Optic Nerve (comics)

Optic Nerve is a comic book series by cartoonist Adrian Tomine. Originally self-published by Tomine in 1991 as a series of mini-comics (which have later been collected in a single volume, 32 Stories), the series has been published by Drawn and Quarterly since 1995.

Tomine's style and subject matter are restrained and realistic. Many are set in Northern California. Many of his stories for Optic Nerve feature Asian American characters, including "Hawaiian Getaway," "Six-Day Cold," and "Layover." Adrian Tomine is Asian American and lives in Berkeley, California. Many topics of his stories are at least partly autobiographical.

In the initial self-published issues, as well as the first eight Drawn & Quarterly issues (1995-2001), Optic Nerve was typically a collection of short stories. After an extended hiatus, Tomine resumed the comic in fall of 2004 and began his first multi-issue storyline with #9. The most recent issue, #12, was published in September 2011.

Collected editions

• 32 Stories: The Complete Optic Nerve Mini-Comics (1995, collects original mini-comics, ISBN 1-896597-00-9)
• Sleepwalk and Other Stories (1998, collects Optic Nerve #1-4, ISBN 1-896597-12-2)
• Summer Blonde (2002, collects Optic Nerve #5-8, SC: ISBN 1-896597-57-2, HC: ISBN 1-896597-49-1)
• Shortcomings (2007, collects Optic Nerve #9-11, HC: ISBN 1-897299-16-8)