When Tomine's work was heavily critisized many people want to know exactly where Adrian had gotten all his influences from. Some of the more shameless outright accused Tomine of outright copying his friend and fellow artist Dan Clowes. While in many of the interviews I found, Tomine has stated that this is far from the case because of his own process compared to his dear friend though the two do share notes on how to create the best work as all artists should.
To go into detail before Tomine even gets started on a new comic, he does a lot of “pre-work” that involves research, story sketches and mountain of doodles. Mostly it involves a lot of thinking and sketching which will eventually lead up to the creation of a story after all of that is done he sets to get the writing down and organized. From then on it is the magic of the artist that carries all work to it's final product.
But all ideas need a jumping point to start off of so then where does he get his ideas from? drawing back on his youth Tomine actually loved comics many of which as cited as his inspiration. This includes works like Love & Rockets by Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez, Peanuts by Charles Schulz and many others. As for his main style he holds true that the artist responsible for his inspiration there is Jaime Hernandez.
Other then than Tomine has been known to draw from his own life, why not draw what you already know? that is no more clear than in Scenes which is a direct comment on his life as he tries to plan his wedding with his soon to be wife Sarah Brennan.
In an earlier post, I had mentioned that Tomine had done an excellent job on tying the structure and portrayal of his comic with the mood and tone. I'll go and analyze it a bit further:
Outstanding scenes in the graphic novel included the invitation talk, the charity event, and the last scenes of them eating their first meal married. Those scenes were simple but super effective: the blacked out names were something new and innovative that I hadn't seen done before. Its more for the privacy of those involved, but mostly it was a really neat way to simplify and clarify the whole scene without making the reader too caught up in figuring out who is who. "The truth is, that strip, along with pretty much the rest of the book, is basically a simplification or distillation of any real conversation that might’ve transpired." (Tomine, The Thought Fox) Tomine's simplification in Scenes of an Impending Marriage really strips the events down to the bare emotional bones, so you can really get a sense as to how emotional the prenuptials were for them. The comic itself, visually, is simple: no use of colour, just back and white. Most of the comic is done with white backgrounds and black lines, but the end scenes are more heavy with backs to imply the change of mood and setting. Its's more effective that way, shows the importance of the scene as well as making the ending really stand out from the quietness of the rest of the comic.
There is not much action going on in the comic (especially in the earlier strips), but more action would just take away from the emotional focus on the small banter or arguments between them. Tomine effectively uses less to make us feel more.
Another strip in the graphic novel talks about how Adrian and Sarah's families and backgrounds play into the wedding. Historically family had always been an incredibly important part in marriage and has always had a huge role in the preparation of of the reception. A couples needs to balance what they want and what the family wants in the reception in order to make everyone happy. Tomine is Japanese, while his wife is Irish- and this gets mentioned when they are discussing what music to play at their wedding:
Its important to be aware of the cultural heritages of both families, but here it's a dilemma: they are so radically different, so they both opt to have neither the drummers or bagpipes at their wedding. "In the name of cultural sensitivity and harmony.... we'll have neither!" (Tomine, 21)
Socially, marriages are a huge event. Sarah and Adrian struggle with invitations and seating arrangements, because marriages are gathering for close friends and family, but its hard to define who is close enough to be at an event of this importance to you.
The earlier strips really talk about this frustration of who to invite. This is probably one of the most important things for young couples who are planning their weddings to really go through. Marriages are important events socially, historically and culturally, especially in Western culture. Although lately they have been on the decline: people aren't interested in taking the vow anymore. Though that doesn't stop couples like Adrian and Sarah from going through the rough ride of prenuptial planning to tying the knot.
When it comes to marriage most people think with good reason that it is all about what the bride wants, and the man sometimes unfortunately has little say in the matter. In Scene's From an Impending Wedding this is clearly shown in the aspects of the characterization of Adrian the graphic novel's writer who is quoted by his soon to be wife sarah as "just a control freak" (Tomine 36). While that might seem mean to say it is true, Adrian in the beginning seems to just let his soon to be wife handle everything but when he starts getting asked more of his opinion he gives it full force and lets it be known. It all starts simply enough as the two argue on who to invite to the wedding, Adrian complaining on how weddings and other events turn into this big cycle of reciprocation where people feel obligated to invite others some of which they hardly even know. Which he laments should be just tossed out the window for the sake of everyone involved. Can't blame the guy for wanting his say at his wedding but he takes it to the extreme even going to his wife's own hair style consultation. Though he does have a caring heart and seems to genuinely love his wife, showing their relationship as more the part of equals then one truely overpowering the other. They fight, they make up and they compromise just like any healthy couple should.
