Even as someone whose adult life has also been defined by comics, albeit to a lesser degree, it is the many lessons of aging delivered with an unsure and self-deprecating lens that frames them so well which resonated most clearly. From embarrassing early experiences as a young professional at San Diego to teaching his child's class how to illustrate feces, the heart of these stories lies in the unpredictable process of maturation.
As the memoir unfolds in a series of incredibly concise anecdotes with only a few exceptions, it becomes clear that although comics offer a throughline for Tomine's life, this is not a narrative about comics. So it only makes sense that Tomine's newest work, The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist, brought about a sense of reflection from the moment it opens with a young Tomine berated by new classmates for his rigorous knowledge of Marvel Comics' artists. When I was young I was obsessed with newspaper strips like Calvin & Hobbes, before graduating into endless back issue bins of superhero comics in middle school.
I was raised to be a comics reader, but did not encounter Adrian Tomine until reaching undergrad.
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