# Is "Shortcomings" by Adrian Tomine a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine (Drawn & Quarterly, 2007) is identified by: First book edition: Montreal, Drawn & Quarterly, 2007, hardcover with dust jacket, ISBN 1897299168, collecting Optic Nerve issues 9 through 11 with black-and-white illustration. The material first appeared serially in Optic Nerve issues 9 through 11 (and was excerpted in McSweeney's Quarterly Concern number 13); the 2007 Drawn & Quarterly hardcover is the first book edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First book edition: Montreal, Drawn & Quarterly, 2007, hardcover with dust jacket, ISBN 1897299168, collecting Optic Nerve issues 9 through 11 with black-and-white illustration
- A first printing carries no additional-printing statement in the indicia, and the dust jacket retains its printed price
- The floral pattern printed on the jacket recurs meaningfully by the book's final chapter
- Correct publisher/imprint: Drawn & Quarterly

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Adrian Tomine |
| Publisher | Drawn & Quarterly |
| Year | 2007 |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | First book edition: Montreal, Drawn & Quarterly, 2007, hardcover with dust jacket, ISBN 1897299168, collecting Optic Nerve issues 9 through… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First book edition: Montreal, Drawn & Quarterly, 2007, hardcover with dust jacket, ISBN 1897299168, collecting Optic Nerve issues 9 through 11 with black-and-white illustration. A first printing carries no additional-printing statement in the indicia, and the dust jacket retains its printed price. The floral pattern printed on the jacket recurs meaningfully by the book's final chapter.

## Is this the true first?
The material first appeared serially in Optic Nerve issues 9 through 11 (and was excerpted in McSweeney's Quarterly Concern number 13); the 2007 Drawn & Quarterly hardcover is the first book edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; the later Drawn & Quarterly softcover and the Faber (UK, ISBN 0571233295) issue are separate later formats, not the first hardcover.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Shortcomings* by Adrian Tomine a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/shortcomings
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.