Adrian Tomine's recently released graphic novel Shortcomings (Drawn & Quarterly $19.95) received a full-page review by Jim Windolf in the prestigious Book Review section of Sunday's New York Times.  Windolf spends much of the review dissecting the character of Shortcoming's protagonist, Ben Tanaka, a 30-year-old Japanese-American, who Windolf describes as a 'young fogey,' who is 'vaguely misanthropic and sexually insecure.'

Windolf contrasts Tomine's approach ('he gets his subject across in the unsentimental style of an anthropologist's report') with the wilder, more exaggerated, even surrealistic methods employed by cartoonists such as Dan Clowes and the Hernandez brothers. Tomine in the reviewer's considered opinion is 'a mild observer of the heart. His drawing style is plain and exact. The dialogue appearing inside his cartoon balloons is pitch-perfect and succinct.  He's daring in his restraint.'

Windolf concludes that: 'In its mood and its analysis of how male sexuality is tied up with ethnicity and social status, Shortcomings finds itself somewhere between Goodbye, Columbus and Portnoy's Complaint,' which is a pretty good place for any graphic novel to end up.  Retailers in the right venues should take notice of this very positive review, which should have a very positive effect on sales, especially if the book is displayed prominently.