A review by adamskiboy528491
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist by Adrian Tomine

4.25

"Haven’t we seen a little too much of the hip, muted, fragmented, overly-short short stories that this moron is trying to pass off as fresh and original?”

 

The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist by Adrian Tomine follows a fictional depiction of Tomine at various comics industry-related events and incidents throughout the years, beginning from his early fame as an independent artist in the 1990s to his life as a father in the late 2010s, and depicts the loneliness, insecurity, and isolation he felt about his career at each point in time. 

 

The fictional version of Adrian Tomine constantly puts himself down or feels left out in the middle of events that ostensibly celebrate his success. He narrates several incidents where people don't show up to signings, prefer more famous authors to him, or spout negative opinions of his work in his presence. When he's interviewed for NPR, this insecurity is rendered as a "spirit" version of Tomine, who overthinks his manner of speaking, calls his answers to the host's questions subpar, and tells him that the awkward interview will be immortalised.