Art Opening & Signing with Adrian Tomine
Reception on December 8th where Adrian Tomine will be signing Shortcomings!
Shortcomings
December 6th, 2007 - Giant Robot is pleased to present SHORTCOMINGS AND GOINGS, the artwork of acclaimed cartoonist Adrian Tomine. This is Adrian's second solo show for Giant Robot. On view will be original illustrations from the myriad of publications for which he illustrates, including the NEW YORKER and GIANT ROBOT. Original artwork from his NEW YORK TIMES notable book, SHORTCOMINGS, will also be on view.
Please join us for a reception on December 8th where Adrian will be signing SHORTCOMINGS.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8TH, 2007, 6:30 PM AT GIANT ROBOT 437 EAST 9TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10009 212-674-GRNY / GRNY.NET
ABOUT SHORTCOMINGS:
"Meticulously observed...pitch-perfect and succinct. [Tomine] is an invisible reporter, a scientist of the heart."
-THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
"An irresistible gem of a graphic novel... Tomine accomplishes in one panel of this graphic novel what so many writers have failed to do in entire books."
-Junot Dmaz, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"[SHORTCOMINGS] is as deceptively relaxed and perfect as a comic book gets."-Jonathan Lethem
Ben Tanaka has problems. In addition to being rampantly critical, sarcastic, and insensitive, his long-term relationship is awash in turmoil. His girlfriend, Miko Hayashi, suspects that Ben has a wandering eye, and more to the point, it's wandering in the direction of white women. This accusation (and its various implications) becomes the subject of heated, spiraling debate, setting in motion a story that pits California against New York, devotion against desire, and trust against truth. By confusing their personal problems with political ones, Ben and Miko are strangely alone together and oddly alike, even as they fly apart. Being human, all too human, they fail to see that what unites them is their shared hypocrisies, their double standards. This gray zone between the personal and the political is a minefield that Tomine navigates boldly and nimbly. The charged, volatile dialogues that result are unlike anything in Tomine's previous work or, for that matter, comics in general. But Shortcomings is no mere polemic. Any issues that are raised stand on equal footing with expertly-crafted plot turns, subtle characterization, and irreverent humor, all drawn in Tomine's heart-breakingly evocative style. What Tomine ultimately offers is more provocation than pronouncement-a brutal, funny, and insightful reflection of human shortcomings.
For more information on SHORTCOMINGS visit: www.drawnandquarterly.com/shortcomings
Image Gallery:
