of Tomine's "Optic Nerve" comic, spanning 1991-95. While his Tomine's work is always enjoyable on at least some level, reading his earliest work in chronological order allows us to witness him grow as a writer and artistwarts and all. The earliest stories tend to be short two-page pieces, while the last stories tend to be longer narratives.

The stories fall into a few rough categories: dreams (Adrian Tomine's 10, 533rd Dream, Haircut), the Amy quartet (Solitary Enjoyment, Rodney, Two In the Morning, Leather Jacket), autobiographical vignettes (Sean's Story, Disappointment and Despair, Back Break, This is A True Story, Adrian Quits Hi Job, Psycho Cook, An Everyday Triumph, My Appearance on the Jane Pratt Show, Allergic, The Sell-Out), and moodier stories that deal with loneliness, alienation, and relationships (Lifter, Smoke, Happy Anniversary, Stammer, Laundry, Dine and Dash, Grind). There are also some crude attempts at social commentary (Patriotism is Alive and Kicking), reportage (Heat Wave Death), biography (Kerouac's Life With Comics), and an amusing tirade against sleep (Sleep = Waste).

Over the course of the book, we can see Tomine's increasingly sophisticated take on alienation and relationships. His artistic progression progresses from crude to totally exacting and precise, a style that reinforces his themes and storytelling. This trend is continued in his subsequent collection, Sleepwalk and Other Stories, which is more bleak and stark. Tomine is often compared to Raymond Carversince I've never read any Carver I won't do that, however, I will say he is brilliant and his work deserves a wide audience.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, entertaining, and poignant, February 16, 2000

By 

"santoslhalper" - See all my reviews

This review is from: 32 Stories: The Complete Optic Nerve Mini-Comics (Paperback)

"32 Stories" really works on many levels: as an insight into the artistic evolution of Tomine, as a showcase for his talents (ranging from wacky illustrations to downright sobering dissections of failed relationships), and as a collection of stories exploring the realities of isolation in modern life. While "Allergic" is many fans' favorite strip here (no doubt due to its offbeat, exaggerated artwork and sadistic humor), Tomine *really* shows his talent in stories like "Smoke," "Train I Ride," and "Haircut," which combine his considerable story-telling abilities with cutting, poignant images that tell a thousand words. Stories like these also serve nicely as prototypes for the later, more sophisticated Optic Nerve comics that Drawn & Quarterly would release.

Please do smaller merchants and independent distributors a favor and order this book from your local bookstore, or directly from Drawn & Quarterly.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars mmm mmm good, September 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: 32 Stories: The Complete Optic Nerve Mini-Comics (Paperback)

you can watch Adrian Tomine's work mature in this book drastically...it goes from bad silliness to incredible...incredibleness. Some of the stories in the middle and towards the end are just...wow. It's sad his drawing style got a lot straighter and neater...we can see here his early scratchy sketchy wild artwork along with some great stories like "Smoke".