Off Life Issue2

8/12/2019 Off Life Issue2

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DEC 12/ JAN 13ISSUE #2

FEATURING ANINTERVIEW WITH

ADRIAN TOMINE ANDCOMIC ART FROM

THE BEST INDIETALENT AROUND

FREE


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Welcome to Issue Two of OFF LIFE magazine, the UKs only streetpress comic anthology.

Were trying to show people that comics can be more thansuperheroes and Sci-Fi, and so if weve tempted some of you back

for a second read then hopefully were on the right track!And what an issue we have. We are honoured to feature an

interview with Adrian Tomine, one of the most inuential andinventive comic artists working today. If any artist has shownthat comics can be every bit as intelligent and emotionally engagingas the established arts, its Tomine and we hope our interviewshowcases that.

The artist line up weve put together is a real whos-who ofthe indie scene too. Some are published, some are just startingout but all of them have a story to tell. As we said last issue, ouraim is to create a stepping stone to all the works of genius thatexist out there in four-colour print, so if this little magazine whetsyour appetite go forth and discover your local comic stockists.Its not all laser eye beams and unfathomably large-breastedwomenfolk, we promise.

On a nal note, weve started running quick draw competitionseach Thursday evening on our Twitter account. We set a themeand you get two hours to draw and post your art. We dont haveany prizes for the winners, but then we dont store your data and

sell it to insurance companies unlike some arseholes. So thatssomething. If quick draw nights sound like something youd beinterested in, come say hello on Twitter @OFFLIFE_comic.

Now get reading people, were rambled out!

DANIEL HUMPHRY

Editor, OFF LIFE

COMICS

Pages 2 27

ADRAIN TOMINE

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YOU HAVE BEEN READING

Page 28

EDITOR

Daniel Humphry

ART DIRECTOR

Steve Leard

COVER ART

Mat Pringlematpringle.co.uk

Get a Grip Studio

getagripstudio.com

DESIGNRANDL

wearerandl.co.uk

[email protected]

@OFFLIFE_COMIC

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Hi Adrian, thanks for taking the time to speak with us.My pleasure.

You started self-publishing while still in high school.What was your drive for wanting to get your work out

there at such a young age?The honest answer is probably desperation, loneliness,

and boredom. I cant really think of any other reason whyId start putting out those mini-comics, and in fact,if I had anything better to do at that point, I probablywould not have spent so much time drawing. But Id beenfairly single-minded about becoming a cartoonist sinceI was a little kid, so by the time I started self-publishing,I felt like Id already been practising for a long time.

Even after gaining recognition you continuedto selfpublish Optic Nerve. What was it aboutthe selfpublishing model that worked for you?

Just because you get a little bit of recognitiondoesnt mean that the publishers are beating down your

door. I really, really wanted to be published by Drawn &Quarterly, so I basically kept self-publishing until I worethem down and they agreed to publish my comic.

Did studying English Literature at Berkeley evertempt you away from comics and towards more'traditional' mediums?

Ive always had an interest in other types ofwriting, but I dont think my college education

WITH HIS TALES OF LOVE LOST AND CULTURES CLASH ED, FEW ARTISTS HAVE TAKEN

ON THE QUIRKS OF MODERN LIFE LIK E ADRIAN TOMINE. FROM HIS EARLY DAYS ON

OPTIC NERVE TO THE COLLECTIONS SUMMER BLONDE AND SLEEPWALK, THE 'TOMINE

STYLE' HAS BECOME A BENCHMARK FOR HOW FAR COMICS CAN BE PUSHED AND,

CULTURALLY, WHAT THE MEDIUM CAN ACHIEVE.

THIS MO NTH, OFF L IFE WAS LUC KY EN OUGH TO STEAL ADRIA N AWAY FROM HIS

NEW YORK D RAWINGS TO DISCUSS ART, SELF-PUBL ISHING AND THE FUTUR E OF COMICS.

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A D R I A N T O M I N E


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had anything to do with that. I think it exposed me to alot of books that I wouldnt have picked up on my own,but no, there wasnt a moment when I wanted to forsakecartooning and become a poet or something like that.

Despite being a successful creator in your own right,

you still undertake commercial work. What attractsyou to it?

Well, being a successful comic book artist, at leastfrom my experience, isnt the same as being a successfulpop musician or a movie actor. I have the great luxuryof being able to work from home, spending most of mytime drawing my own comics, but it doesnt put me ina position where I could turn my nose up at goodpaying work. And in the case of a few of my morefrequent clients, like The New Yorker, for example,its something that I really enjoy. Illustration workis a whole different endeavor from cartooning, and itsa nice break sometimes.

Comics seem to have gone through a bit of a rebirthin recent years. Where do you see their place withinthe arts and culture now?

Its been a good ten years or so in terms of howcomics are regarded, particularly in North America.

I think were still a little bit behind the curve comparedto some European and Asian countries, but alreadycomics have reached a level of respect and interest thatI never thought would be possible.

What do you think needs to happen for qualitycomics to reach a wider audience, or at least gain agreater appreciation?

I think comics, just like all popular media, sufferfrom the fact that a good chunk of the work just isnt very

good. Or to put it in less subjective terms, it isnt veryappealing to that wider hypothetical audience. No matterhow many articles might appear in the mainstreammedia about how literary and respectable comics havebecome, the odds are pretty high that if someone wandersinto a comic shop after having read such an article, theyllbe confronted with a lot of material that either doesntappeal to them or is even off-putting. But I dont thinktheres anything wrong with that, nor is it something

that should be rectified in any way. I personally lovecomic shops, even if they specialised in stuff that isntexactly my cup of tea, and Id hate to see them allbecome sanitised in a bid for a broader audience.I honestly think that the comics medium reached its nadirlong ago, and that the quality and diversity of work

continues to advance in amazing ways.

Finally, you're often grouped in the same wave orschool as other indie greats such as Daniel Clowes andJaime Hernandez. Is there another wave or style thatyou see coming through now?

Denitely. I think theres a whole generation of cartoonists if not more thats come along sinceI started publishing. And the great thing is that theseyounger cartoonists are coming from a much wider

range of backgrounds and upbringings than ever before,and as a result, were seeing a lot of inventive, unusual,and idiosyncratic work.

Thanks for your time Adrian!Thank you!

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YOU CA N SE E ADRIANS WORK AT

ADRIAN-TOMINE.COM


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YOU HAVE BEEN READING

SAM ALDENBOAT

@SA MAL DEN

PAGE 2

STEVE TILLOTSONINTERNET

@BANALPI GPAGE 4

OLIVER EASTPOMONA

@OL IVEREASTPAGE 5

DARRYL CUNNINGHAMSTARS

@ACMEDARRYLPAGE 6

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BRENDAN KIEFERCOUNTING DAYS

@BRENDANK IEF ERPAGE 9

DAN BERRY

GREYMAN @THINGSB YDANPAGE 10

JOE LISTGREYMAN

@JOEL ISTPAGE 11

ADRIAN TOMINEINTERVIEWADRIAN-TOMINE.COM

PAGE 13

EMIX REGULUSALLOTMENT

@ORIGAMISHIPPAGE 16

DANIEL HUMPHRY @DANIEL_HUM PHRYWILL ELLIOT

@WILLUSTRATESRIGGERSPAGE 18

SAM AILEYBEST FRIENDS

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HARVEY FINCHDIFFIDENT TALESOF ROMANCE

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NEILL CAMERON

ADMISSION @NEIL LCAMERONPAGE 24

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