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Sooner or Later
The complete surreal tale from master comics creators Peter Milligan and Brendan McCarthy. Never before collected in one edition!
1986. Thatcher's Britain. The financial 'big bang' saw the rich get richer. Riots errupt in prisons across the country. And Micky Swift is still on the dole! Disillusioned with his dour existence in dreary Camden, Micky's life is suddenly turned inside out, when he is plucked from the present and dragged into the 30th century as the property of one Mr & Mrs Katsbreath - a case of mistaken identity. Unwanted, trapped in the future and still unemployable, If Micky wants to return home (time travel isn't cheap you know!), sooner or later he will need to find a job!
1986. Thatcher's Britain. The financial 'big bang' saw the rich get richer. Riots errupt in prisons across the country. And Micky Swift is still on the dole! Disillusioned with his dour existence in dreary Camden, Micky's life is suddenly turned inside out, when he is plucked from the present and dragged into the 30th century as the property of one Mr & Mrs Katsbreath - a case of mistaken identity. Unwanted, trapped in the future and still unemployable, If Micky wants to return home (time travel isn't cheap you know!), sooner or later he will need to find a job!
96 pages, Paperback
First published April 12, 2016
About the author
Peter Milligan
1,315 books396 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Peter Milligan is a British writer, best known for his work on X-Force / X-Statix, the X-Men, & the Vertigo series Human Target. He is also a scriptwriter.
He has been writing comics for some time and he has somewhat of a reputation for writing material that is highly outlandish, bizarre and/or absurd.
His highest profile projects to date include a run on X-Men, and his X-Force revamp that relaunched as X-Statix.
Many of Milligan's best works have been from DC Vertigo. These include: The Extremist (4 issues with artist Ted McKeever) The Minx (8 issues with artist Sean Phillips) Face (Prestige one-shot with artist Duncan Fegredo) The Eaters (Prestige one-shot with artist Dean Ormston) Vertigo Pop London (4 issues with artist Philip Bond) Enigma (8 issues with artist Duncan Fegredo) and Girl (3 issues with artist Duncan Fegredo).
Series:
* Human Target
* Greek Street
* X-Force / X-Statix
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Peter Milligan is a British writer, best known for his work on X-Force / X-Statix, the X-Men, & the Vertigo series Human Target. He is also a scriptwriter.
He has been writing comics for some time and he has somewhat of a reputation for writing material that is highly outlandish, bizarre and/or absurd.
His highest profile projects to date include a run on X-Men, and his X-Force revamp that relaunched as X-Statix.
Many of Milligan's best works have been from DC Vertigo. These include: The Extremist (4 issues with artist Ted McKeever) The Minx (8 issues with artist Sean Phillips) Face (Prestige one-shot with artist Duncan Fegredo) The Eaters (Prestige one-shot with artist Dean Ormston) Vertigo Pop London (4 issues with artist Philip Bond) Enigma (8 issues with artist Duncan Fegredo) and Girl (3 issues with artist Duncan Fegredo).
Series:
* Human Target
* Greek Street
* X-Force / X-Statix
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 1, 2016
This is definitely a book i can only justify owning as a McCarthy completist -- it's almost an ancillary text to The Best of Milligan and McCarthy, which collects a small portion of these strips but not the full dealio. Whenever someone gets around to reprinting the entirety of THE ELECTRICK HOAX, I'll snap that up too.
For the uninitiated, Sooner or Later is the story of a young British punk who gets transported 1000 years into the future, finding himself in a comical bureaucratic nightmare that's somewhere between 1984 and Brazil, with the aesthetic of Berkeley Breathed's Outland. While the Thatcher-era satire is front and center, the tone is mostly goofy rather than bitter. As always with Milligan, it's as much a spoof on vapid youth culture as it is on the establishment. At the end of the day, SoL is less interested in political commentary than it is in being colorful and weird.
Because it was originally published as a series of one-off back cover strips in 2000AD, the series runs fast and loose, and is over pretty quickly. The collection is fleshed out with a mostly unnecessary sequel drawn quite eagerly by a young Jamie Hewlett, as well as a few of Milligan's Future Shocks and extensive interviews with the creators. The interviews might just be the nicest part of the package, since all involved are often pretty reticent to discuss their work. It's clear that SoL remains a creative high point in each of their careers, even if it might not seem like much in comparison to their more well-known work.
This is not in any way essential for anyone except the most die-hard fans. But it is a pretty book.
For the uninitiated, Sooner or Later is the story of a young British punk who gets transported 1000 years into the future, finding himself in a comical bureaucratic nightmare that's somewhere between 1984 and Brazil, with the aesthetic of Berkeley Breathed's Outland. While the Thatcher-era satire is front and center, the tone is mostly goofy rather than bitter. As always with Milligan, it's as much a spoof on vapid youth culture as it is on the establishment. At the end of the day, SoL is less interested in political commentary than it is in being colorful and weird.
