Urban myths

British readers got a fine introduction to Adrian Tomine’s bittersweet urban disconnectedness in last year's excellent book-length effort, 'Shortcomings'. His follow-up 'Sleepwalk and Other Stories' (16 of them) draws from the first four issues of his acclaimed 'Optic Nerve' series (1994-97) and, although the tales are far shorter in scope, they’re no less precise in their observations. Tomine's impressive storytelling skills here belie his youth at the time (he was just 20). He routinely generates moments of quiet beauty, creepiness and barely-contained frustration with both clarity and understatement. Even as his art work becomes more refined, it maintains an indie-film feel which remains consistently captivating.