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.
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Book Description
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.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format: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 artist�warts 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 Carver�since 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
Format: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
By A Customer
Format: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".
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good start on Tomine.
I think that anyone who is interested in Adrian Tomine's comics should start with this one. He has a talent for using minimal dialogue and encourages his readers to use their own... Read more
Published on April 15, 2009 by Kristoffer Sevillena
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pure brilliance in bite-sized chunky nuggets!
Adrian Tomine showed from a very early age the chops necessary to rise to the top of the Indie comics scene with his self-published (3 page Kinko's copies) series, "Optic Nerve. Read more
Published on March 21, 2009 by Sibelius
4.0 out of 5 stars
where it all began
A wonderful collection of Adrian Tomine's earliest published stories. If you have read none of his work before this might not be the way to be introduced to this great writer and... Read more
Published on July 7, 2003 by Andrew Perry
4.0 out of 5 stars
funny, sparse, tales
adrian tomine does a fantastic job of capturing the mundane, everyday details of life- turning them into funny little slices. Read more
Published on May 19, 2003 by lady detective
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun read
I first heard of Adrian Tomine from my comparative literature professor. His stories contain real-life characters that readers can relate to. Read more
Published on May 1, 2000 by Pye
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tomine is the literal visual counterpart to Raymond Carver
Okay, I'm bias. I have a crush on the man but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy Adrian's work. He brings about bittersweet narratives that are not unlike Carver's own. Read more
Published on August 3, 1999
4.0 out of 5 stars
Definitely worth checking out
Sleepwalk, overall, is the more consistent and better collection, but some individual stories in this one - particularly the last one, the lovely "Grind" - stand as some... Read more
Published on July 28, 1999
4.0 out of 5 stars
Definitely worth checking out
Sleepwalk, overall, is the more consistent and better collection, but some individual stories in this one - particularly the last one, the lovely "Grind" - stand as some... Read more
Published on July 28, 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars
amazing work
I am stunned by tomine's mastery of graphic storytelling, all the hype is deserved. Understated and incisive.
Published on March 11, 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars
The greatest comic book for the adolescent and adult reader
I bought this book a few years ago upon reading some outstanding reviews. The hype was all true. Adrian Tomine is amongst the best independent comic book writers and it shows in a... Read more
Published on April 29, 1998 by thuynh1@ic3.ithaca.edu
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