Adrian Tomine

Most normal boys, as they're growing up, they - in order to become attractive, they might, you know, get good at sports or join a rock band or develop good social skills, and for some reason, I thought that drawing comic books might be my route. ”

What was a very private childhood hobby turned into a very a public, professional job, and I think that there's a lot of inhibition that can grow from that. ”

Fortunately, I've never had to be too critical of my own work, because the world is critical enough. ”

I started my career so early and developed in print for better or for worse, so I think there's a sense some of my earliest readers are kind of copilots on this voyage with me. ”

It's a strange thing to be a so-called alternative cartoonist, because in the early part of my career, I was really tethered to the superhero world. ”

I had relatives who would go to Japan and bring back random stuff they bought at the airport or whatever - 'Ultraman' and 'Speed Racer,' stuff like that. ”

I would honestly be elated if I could wave a magic wand and eradicate my back catalog and then have a fresh crack at some of those ideas. ”

I do think that many Americans have a limited view of what constitutes Japanese cartooning based on what gets translated, so it's great to see an increase in diversity. ”

My early comics are really reflective of being kind of a befuddled, single loser in the Bay Area, and I think having kids has been by far the most profound impact on me as a person and as an artist. ”

I'm an unabashed fan of 'The New Yorker.' I do feel proud when I see my artwork in there. ”