# Is "Summer Blonde" by Adrian Tomine a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Summer Blonde by Adrian Tomine (Drawn & Quarterly, 2002) is identified by: First book edition collecting Optic Nerve issues 5 through 8, Drawn & Quarterly, 2002, issued in both hardcover (with dust jacket) and softcover. The stories first appeared serially in the Optic Nerve comic-book issues; the 2002 Drawn & Quarterly volume is the first collected book edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First book edition collecting Optic Nerve issues 5 through 8, Drawn & Quarterly, 2002, issued in both hardcover (with dust jacket) and softcover
- A first printing carries no later-printing statement on the indicia; reprintings are noted there
- Correct publisher/imprint: Drawn & Quarterly

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Adrian Tomine |
| Publisher | Drawn & Quarterly |
| Year | 2002 |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | First book edition collecting Optic Nerve issues 5 through 8, Drawn & Quarterly, 2002, issued in both hardcover (with dust jacket) and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First book edition collecting Optic Nerve issues 5 through 8, Drawn & Quarterly, 2002, issued in both hardcover (with dust jacket) and softcover. A first printing carries no later-printing statement on the indicia; reprintings are noted there.

## Is this the true first?
The stories first appeared serially in the Optic Nerve comic-book issues; the 2002 Drawn & Quarterly volume is the first collected book edition. The hardcover and softcover were both first-edition states issued in 2002.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; later printings are stated on the indicia.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Summer Blonde* by Adrian Tomine a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/summer-blonde
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.