Adrian Tomine has some questions for readers in ‘Q&A’ – Orange County Register
Adrian Tomine is known for his comic series “Optic Nerve,” New Yorker covers and graphic novels “Killing and Dying” and “Shortcomings,” the latter of which was adapted into a film. His new book is “Q&A” and he takes the Book Pages Q&A to discuss it ahead of his Skylight Books appearance with Elvis Mitchell on Monday, Oct. 21.
Q. Please tell readers about your new book, which, like this, is a Q&A.
“Q&A” is a collection of personal essays about my life as a cartoonist, illustrator, and screenwriter.
I wanted it to be as informative and useful as possible, especially for aspiring artists, so I structured it around questions that readers submitted to my publisher.
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It includes step-by-step examples of how I write and draw comics, how I create cover illustrations for The New Yorker, and some very direct, concrete answers about, among other things, the kind of tools I use, how I balance work with parenthood, how I make my income, and most importantly, how I pronounce my last name.
Q. You’ve drawn covers for the New Yorker, which seems like both a pinnacle and massive challenge. Can you describe how you work out an idea for one?
Well, working out an idea is pretty easy, and it’s usually just a process of trial and error. I basically make a lot of really terrible sketches and I keep editing and refining them until I land on something that seems right.
The hardest part, actually, is coming up with that idea in the first place, and there’s no easy way to teach that. I guess it starts with getting out in the world and observing, and then thinking, and then trying to take that inspiration and distill it into a single image. I like my covers to have a little bit of content—almost like a tiny story rather than just a pretty image. So I suppose I’m always on the lookout for things like that when I’m out and about in the city.
It can also just come directly from my own thoughts and anxieties. The most recent cover I did (June 24, 2024) was the result of me trying to decide if the new sneakers I bought were too youthful for someone my age.
Q. What are you reading now?
“The Acme Novelty Datebook, Volume 3” by Chris Ware (Drawn & Quarterly)
“Final Cut” by Charles Burns (Pantheon)
“Bresson on Bresson: Interviews, 1943-1983” (New York Review Books)
“Transcendental Style in Film” by Paul Schrader (University of California Press).
Q. How do you decide what to read next?
I get a lot of books sent to me, so I try to read as much of those as possible—especially the comics and graphic novels. And right now I’m working on a play and a few screenplays, so I’m always reading books on those subjects for inspiration and guidance.
Q. Do you remember the first book that made an impact on you?
Yes, it was a little paperback of Peanuts comics by Charles M. Schulz.
Q. Is there a book you’re nervous to read?
“Q&A” by Adrian Tomine.
Q. Is there a person who made an impact on your reading life – a teacher, a parent, a librarian or someone else?
My brother Dylan, who is also an author himself, was responsible for bringing home all the comic books that sparked my initial love of the medium.
Q. Do you have a favorite bookstore or bookstore experience?
I made the most formative book purchases in my life at two stores: Tower Books in Sacramento and Cody’s Books in Berkeley. Both of which are now gone!
Q. What’s something about your book that no one knows?
I made up one of the questions.
For more, visit Adrian Tomine’s website.
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