Sleepwalk and Other Stories -- Graphic Novel

Sleepwalk and Other Stories collects the first four issues of Adrian Tomine's comic series Optic Nerve with a total of 16 short stories.

I feel the same way about these as I did the other two collected stories I've read from him. Not much else to say.

Probably a word of warning is don't do what I'm doing and read everything of his all at once or you'll have too many feelings at the same time and then some of the feelings will go away and then you'll just be left feeling sad.

Summer Blonde -- Graphic Novel

Summer Blonde is consisted of 4 short stories written by Adrian Tomine for the Optic Nerve comics. While I still haven't read all of his work yet, I think these stories couldn't fit better together in a collection.

Hawaiian Getaway - A single mid twenties something Asian-American female gets fired from her job, loses her roommate and slowly starts to lose herself in this story. We see how she spends her days, avoiding her nagging mother's phone calls and how she attempts to make connections with others.

Alter Ego - A 26 year old straight-white-male writer starts becoming complacent with his life, his girlfriend and his career, and goes searching for the writer of a piece of fan mail he has received. He ends up meeting the fan's younger sister, a high school girl. The man starts to spend more and more time with this high school girl, creating an alternate life for himself with her. He ends up cheating on his girlfriend with her, she finds out and leaves him.

Summer Blonde - We meet a mid-twenties straight-white-single-male with a classic desk job and learn that he has been stalking a young blonde girl that works at a card shop downtown. We learn about the blonde girl's secret dual romance though the eyes of this main character and that he is creepy and blah blah blah.

Bomb Scare - This was the story that I thought was the most powerful. A young high school boy and his best friend are picked on at school because they are each other's only friend, everyone thinks they are gay. A popular girl at school becomes an outcast because of an experience at a drinking party. The two misfits become friends, la la la. 

None of these stories are exciting or dramatic, but captivating because they are all so believable. Each character is so relate-able, because they seem like real people, but because of that I don't find myself LIKING these characters, because Tomine makes them both charming and disgusting at the same time. You see reflections of yourself, or your ex or your neighbor or an uncomfortable stranger, and you know these people so well, that you can't possibly like them, but you also don't dislike them because you understand that they are flawed. It's wild how well this all happens in these short stories. I think another reason why they work so well is that there really isn't any development in the characters. It's as if we're just opening up a window and peeking in on them, starting right there and we learn about who they are from that small moment. He doesn't give us any more to go off than we would have if we really were eavesdropping in on their life. And sometimes the stories are over before we come to any sort of conclusion or balanced ending. Which is frustrating sometimes and disappointing, realistic and natural.

32 Stories: The Complete Optic Nerve Mini-Comics

I am currently on a quest to read every single thing that we have in the shop by Adrian Tomine. Had a bit of a Rhye/Beach House moment, where I identified Adrian as a woman and then was shocked to find out that the writer behind the stories (or the singer behind the songs) was actually male! Additionally though, I also really like the writing style, the gentle storytelling, the quiet illustrations so much that I want to read through everything we have because A. its really good B. the internet says that there is an overlap between the single issue comics Optic Nerve, and his short stories. Somostly if someone has already read Summer Blonde, or maybe some single issues of Optic Nerve, but they want more, which book do I suggest them because is everything actually connected or what.


Looking it up online...

(Taken from Wiki) Optic Nerve is the ongoing series of comics by Tomine that were originally self-published and are currently published by Drawn and Quarterly. Originally, the self-published comics were in "mini-comic" format, consisting of seven issues (most of them later republished in 32 Stories). After Drawn and Quarterly became the publisher, the comics were published at standard size, and the issue numbering was restarted, making the first Drawn & Quarterly published issue to be numbered #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 collected in Sleepwalk and Other Stories, and issues 5-8 included one story each and were collected in Summer Blonde. Issues 9-11 were compiled into a graphic novel titled Shortcomings, released in September 2007

I have read a few single issues of Optic Nerve that we have in the shop, which would be the reissued numbered comics, but when reading through this collection, 32 stories: The Complete Optic Nerve Mini-Comics, didn't come across any duplicates that I'd already read before. SO THE QUEST CONTINUES.

