Graphic Novelist Alex Robinson at Big Brain Comics Tonight

Alex Robinson had an auspicious debut in 1996 when his graphic novel, Box Office Poison won several honors, including an Eisner Award. Poison told the story of a group of singles doing regular things in the city, with a whimsical tone and natural dialogue.

Whether or not it would actually be a box office kiss of death remains debatable, but if it were ever made into a movie, it probably would resemble an “indie” quirk flick like Reality Bites or Singles. In 2006 Robinson followed up Poison with Tricked, which was similar in that it featured a revolving card shuffle of wacky (but not too wacky) characters, yet different in that it told a more dramatic tale with darker undertones. He more recently released Too Cool To Be Forgotten, a time-traveling tale reminiscent of Peggy Sue Got Married (but set in 1985). Tonight, the Bronx-native stops by Minneapolis for a low-key signing at Big Brain Comics (1027 Washington Ave. S). The event starts at 5:00 p.m. Be sure to bring signable copies, just not all 21 serialized issues of Box Office Poison.