Shortcomings

I read this book in an hour.  And tomorrow, I am going to read it all again.  It is called Shortcomings.

Here is blurb from the back of the book:

Ben Tanaka has problems. In addition to being rampantly critical, sarcastic, and insensitive, his long–term relationship is awash in turmoil. His girlfriend, Miko Hayashi, suspects that Ben has a wandering eye, and more to the point, it's wandering in the direction of white women. This accusation (and its various implications) becomes the subject of heated, spiraling debate, setting in motion a story that pits California against New York, devotion against desire, and trust against truth.

I first saw Adrian Tomine's illustrations on the cover of The New Yorker.  Then I saw the cover of this book as an ad in Bust Magazine, cut it out and put it in my idea book for the documentary that I am working on.  (I am really interested in having some animation in the film and was drawn to the image shown in this post.)

Tonight, after a session with my LP, I picked up the book and read it on the one-hour journey from the Upper West Side to Crown Heights, Brooklyn. 

The book is a great page-turner.  It is a simple relationship story with race issues mixed in an ingenious way.

Most importantly though, this book tapped into something that I have come into contact with while I navigate the muddy waters of finding love:  What does who I am attracted to, from a racial perspective, say about me? And how much does intellectualizing it help or hurt things? 

I do not have answers to these questions.  I just enjoyed reading a book that deals with these same issues in a humorous and intelligent way.  Plus, I got a window into how these Asian characters grappled with similar issues.

I am new to the graphic novel scene.  (I should actually call it comics.  Marjane Satrapi said so in the Sunday Times.)  I was not a snob or anything.  I just did not read books with pictures.  But now that I am a bit more involved in it (more on that later), I am trying to read some good examples.

This book got me interested in how one draws people of different races and how, in a black and white book, you show different ethnicities. What features make me African-American?  What features make Townie’s character’s Japanese and Korean?

Also, there is such a specific sense of place in this book and if you check out the site on the book, you can see how he incorporated the places that he likes into the book.  This book takes place in Bay Area and Brooklyn and it is unmistakable from the images included within it.

Reading a good book is invigorating.  It’s corny but I said it.

You should check it out. Off to my next graphic novel, a recommendation from a friend.

Comments

[Seke]

This title's an oldie but do check out 'Maus' (vol.s 1 & 2) by Art Spiegelmann; it's one of my favorite books (I won't bother qualifying with 'comic' or 'graphic novel'; it's just a great visual/literary experience).

[kim]

i went through a graphic novel stage too; still look every now and then. i can recommend some stuff when youre ready.

[Ms World]

I hope you are well. I'm definitely going to take a look at the book.

[tuckergurl]

I've heard of Maus. I will check it out.

[santos.]

perhaps a spellcheck snafu? 'tomine', instead of 'townie'