These stories were all really awesome, and the drawing style is a lot more loose than the later stuff that I've read. Some of the stories are super short, but even though some are only a page long, just a few single panels, it still is a really fun way of getting to know certain characters. Its hard to believe that Adrian drew some of these while in high school, and never showed anyone. High school. Crazy to think about. Really beautiful work. 

Today is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life -- Graphic Novel

Recently translated into English, this graphic novel tells the story of a young Ulli Lust; a 17 year old who is looking for adventure. Ulli and a new friend decide to travel together to Spain for the winter to experience a new city, see the sea and meet interesting people along the way.

I found myself feeling really sorry for Ulli, and getting really angry for her, because of how much trouble she was finding in her travels, all from men. It is frustrating for a woman who wants to see life, and experience something for themselves alone, but isn't able to do so in peace because of their gender. Ulli is constantly getting confronted by strange men in these different cities, claiming to be courteous and generous, giving her money for her travels, letting her rest in their spare rooms, but then expecting sex because of their "kindness" towards her. "I was nice to you, couldn't you be a little nice to me", says one of the creatures that she is pressured to pleasure in a back alley after she has been gifted a meal.

It is wild to me that someone as young as 17 was able to think with such clarity as to the treatment that was happening towards her. There were a lot of times where you could understand that she really was still just a young girl who was tired from her travels and after an incident was beating herself up for not seeing it beforehand, but through the story, you can see her really struggling with this reality that she has found herself in.

After reading this story I am touched by Ulli's courage and inspired by her sense of adventure and, like many days, disgusted with men and the leniency of sexism in this world !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Still a very good read and also super important.

Black Hole -- Graphic Novel

Such an awesome story. The story is set in 1970s Seattle where high schoolers are getting what they call, "the bug", which are genetic mutations caused by a sexually transmitted disease.

The story follows a few specific characters and how it changes their lives. Lots of suspense, reads kind of like a thriller, because there is an underlying mystery throughout the story that doesn't get solved until the very end.

The illustration is very rad, just black and white with lots of high contrast. The illustration and the story seem familiar but looking at Charles Burns' other works, I haven't ready anything else of it.

Grotesque drawings of the mutations, but really sick illustrations and imaginative and pretty crazy idea of what would happen if STDs got out of hand and turned into mutations. There are a few dream scenes that are really well done that I appreciated.

In Real Life -- Graphic Novel

At the beginning of In Real Life, we are first introduced to a character named Anda, a charming young middle school girl who starts playing a massive multiplayer video game called Coarsegold Online. Anda quickly learns a lot more about real life through the game than she expected.

Written by activist Cory Doctorow, there are not-so underlying themes of economics and poverty in the book, which is really awesome, but unfortunately the story wraps up so quickly in the last quarter of the book that it seemed really rushed! I found myself wishing for an extension so that the story would have progressed more organically.

That being said, I did really enjoy this. The coloring is absolutely beautiful and I found the characters to be extremely endearing. Plus, what could be more sweet than rosy knees! Super glad I read this book. Great for all ages!

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl - Issue #01

I love squirrel girl.

This character is so incredibly awesome and the writing of this series is 100% very cool. The original writer of the Adventure Time comic book left that comic to start writing for Squirrel Girl, so if you like Adventure Time, then chance are very high that you'll dig this series too. If you don't like Adventure Time then I don't really know whats up but maybe you'll like this anyway.

The first issue follows Squirrel Girl who is going undercover as herself to start her first week of college at Empire State University. She gets in a battle with Kraven the Hunter and outsmarts him, thus still remaining 'unbeatable'.

I knew it was going to be worth it, but man I REALLY ENJOYED THIS SO MUCH. Its light and fun and witty and really charming.

Additionally I should mention that there is one page in the issue where Squirrel Girl goes into a dream scene and the drawings look JUST LIKE the intro to the original Yours Mine and Ours, which happens to be my favorite movie. Super 60s, its really beautiful!

Gotham Academy -- Issues #2, #3

Since this series is pretty new still, I wanted to catch up on what has been put out so far, #4 comes out the end of January.

