Embedded Files
Slipcase cover to 25 Years of Tomorrow
25 Years of Tomorrow by Tom Tomorrow.
This was his kickstarter project from 2016(?) that I got, stuck on my shelf, and promised I'd eventually get around to. This Modern World, the title of the strip, has been running for over 30 years now, and often splits its time between ridiculing political leaders and the people who support political leaders. It's safe to say that no one is exempt from being mocked, and the strip itself is a good example of "unvarnished Truth" that so many people claim to subscribe to.
Excerpt from an early strip
Popular subjects of Tomorrow's observations are the inanity of pop culture, the short-sighted idiocy of elected officials, the superhuman ability of the common man to blatantly ignore ideas and concepts that may improve the standard of living, as well as biting observations of how subservient news media is to continuing a milquetoast narrative that a world on fire is simply going through a warming phase that will self adjust when it is time.
Listen, I love The World of Tomorrow. I remember reading it as a youngster, not fully grasping the humor and savagely biting satire about politics of the time. I was fascinated by Sparky the Penguin (who I swear was an influence on the character of Geordie LaForge), and the funny caricatures of politicians made me giggle.
Unfortunately, I couldn't finish this one. Not because it is uninteresting or has aged like milk. Quite the opposite. It's fascinating seeing his growth as a writer, artist, and political commentator. The problem comes from the fact that his stuff has NOT AGED. The only difference (and he even admits to as much in an aside about "Zen Master George HW. Bush" where he recycled the exact same comic, only substituting Bush Jr. without having to alter the gist of the story.
That's not to say that This Modern World is all doom and gloom musings from a nihilistic point of view. There is also a fair amount of absurdity and genuine warmth behind the angry, acerbic undercurrent that flows through the series. This humor and willingness to confront uncomfortable topics with humor has won the series several awards (the strip was a finalist for the Pulitzer in editorial cartooning in 2015), and remains fresh and topical with many other strips that have lasted this long have devolved into recycling tired old jokes and premises on a monthly basis.
The reason I read comics these days is as an escape from the doom and oppression of life in America these days. As much as I appreciate this collection, I don't need a daily fucking reminder of how long it's been an absolute shit show for American politics. I had to throw the towel in after reading a series of entries from 1992 that felt like they were written last week.
A truly fascinating (if heavily biased) time capsule of American politics that weilds satire, snark, and cynicism like a hammer scalpel.
The other nice thing about this collection is the papercraft 1958 Nash Metropolitan that I will probably never put together. My grandmother had a Rambler that she absolutely adored and would talk about all the time, and it brings back fond memories when I see it.
If you're a political history buff, indie comics fan, or old (like me) you'll probably enjoy this.
If you feel the poor are the cause of all the problems with this world, please read this so you can have an aneurysm and get the hell out of the way.
A Common theme in politics from 30 years ago proves that this strip hasn't aged at all.
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