Though the couple do have a lot of differences, while Sarah states that she "can't bear the thought of anyone not liking [her]" (26) while Adrian flatly replies with "yeah... that's where we differ"(26) which is completely and utterly true. Adrian is the uncompromising side of the spectrum a sort of groomzilla who just wants things simple not caring how other people think of the choices in their wedding with the exception of Sarah and his mother.
That being said Adrian is not without his own flaws which do show up in the graphic novel as his wife is quick to point out that he seems to favour those of asian descent to do the job better then anyone else. Taking extreme focus to point out his dentist, accountant and even the florist he wants for the wedding are all of an asian background. The other key point and flaw of Adrian's character is his perfectionist attitude which sometimes gets in the way of things. Taking even the task of the wedding invitations as a personal artistic project and like any artist Adrian strives for perfection even though his wife plainly states "it doens't have to be perfect" (17) that is taken more as a challenge than as a comfort. Showing he is just as human as the rest of us, and as an artist wants his work to be the best it can be.
Tomine's wedding happened fairly recently (the book was published in 2011, but his wedding happened in 2007), so the context of this marriage is a modern one. Marriage is an important aspect in Western culture- one that has been learned and understood as an important turning point in one's life. Scenes of an Impending Marriage shows the struggle that Adrian and Sarah go through to make it perfect, or at least acceptable for everyone. The cultural aspects in this graphic novel are very clear, with most strips talking about the different aspects you would see at a modern, Wester wedding today: dancing, seating arrangements, invitations of close ones. The vow of marriage itself hasn't changed much throughout the decades, but the level of celebration and rituals has changed to be a little more freeing in terms of what couples want. Tomine shows this especially in the part of where the wedding reception should take place. In recent years, younger couples have opted for more "modern weddings" in unconventional places- Adrian and Sarah do look into that, like a wedding in a urban space with huge windows or even outside, in a forest.
Tomine does poke fun at the absurdity of "different and original" wedding venues people want. "'Yeah... It's a little over the top, huh?' 'What do you mean? It's my favourite combo: hideous and expensive!'" (Tomine, 13). There is a certain pressure on couples these days to really go all out with wedding receptions, but all Adrian and Sarah really want is a simple wedding.
The structure of this memoir is composed of snippets of events, presented in 9x9 panels format on each page. This presentation works really well for the kind of story Tomine is telling us- wedding preparations takes months and months to work out, so concentrating on small, meaningful moments tells this story effectively. Tomine's clean-cut, still drawing style is also very well suited for the text-heavy, expressions-oriented style of quiet storytelling. He uses mostly close-ups and slight changes in expressions, which is more powerful especially in a simple conversational setting between a couple.
This ties into the voice and tone in Scenes of an Impending Marriage. The voices in this comic are Tomine's own and his wife, Sarah. It's not really told from a first person narrative, but rather third-person looking into the conversations between them. Sarah did ask him to make this comic book as a little window into their world as they were preparing for marriage, so it would be only fair that it would be told from both sides. The tone is mostly lighthearted, especially with the scenes where they're talking to an advisor about the music they want to be played at the wedding. Because of the normal, light tone of the comics, the absurdity of the "ice scream song" and the advisor being annoyed at their refusal to use it is played up more. Although there are more powerful tones, like the strips where they visit the HIV/AIDS charity event, and feel like their problems that have been overwhelming them aren't really problems at all. Overall, this graphic novel is a quiet one but I think the way Tomine conveys the tone and voice really captures how a small comment between lovers may speak volumes. "The little blue book takes us through the usual frustrations of planning a wedding —and executes them in a style looser and freer than Tomine’s usual fare." (Flake)
An Impending Wedding mostly focuses on the theme of love, marriage, and the hardships that go into preparing one- especially as a naive, young couple.
As the snippet on the left shows, Tomine explores how he and his fiancee fall into the "black hole of nupital narcissism" (Tomine, 29), with having to make frustrating decisions with the smallest details, such as what songs to play, seating arrangements, and even what kind of pen to write the invitations with. Despite this, Adrian and Sarah seem even more unified than ever through all the disagreements and bickering.
And when all is said and done, like in the "After Hours" strip, Tomine really hits home with the theme of love- having a dinner for two with some greasy fast food is enough of a satisfying moment for the two of them.
