Scenes from an Impending Marriage

by Adrian Tomine

Overview

MAKING LIGHT OF NUPTIAL NARCISSM

At the behest of his soon-to-be wife, Adrian Tomine set out to create a wedding favor for their guests that would be funnier and more personal than the typical chocolate bars and picture frames. What started out as a simple illustrated card soon grew into a full-fledged comic book: a collection of short strips chronicling the often absurd process of getting married. A loose, cartoony departure from Tomine's previous work, Scenes from an Impending Marriage is a sweet-natured, laugh out-loud skewering of the modern marriage process, including hiring a DJ, location scouting, trips to the salon, suit fittings, dance lessons, registering for gifts, and managing familial demands. The most personal and autobiographical work of Tomine's career, Scenes from an Impending Marriage is a charming, delightful token of love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781770460348
Publisher:	Drawn & Quarterly
Publication date:	02/01/2011
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	443,656
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 6.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Adrian Tomine was born in 1974 in Sacramento, California. He began self-publishing his comic book series Optic Nerve when he was sixteen, and in 1994 he received an offer to publish from Drawn & Quarterly. His comics have been anthologized in publications such as McSweeney's, Best American Comics, and Best American Nonrequired Reading. Both his graphic novel Shortcomings and his memoir The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist were named New York Times Notable Books of the year. Since 1999, Tomine has been a regular contributor to The New Yorker. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and daughters.

Editorial Reviews

The challenge facing Adrian and Sarah: navigate their Wedding Adventure without breaking up. In extended vignettes that suggest unpacked New Yorker cartoons, Tomine walks us through the major milestones. Guest list: should an invitation go to "the ex-boyfriend who cheated on you"? Reception venue: "It's my favorite combo: Hideous and expensive!" Invitation: "I can design an invitation with my eyes closed!" Epiphany: "WAAAAH! ... We're getting sucked into a black hole of nuptial narcissism!" Remedy: Sarah talks Adrian into doing a little minicomic as a favor for wedding guests: "It would be so CUTE! You could do a bunch of short strips about us getting ready for the wedding!" The result delighted everyone, of course. And so Tomine expanded the wedding favor minicomic into this charming and tender line-drawn collection. VERDICT Tomine, known more for psychologically darker stories like Shortcomings than for straight humor, reveals considerable talent with goofy comedy. Scenes is far too short, and hopefully Tomine will draw more comedies to come. Recommended for all public libraries and, of course, as an engagement gift for this season's bridezillas and groomzillas.—M.C.

Library Journal