Optic Nerve

In the early 1990s, a teenage Adrian Tomine launched Optic Nerve through his own mini-comics, a raw, self-published series that introduced his signature deadpan style and emotionally precise storytelling. Over seven issues, Tomine served as both writer and artist, crafting quietly observant tales of suburban alienation and young adult anxiety that would define a generation of alternative comics. Published before his move to Drawn & Quarterly, this series marks the essential, formative beginning of one of the medium's most celebrated voices.