In his new graphic novella, Tomine leads us through the asinine and bizarre ritual that many couples reluctantly (or willingly) participate in order to try to plan “the perfect wedding.” Thoughtfully considered and humorously paced, Scenes depicts the ever-contrarian Adrian and his more enthusiastic fiancee, Sarah, negotiating the ridiculous tasks of choosing a font for the invitation, who to invite (or not for that matter), hiring a DJ (when an iPod and speakers would suffice) and shopping for “wedding socks.” It makes you wonder “why bother” especially when (as it is accurately portrayed) the bride and groom never get to enjoy any part of it, instead finding that the best part of the whole night was eating greasy take-out on the floor of the honeymoon suite. Makes the eloping option look so much more appealing.
This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 6, 2011.
