One of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2020! Featured on
best of the year lists from Publishers Weekly and the Washington
Post!
A comedic memoir about fandom, fame, and other embarrassments from the
life of a New York Times bestseller
What happens when a childhood hobby grows into a lifelong career? The
Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist, Adrian Tomine's funniest
and most revealing foray into autobiography, offers an array of
unexpected answers. When a sudden medical incident lands Tomine in the
emergency room, he begins to question if it was really all worthwhile:
despite the accolades and opportunities of a seemingly charmed career,
it's the gaffes, humiliations, slights, and insults he's experienced (or
caused) within the industry that loom largest in his memory.
Tomine illustrates the amusing absurdities of how we choose to spend our
time, all the while mining his conflicted relationship with comics and
comics culture. But in between chaotic book tours, disastrous
interviews, and cringe-inducing interactions with other artists, life
happens: he fumbles his way into marriage, parenthood, and an
indisputably fulfilling existence. A richer emotional story emerges as
his memories are delineated in excruciatingly hilarious detail.
In a bold stylistic departure from his award-winning Killing and
Dying, he distills his art to the loose, lively essentials of
cartooning, each pen stroke economically imbued with human depth.
Designed as a sketchbook complete with placeholder ribbon and an elastic
band, The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist shows an
acclaimed artist at the peak of his career.
