Esther's review
Shortcomings
by Adrian Tomine
Esther's review
Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine
Esther's review
rating:
bookshelves:
asian-american-lit-and-stuff,
gender-studies,
graphic-novels-and-comics
Adrian Tomine's main protagonist, Ben Tanaka--a cynical and hyper-critical film know-it-all who works a crappie movie theater job--begins to stumble upon the intracacies and nuanced polemics within Asian/Caucasian interracial relationships and is accused by his Japanese girlfriend, Miko, of fetishizing white women. The conversations between Ben and Miko might take you back to your own days of fighting with the ex about their (and/or your) own problematic views on the type of person they/you seem to be attracted to. Tomine's drawing style has certainly become much sleeker and refined than his early stuff from 32 Stories, with double-edged results as his earlier stuff is definitely more openly angsty and nervous, which I suspect is part of the appeal for many of his fans. Ben's best friend, Alice Kim--a commitment-phobic lesbian who extends her time as PhD student to score with the "freshwomyn"--shares the ranks of cynical outtakes with Ben (the section about visiting Alice's h...more
