Originally published in print, September 2021.
Adrian Tomine is an American cartoonist and frequent illustrator of The New Yorker. Tomine’s clean lines, striking colours and comic book style have resulted in him producing countless memorable and recognisable magazine covers for the publication.
His first magazine cover for The New Yorker, “Missed Connections” became instantly iconic due to the relatable yet disheartening subject matter. A boy and a girl catch a glimpse of each other through the windows of their subway carriages: however, they are headed in opposite directions. What makes this moment even more heartfelt is that the pair are reading the same book. They could be a perfect match, possibly soulmates, even though they have not met. However, there is the painful realisation that in the city of New York, with a population of 8.4 million, they are likely never to see each other again. It is a bittersweet tribute to that feeling of “what could have been”.
“Memorial Plaza” is another poignant cover which Tomine illustrated for The New Yorker in 2014. This cover was inspired by the 9/11 memorial in New York City which has been transformed into one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city. The illustration shows a busy crowd gathered around the memorial – tourists are snapping selfies, wearing 9/11 merchandise and there is a smile on nearly everyone’s face. The tone-deaf tourists seem to have forgotten the real reason why the memorial exists and the thousands of lives that were lost. However, once you take a closer look, not every person in the image is an ecstatic tourist paying a quick visit. A man, dressed in a suit, with hunched shoulders examines the names engraved on the memorial. Meanwhile, a woman is seen with a furrowed brow, head in hands, turning away from the crowd. It is reasonable to assume that these individuals knew someone who had unfortunately died in the attack. Tomine captured the wide range of emotions felt by people in such close proximity to one another. He contrasted the insensitive joy of the tourists with the genuine grief felt by those who have lost the ones they love.
“Love Locks” is a cover illustrated by Tomine in December 2016. In this image, a couple are seen placing a padlock on the Brooklyn Bridge – these “love locks” are a symbol of a couple’s commitment to and adoration for one another. A sign next to the pair clearly states that love locks are banned and there is a $100 fine for placing one on the bridge, but the couple are completely oblivious and too preoccupied to notice the sign. Love locks can cause rusting, harm wildlife and may even cause the collapse of bridges. In the background of the illustration, a sanitation worker is seen with bolt cutters removing all the love locks placed by couples who had visited before this particular duo. The young, naïve couple may care more about the tradition and trendiness of love locks to realise that they are actually causing damage to the bridge. The worker snapping off the love locks could be foreshadowing the future of the lovers’ relationship – it too will end and the pair will break up.
Recently, in November 2020, Tomine’s artwork graced the cover of The New Yorker yet again. In “Love Life”, he explored the virtual search for love in the middle of a pandemic. A woman sits in front of her laptop on a digital date taking place on Zoom. From the waist up, she looks perfectly presentable, however Tomine illustrates that in reality, the woman is wearing shorts, has stubbly legs with a pair of slippers on her feet. Meanwhile, her apartment is messy with dirty dishes, takeaway food and Amazon parcels. A partition hiding her untidy bedroom acts as the background of her Zoom call. The attention to detail in this cover is immaculate – it is a time capsule to our COVID-19 world with face masks, disposable gloves and hand sanitiser strewn across the floor. “Love Life” went viral soon after being published, with thousands of readers relating to the woman. Tomine accurately captured the comical yet lonely way of living that the woman and thousands of others have experienced due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
Tomine’s work is heartbreakingly beautiful – he illustrates bittersweet moments sprinkled with irony, humour and relatability. He is a master at storytelling even without writing a single word.