There is also a recurring theme of "this nonsense stops when we're married".
The title An Impending Wedding really lends itself to the theme of hardships that lead up to a wedding ceremony. Throughout the comic Tomine lays a stressful undertone to each of the events, with it building up towards the end. Marriage is a huge moment in someone's life, and often people forget the amount of work and effort that goes into making it happen. Tomine explores that but also brings light to the humour and absurdity of all of it, and the fact that all that he's done, no matter how ridiculous or stressful, is ultimately for his wife.
Adrian Tomine and Sarah Brennan get engaged but now it is time to plan the wedding! this is a story of the antics, troubles and couples co-ordination that will get them to the altar.
Purpose
As explained in the graphic novel itself Sarah suggests to Adrian that they should do something cute and creative for the favors at their wedding aka him making him a little comic showing snippets of their adventures while planning their wedding. And after some lovely wife guilt tripping with cute eyes and "if you really really loved me, you'd do this" (Tomine 45) he agrees to it much to the happiness of his wife
Adrian Tomine was born May 31, 1974 in Sacramento, California to Dr. Chris Tomine and Dr. Satsuki Ina. Unfortunately the couple did not last and were divorced from one another when Adrian was only two years old, while his older brother Dylan was ten. Considering his great grandparents were from Japan proper Tomine is considered what we call a fourth-generation Japanese American. This term usually goes along with how much one person with a rich cultural background is more mixed with the society they grew up it. The bigger the generation gap the more the stereotype goes that they are immersed into america's social norms rather than their own backgrounds. As such Adrian frequently admits that his family is very much filled with "mild mannered Asians" (Tomine 22).
After his parents divorced, Tomine moved frequently, accompanying his mother to Fresno, Oregon, Germany, and Belgium, while spending summers with his father in Sacramento. As a young child, Tomine enjoyed Spider-Man and Indiana Jones comics which he revealed as one of his sources for growing to love comic books. He attended high school at Rio Americano in Sacramento, where he started writing, drawing and self-publishing his comic Optic Nerve as series which he still continued even up to 2013.
After graduating from high school, Tomine moved from Sacramento, California to Berkeley, California in order to attend UC Berkeley. He started off as an art major though he soon changed his major over to Literature. During this time, he continued with his comic work as well as, met and started dating his current wife, Sarah Brennan. Though it was in NewYork that he would begin the next chapter of his life.After he moved to New York in 2004, the two got married which of course the preparation of was what let to the idea of his graphic biography Scenes From An Impending Marriage. On October 31, 2009, the couple had their first child, Nora Emiko Tomine. Once his daughter was born, he took joy in becoming a stay at home dad and experiencing new things about the city that he wasn't aware of before having his child.
For the longest time in the history of his career Tomine was self published as he began in his teenage years with the comic Optic Nerve. Though the second he hit the true professional scene he was smacked down with great criticism and backlash. Accused of creating 'emo' or 'trendy' characters for the sake of attention not to mention accusations that he ripped off the clean-line style from his friend Dan Clowes another artist. He addressed these issues as soon as possible and promptly stated he was more influenced by Jaime Hernandz. Even going so far as to consider publishing these letters in his book and doing a soft of self parody in one of his cover's for The Comics Journal. Since then Tomine took his would and focused more on the interpersonal relationships of people though had been known to dip into the areas of racial issues. It wasn't until his latest graphic novel Shortcomings that he really took a look into that facet of human life. He has worked on the art for several albums such as; End Times, It's Love and Where Were Flames Now Smolder.
Though his greatest and longest work has to be the one that has lasted his entire career Optic Nerve. Even to this day he view his work kind of different from his peers claiming that he is "still very envious of [the] monumental achievements my peers are making with their [own] gigantic graphic novels" (Pop!: Optic Nerve, 2011) hoping that Optic Nerve may one day be seen in such light. This ongoing series originally a mini-comic consisting of seven issues now span full length comics with multiple issues. He highlights often that it was Optic Nerve that had him learning all the high's and lows of the comic book scene including the problems of self production as "when [he] was using Xerox machines to reproduce the art" (QRD, "Adrian Tomine Interview December 2004"). Though it was these trials that he admits brought him to where he is today.
This blog is an analysis of the graphic memoir
Scenes from an Impending Marriage by Adrian Tomine
to be looked at, critiqued and enjoyed by Katelyn McKeever and Izzy Abreu!
