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Kira said:
"God.. I feel like I have to explain why I gave this three stars. I thought it was great, but I also hated it. I think it's inevitable to compare his story telling style to Dan Clowes and his art style to Clows, Ware, Tatsumi, etc. I see the main d...more
God.. I feel like I have to explain why I gave this three stars. I thought it was great, but I also hated it. I think it's inevitable to compare his story telling style to Dan Clowes and his art style to Clows, Ware, Tatsumi, etc. I see the main differences being: 1. His stories seem (and I'm sure are) a LOT more autiobiographical and are thus, less surreal, 2. His characterizations range in quality (he gets a ton of flak about this in his letters), but in this series, I felt like the assholes were all so damn one-dimensional and unlikable, and 3. Tomine's most direct voice, perhaps is what he tells through the fan letters, and how he formats them, who he quotes from, etc. This is probably one of the strongest aspects of Optic Nerve.
Sadly, despite the fact that this is more of a personal attack, I think that his characterizations and stories are much more flat and one dimensional.. there is no undercurrent of wonder or awe in his world to me. Just the negativity that everyone (the "fictional" cast and the "fan" letters, critics) accuses his alter-ego of. I mean, he is a downer, just like Ben in this comic (which is Optic Nerve issues #9-11). He doesn't allow them any redemptive quailties. I just hate everyone in this book, except for the lesbians, who seem fun (unrelated note, but I think my boyfriend was friends with the real version that the Korean lesbian is based off of). I hear Tomine's really not too bad himself, but man, I've never hated him so much after reading this one. Even his treatment of "hard-hitting" Asian-American issues is just the typical blather, so I'm not sure how Tomine really feels about the stereotypes he speaks through, but I'm assume the narrative voice is more inline with the lesbians, who seem to be the least infantile about race issues (and sigh with dismay at the main characters deluded views). He did say in one interview, "I think that the most frustrating aspect of the book for some people is the lack of clarity in terms of what are the views of the fictional characters, and what are the views of the author."
That being said, I still really enjoyed this book, because it had the most autobiographical feel yet (though he claims it is not http://www.guttersnipenews.com/2009/04/2... ; also btw he eventually moved to New York between Issue 8 and 9, and married a white woman), and because of that felt the most real in terms of people I have met and life experiences I have had. In that way, it made me extremely fucking depressed about certain facts about my life and personality that dwelling helps not at all. I think if I had read this book at different time, if my life were better and not somewhat parallel, I would not be so upset by the idea of this annoying self-loathing main character, but at the end of a sprint race through Tomine's works that felt like I was getting to know the guy more and more, it almost felt like.. betrayal?
For reference, my favorite Optic Nerve, by far, was issue 6 (D&Q), which was the most powerful (and like always, the letters in issue 7 are essential to fully appreciate in issue 6). I also loved 32 Stories, like all the other haters (which now comes in a lovely boxed set with reprints on different page qualities).
TL;DR version: This comic was flat, yet it brought out a shitstorm of emotions, for which I applaud Tomine, however I still think that a lot of his comics don't make the world a BETTER place, and I'm still not sure I'm happy I read it or if I want to read him at all anymore.
Meh, I probably will.(less)
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