Adrian Tomine is one of my favorite comic book writers. He has a knack for capturing the nuances of human interaction, like that scene from Optic Nerve #6, "Hawaiian Getaway," where Hilary Chan is waiting in line at the coffee house and the perky blond barista is super talkative to the guy in front of her, but when Hilary gets to the counter she suddenly becomes reticent. Or the way the cute grocery clerk's kindness in "Supermarket" (Optic Nerve #3) turns into uneasiness at the excessive touchiness of the blind Mr. Lewis, whom she senses might be grabbing onto her for more than direction. Who writes this type of subtle stuff anymore?! I'd recommend the entire Optic Nerve series, and if you can find them, the individual issues because the letters are great.

Tags: Adrian Tomine