Adrian Tomine has had something of a head start working in comics. At 16, when he was still in high school, Tomine started writing and drawing a combination of fictional and autobiographical stories, self-publishing them in his first mini-comic, Optic Nerve, which he sold through local stores and mail order. At 17, Tomine was hired to produce a monthly comic strip for Pulse!, a nationally distributed magazine published by Tower Records. Throughout this time, critical attention was increasing, and by age 20 Tomine was working on Optic Nerve as a regular comic book series published by Drawn & Quarterly. By age 21, Tomine won the Harvey Award for "Best New Talent".
Tomine brings a refreshingly literate sensibility to the comics medium. Through his sharp, crisply drawn stories, Tomine is a keen observer of the intricacies of human relationships. The characters that populate these stories appear to be well-adjusted on the surface, but Tomine takes us deeper into their lives, subtly examining their struggle to connect with friends and lovers.
Adrian Tomine was born in 1974 in Sacramento, California, and he currently resides in Berkeley, where he completed a degree in English Literature at The University of California at Berkeley. Aside from his work in Optic Nerve, Tomine has had illustrations in several publications, including The New Yorker and the JFK Jr.-edited George magazine. His first book, 32 Stories, a collection of his early mini-comics, was published by Drawn & Quarterly in 1995. His second book, Sleepwalk and Other Stories, was published in 1997.[ TOP ]Notable Dates:1974: Born on May 31st in Sacramento, California.
1986: Discovers "Love & Rockets", by The Hernandez Brothers and is heavily influenced by their work.
1988: Illustrates first comic, Safety Pals, for a child-safety organization.
1991: Self-publishes first mini-comic, Optic Nerve # 1.
1992: Begins series of monthly one page strips for Pulse! magazine.First comic strip in an anthology, "Liquid Time," is published in Reactor Girl #5, from Tragedy Strikes Press.Moves from Sacramento to attend University of California at Berkeley.Reads "Where I'm Calling From", by Raymond Carver.
1993: Meets neighbors and fellow cartoonists Daniel Clowes and Richard Sala.
1994: Wins Xeric Award and self-publishes Optic Nerve # 7, the last mini comic One page strip, "First-Date Signals", published in Details magazine.
1995: Optic Nerve # 1 is published by Drawn & Quarterly.Wins Harvey Award for Best New Talent.32 Stories is published by Drawn & Quarterly.Artwork featured in D&Q exhibition at Porto Comics Festival in Portugal.
1996: Eisner Award nomination for the story "Pink Frosting".Receives special recognition from award-presenter Frank Miller, who says: "Adrian T... uh, I'm not even gonna try to pronounce that one!"Adaptation of Optic Nerve performed on stage in Chicago by The Inertia Ensemble.Artwork featured in D&Q exhibition at Haarlem Comics Festival in Holland.Embarks on 12 city North American signing tour with Seth.
1997: Sleepwalk and Other Stories is published by Drawn & Quarterly.
1998: Artwork featured in D&Q exhibition at Meltdown Comics in Los Angeles.Artwork featured in D&Q exhibition at Helsinki Comics Festival in Finland.
1999: Full page illustration published in The New Yorker.
Adrian Tomine has had something of a head start working in comics. At 16, when he was still in high school, Tomine started writing and drawing a combination of fictional and autobiographical stories, self-publishing them in his first mini-comic, Optic Nerve, which he sold through local stores and mail order. At 17, Tomine was hired to produce a monthly comic strip for Pulse!, a nationally distributed magazine published by Tower Records. Throughout this time, critical attention was increasing, and by age 20 Tomine was working on Optic Nerve as a regular comic book series published by Drawn & Quarterly. By age 21, Tomine won the Harvey Award for "Best New Talent".
