You know I consider myself quite the fan of comic books, but I have a dark secret I am not a fan of superhero comics. I do happen to enjoy the occasional musclebound do-gooder saving the day and giving the bad-guy a taste of his own medicine. But in the comic boom of the mid 90s I lost the need to buy sometimes 3-4 different titles to follow one story-line. I know that is part of the reason the comic industry took a hit because of that mentality, that and people burned after the Death of Superman debacle.

The comics I tend to read are independent ones, and those usually seem to venture outside of the spandex clad crime fighter cliché. One book that I think exemplifies this is Optic Nerve by Adrian Tomine. Each issue of Optic Nerve is collection of short stories that has been ongoing since 1995. If I had to try to explain Optic Nerve I would have to say the stories are not fantastic but very rooted in reality, they are always thoughtful and at times moving. The art is simple and definitely compliments the stories

Adrian will be in Philadelphia on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at 7:30PM at the Central Library in support of A Drifting Life, a collection of graphic novelist Yoshihiro Tatsumi’s work which Adrian edited and designed the new release of. I would say if your into comic and looking for something a little different you should really check this event out I know I will be there hopefully to get some of my trades signed. Get more info here.