The American artist Adrian Tomine's new graphic novel is a super good-looking, sophisticated piece of work, rightly given the Rolls Royce treatment by Faber&Faber. With his beautiful die-cut drawings, deadpan dialogue, subtle colour and intense storylines, here is the artist author of Optic Nerve at the very top of his game. Tomine, now in his 40s, married with two daughters and living in New York, tackles the age-old problems – life/death, boy/girl, parent/child – locating them in the fuzzy boundaries of the 21st century where young girls at a loss are preyed upon by middle-aged creeps, college students are mistaken for porn stars and over-smart parents deconstruct their kids. Each of the six stories has a unique aesthetic. Tomine throws plot shifts and takes your full attention for granted. An absolute treasure.