Olive gets partnered with her least favorite person in school for a project and together they find a book in the library about the Cobblepot ghost. The school's north hall has been blocked off and the two girls with the help of Maps and some other delinquent go there in search of the ghost.

Olive's memory is really spotty but when she see's the entrance to the north hall she realizes that she has been there before, and not alone. They find a hole in the floor, and someone or something is in the whole and grabs Olive.

Nothing really crazy has happened, its still mostly about high school drama. I feel like this would be a good recommendation for a teen who isn't really allowed to read violent stories but also wants some suspense.

Batgirl - Issue #01

Barf.

I'm not into this.
I don't want to talk about how much I am not into this.

Gotham Academy -- Issue #01

This story is following a number of academy students around Gotham Academy.

The main girl Olive with white hair is suuuuuper moody and acting like she has changed so much since the last year and wants to break up with her boyfriend and doesn't know why she feels so different and blah blah.

The younger girl, Maps is the younger sister of Olive's current boyfriend who she wants to break up with. Olive is supposed to be mentoring Maps this year because she is a first year student at the academy.

Bruce Wayne comes and visits the academy and Olive gets in trouble and somehow Bruce already knows who she is. Olive is NOT down with Batman, and she seems very angsty about the whole Batman hero in her hometown and is annoyed when people are talking about it.

There is talk that there is a ghost in the school, there was an incident that no one is speaking about yet in detail and the issue ends with a yellow eye peeking out of a crack in Olive's bedroom.

Teen Dog -- Issue #1

Teen Dog.


teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen dog

a high school pizza loving skater dodge with a punk rock girlie bff.

that is pretty much it as far as the first issue goes.
and it is cool.

I think it would be better as a cartoon show rather than a comic because nothing really happens at all.

The Woods - Issue #01

The Woods! So great! Where do all these writers come up with these ideas!

A entire high school in Wisconsin gets abducted/transplanted onto another planet during the middle of the day.

Weird stuff starts happening, the sky goes dark, alien beasts start attacking the school and eating students. A senior student computer geek gathers a crew of misfits to travel to the heart of the woods, as he believes this will lead them to answers about how and why they were abducted.

Definitely will continue reading on, and I'm glad the story took the turn that it did. At first I thought I was just going to be reading about a bunch of high school seniors who don't know what to do after they graduate and try to find where they belong in the world, but luckily for me and luckily for these writers, they have imagination and the story got wild real fast.

Deadly Class - Volume 1

Deadly class is a really awesome read.

The story follows one boy who used to be homeless at his new school where he and his classmates are training to be assassins. It is a very graphic story, but that should be assumed

I would definitely continue reading this story, because of the art. My favorite part of this volume was the coloring. Most pages are monochromatic, which I find to be really balanced and easy to look at, and the color hues that were used look so nice against the black ink. There are scenes throughout with only hues of complimentary colors which looks amazing, and the second half of this volume the crew is in Vegas and are tripping on acid -- the colors and drawings are remarkable.

I found myself really liking this story. The main character is likeable even though he is clearly a psychopath. He is definitely troubled but even still, you find yourself wanting him to be safe, be okay, stay out of trouble.

Lumberjanes - Issue #01

 this! is! amazing!

I love this story, these characters, their humor, everything.

Five cool girls at a sleep-away camp with their Lumberjanes' troop (think Girl Scouts but....cooler) get into trouble, solve mysteries, encounter supernatural animals, etc, etc. It rules.

The humor is awesome, the characters are well written.
Each girl has their own personality and I found the whole thing to be very empowering. Wished I had something this cool to read when I was younger, but glad I can read it now!

Plus there was a very cool mixtape at the end of the issue, of all female musicians for kicking ass.

Sabrina - Issue #01

 I am an idiot because I read through this entire issue without first realizing that this Sabrina was actually Sabrina. But now it all makes so much sense.

This Sabrina is a little more dark and a little more spooky than the TV show Sabrina or the classic comic Sabrina, but she still lives with her two aunts, still is a witch, still goes to public school and falls in love with some boy in her class and uses spells to get her way for little things.

I like this dark Sabrina, much more serious.