OFF LIFE issue two by OFF LIFE Comic

FEATURING AN INTERVIEW WITH ADRIAN TOMINE AND COMIC ART FROM THE BEST INDIE TALENT AROUND

ISSUE #2 DEC ’12 / JAN ’13 FREE

COMICS

Pages 2 — 27 ADRAIN TOMINE

Page 13 YOU HAVE BEEN READING

Page 28 — EDITOR

Daniel Humphry ART DIRECTOR

Steve Leard COVER ART

Mat Pringle matpringle.co.uk — Get a Grip Studio getagripstudio.com DESIGN

RANDL wearerandl.co.uk OFFLIFE.CO.UK INFO@OFFLIFE.CO.UK @OFFLIFE_COMIC

Welcome to Issue Two of OFF LIFE magazine, the UK’s only street press comic anthology. We’re trying to show people that comics can be more than superheroes and Sci-Fi, and so if we’ve tempted some of you back for a second read then hopefully we’re on the right track! And what an issue we have. We are honoured to feature an interview with Adrian Tomine, one of the most influential and inventive comic artists working today. If any artist has shown that comics can be every bit as intelligent and emotionally engaging as the established arts, it’s Tomine – and we hope our interview showcases that. The artist line up we’ve put together is a real who’s-who of the indie scene too. Some are published, some are just starting out —but all of them have a story to tell. As we said last issue, our aim is to create a stepping stone to all the works of genius that exist out there in four-colour print, so if this little magazine whets your appetite go forth and discover your local comic stockists. It’s not all laser eye beams and unfathomably large-breasted womenfolk, we promise. On a final note, we’ve started running quick draw competitions each Thursday evening on our Twitter account. We set a theme and you get two hours to draw and post your art. We don’t have any prizes for the winners, but then we don’t store your data and sell it to insurance companies unlike some arseholes. So that’s something. If quick draw nights sound like something you’d be interested in, come say hello on Twitter @OFFLIFE_comic. Now get reading people, we’re rambled out! DANIEL HUMPHRY

Editor, OFF LIFE

ADRIAN TOMINE WITH HIS TALES OF LOVE LOST AND CULTURES CLASHED, FEW ARTISTS HAVE TAKEN ON THE QUIRKS OF MODERN LIFE LIKE ADRIAN TOMINE. FROM HIS EARLY DAYS ON OPTIC NERVE TO THE COLLECTIONS SUMMER BLONDE AND SLEEPWALK, THE 'TOMINE STYLE' HAS BECOME A BENCHMARK FOR HOW FAR COMICS CAN BE PUSHED AND, CULTURALLY, WHAT THE MEDIUM CAN ACHIEVE. THIS MONTH, OFF LIFE WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO STEAL ADRIAN AWAY FROM HIS NEW YORK DRAWINGS TO DISCUSS ART, SELF-PUBLISHING AND THE FUTURE OF COMICS.

Hi Adrian, thanks for taking the time to speak with us.

Even after gaining recognition you continued

My pleasure.

to self–publish Optic Nerve. What was it about the self–publishing model that worked for you?

Just because you get a little bit of recognition doesn’t mean that the publishers are beating down your door. I really, really wanted to be published by Drawn & Quarterly, so I basically kept self-publishing until I wore them down and they agreed to publish my comic.

You started self-publishing while still in high school. What was your drive for wanting to get your work out there at such a young age?

The honest answer is probably desperation, loneliness, and boredom. I can’t really think of any other reason why I’d start putting out those mini-comics, and in fact, if I had anything better to do at that point, I probably would not have spent so much time drawing. But I’d been fairly single-minded about becoming a cartoonist since I was a little kid, so by the time I started self-publishing, I felt like I’d already been practising for a long time.

Did studying English Literature at Berkeley ever tempt you away from comics and towards more 'traditional' mediums?

I’ve always had an interest in other types of writing, but I don’t think my college education 

had anything to do with that. I think it exposed me to a lot of books that I wouldn’t have picked up on my own, but no, there wasn’t a moment when I wanted to forsake cartooning and become a poet or something like that. Despite being a successful creator in your own right, you still undertake commercial work. What attracts you to it?

Well, being a successful comic book artist, at least from my experience, isn’t the same as being a successful pop musician or a movie actor. I have the great luxury of being able to work from home, spending most of my time drawing my own comics, but it doesn’t put me in a position where I could turn my nose up at good paying work. And in the case of a few of my more frequent clients, like The New Yorker, for example, it’s something that I really enjoy. Illustration work is a whole different endeavor from cartooning, and it’s a nice break sometimes. that should be rectified in any way. I personally love comic shops, even if they specialised in stuff that isn’t exactly my cup of tea, and I’d hate to see them all become sanitised in a bid for a broader audience. I honestly think that the comics medium reached its nadir long ago, and that the quality and diversity of work continues to advance in amazing ways.

Comics seem to have gone through a bit of a rebirth in recent years. Where do you see their place within the arts and culture now?

It’s been a good ten years or so in terms of how comics are regarded, particularly in North America. I think we’re still a little bit behind the curve compared to some European and Asian countries, but already comics have reached a level of respect and interest that I never thought would be possible.

Finally, you're often grouped in the same wave or school as other indie greats such as Daniel Clowes and Jaime Hernandez. Is there another wave or style that

What do you think needs to happen for quality

you see coming through now?

comics to reach a wider audience, or at least gain a

Definitely. I think there’s a whole generation of cartoonists – if not more – that’s come along since I started publishing. And the great thing is that these younger cartoonists are coming from a much wider range of backgrounds and upbringings than ever before, and as a result, we’re seeing a lot of inventive, unusual, and idiosyncratic work.

greater appreciation?

I think comics, just like all popular media, suffer from the fact that a good chunk of the work just isn’t very good. Or to put it in less subjective terms, it isn’t very appealing to that wider hypothetical audience. No matter how many articles might appear in the mainstream media about how ‘literary’ and ‘respectable’ comics have become, the odds are pretty high that if someone wanders into a comic shop after having read such an article, they’ll be confronted with a lot of material that either doesn’t appeal to them or is even off-putting. But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, nor is it something

Thanks for your time Adrian!

Thank you! YOU CAN SEE ADRIAN’S WORK AT ADRIAN-TOMINE.COM

— YOU HAVE BEEN READING — SAM ALDEN BOAT @SAMALDEN PAGE 2

ADRIAN TOMINE INTERVIEW ADRIAN-TOMINE.COM PAGE 13

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