Killing and Dying

Summary

“[Adrian Tomine] has more ideas in twenty panels than novelists have in a lifetime.” —Zadie Smith After enjoying over six months on the New York Times Bestseller list and receiving a rave review from the same institution, Killing and Dying reaffirms acclaimed cartoonist Adrian Tomine''s place not only as one of the most significant creators of contemporary comics, but as one of the great voices of modern American literature. Tomine''s (Shortcomings, Scenes from an Impending Marriage) gift for capturing emotion and intellect resonates: the weight of love and its absence, the pride and disappointment of family, the anxiety and hopefulness of being alive in the twenty-first century. “Amber Sweet” shows the disastrous impact of mistaken identity in a hyper-connected world; “A Brief History of the Art Form Known as Hortisculpture” details the invention and destruction of a vital new art form; “Translated, from the Japanese,” is a lush, full-color display of storytelling through still images; the title story, Killing and Dying, centers on parenthood, mortality, and stand-up comedy. In six interconnected, darkly funny stories, Tomine forms a quietly moving portrait of contemporary life. Adrian Tomine is a master of the small gesture, equally deft at signaling emotion via a subtle change of expression or writ large across landscapes illustrated in full color. Killing and Dying is a fraught, realist masterpiece.