Blonde moments

Perhaps the most compelling aspect of Adrian Tomine's comics is that his observations of emotional disconnectedness are so precisely measured and nuanced that they can make the reader literally flinch with recognition. Collecting four issues of Tomine's acclaimed Optic Nerve series, Summer Blonde provides potent tales of urban life that are anchored on typical crises (the self-loathing that arises from a lost job; high-school peer pressure; a crippling romantic fixation) and rendered with haunting sympathy. With a crisp, naturalistic line and a concerted drive towards realism, Tomine’s artwork consistently invites you to care for these disparate characters - no matter what unpleasant foibles they possess.