Tom Tomorrow is a satirist. His “This Modern World” comics are devoted to pointing out the hypocrisy, fallacies, and spurious actions of figures in the news (usually the more conservative members of government) as well as the news media itself. The comics address current events, deriving most of their humor from items found in the current week’s news cycle.
And herein lies the problem with his new book, The Future’s So Bright, I Can’t Bear To Look. Although perhaps useful for those without the blessing of Internet access, a printed archive of Tomorrow’s work misses the point. Tomorrow’s strengths as a weekly cartoonist are his weaknesses as a collected artist; the particular impact his strips produce can only be experienced within the context of the events they comment upon.
This, Tomorrow’s seventh collection, reprints strips from 2005 until spring of this year. What was relevant when these strips were first created is now dated, even insignificant. Removed from context, the intent of the strips feels almost foreign. Imagine reading this week’s comic, found mere pages away from this review, without having recently heard about Sarah Palin’s winking.
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At best, looking back at 3-year-old commentary is an excuse for self-validation: “See? He was so right.” At worst, it is an exercise in head-scratching befuddlement: “Oh, yeah, I vaguely remember that. Why did we care about that again?” All together, reading this collection is more of a chore than a joy. Tomorrow is not interested in character development or long storylines, nor should he be—his talent is topical, not dramatic. Still, without the benefit of such a connecting thread, the sheer volume of raw cultural critique can be daunting.
But then, syndicated cartoonists are typically paid worse than dishwashers. If you are a fan of “This Modern World,” and want to show your support, by all means buy this book. Flip through it once, enjoy the full-color versions of the comics you’ve read for the last few years, chuckle at your favorite use of the word “moonbat,” then put the book on the shelf between your copy of the Ultimate George W. Bushisms and Dispatches from the Tenth Circle, never to be read again, confident in the knowledge that you helped Tom Tomorrow put food on his table.