Because it was originally published as a series of one-off back cover strips in 2000AD, the series runs fast and loose, and is over pretty quickly. The collection is fleshed out with a mostly unnecessary sequel drawn quite eagerly by a young Jamie Hewlett, as well as a few of Milligan's Future Shocks and extensive interviews with the creators. The interviews might just be the nicest part of the package, since all involved are often pretty reticent to discuss their work. It's clear that SoL remains a creative high point in each of their careers, even if it might not seem like much in comparison to their more well-known work.
This is not in any way essential for anyone except the most die-hard fans. But it is a pretty book.
January 6, 2018
1986 was truly a miracle year for comics: Watchmen, Dark Knight, Maus, tons of indie publishers, and the British Invasion. But, amidst this outpouring of sophisticated, adult comics, the work of Milligan and McCarthy is a cut above. While most creators were taking novelistic or cinematic approaches with serious or somber tones, Milligan & McCarthy were crafting psychedelic sci-fi from a fine arts meets punk rock perspective, mixing political commentary and working-class culture with Dada, surrealism, Fauvism and visual poetry into a feverish, bizarre and irreverent vision. The pair really pushed the envelope of the comics medium as an art form. Over 30 years later, there still hasn't been anything like it. This is an indispensable companion piece to the brilliant Best of Milligan & McCarthy, which only included a few of the Sooner or Later strips. Also included is the Sooner or Later sequel featuring art by Jamie Hewlett, as well as 3 classic Tharg's Future-Shocks stories by Milligan & McCarthy. But, best of all, the extensive interviews with the pair, covering their decades-long careers, offer incredible insights into their process. While I'm glad comics are more mainstream these days, I lament the loss of the avant-garde. They just don't make 'em like this anymore.
November 25, 2019
This slim paperback contains five different comics written by Peter Milligan. The main feature is the original Sooner or Later series, which is 39 pages long and has art by Brendan McCarthy and Tony Riot. Next comes follow-up series Swifty's Return, consisting of 16 pages drawn by Jamie Hewlett. The collection is rounded out with three unrelated standalone stories, all drawn by Brendan McCarthy: 60 Hours that Shook the World (5 pages), Bad Maxwell (4 pages) and Breathless (3 pages).
Most of the original Sooner or Later series was initially published as one-page strips, and to be honest it doesn't work particularly well as a continuous story. The creators' focus was clearly on making each page entertaining in its own right, rather than telling a longer narrative or developing complex characters. Basically, the comic follows bland, apparently-emotionless protagonist Micky "Swifty" Swift as a lot of weird stuff happens to him, often for no apparent reason. He mostly just reacts with a shrug, a smirk or a quip. Only a thin semblance of plot connects one strip to the next and there isn't much in the way of flow, as most pages end with some kind of punchline. There are some cool concepts and a few nice bits of political satire, but the only real selling point is the absolutely fantastic art. Sometimes monochrome, sometimes vividly coloured, everything from mundane '80s London to futuristically surreal sci-fi cities is depicted with a lot of care and imagination.
In terms of story, Swifty's Return is significantly more engaging. It helps a lot that each chapter is longer (4 pages), plus the storytelling is a lot more coherent and grounded. There's still a load of crazy stuff happening, but it feels less like the creators' goal is to just be as weird as possible. However, as before, the best part is the art. Hewlett's style is significantly different to McCarthy's, but it suits the story and setting just as well.
The last three stories all follow a similar formula to one another: they're short, high-concept sci-fi tales with a twist at the end. In the latter two cases, the result is mediocre, but I think the first of the three (60 Hours that Shook the World) works really well. The art in all three has a dark, serious style that lacks the charm that makes McCarthy's other stuff great.
I picked this book up on a whim, mostly due to my love for Milligan's magnum opus, Enigma. Unfortunately, there's little evidence of his literary genius in the irreverent, hair-brained comics collected here. However, there is brilliant art, heaps of imagination and just enough wit to keep me engaged.
Most of the original Sooner or Later series was initially published as one-page strips, and to be honest it doesn't work particularly well as a continuous story. The creators' focus was clearly on making each page entertaining in its own right, rather than telling a longer narrative or developing complex characters. Basically, the comic follows bland, apparently-emotionless protagonist Micky "Swifty" Swift as a lot of weird stuff happens to him, often for no apparent reason. He mostly just reacts with a shrug, a smirk or a quip. Only a thin semblance of plot connects one strip to the next and there isn't much in the way of flow, as most pages end with some kind of punchline. There are some cool concepts and a few nice bits of political satire, but the only real selling point is the absolutely fantastic art. Sometimes monochrome, sometimes vividly coloured, everything from mundane '80s London to futuristically surreal sci-fi cities is depicted with a lot of care and imagination.
In terms of story, Swifty's Return is significantly more engaging. It helps a lot that each chapter is longer (4 pages), plus the storytelling is a lot more coherent and grounded. There's still a load of crazy stuff happening, but it feels less like the creators' goal is to just be as weird as possible. However, as before, the best part is the art. Hewlett's style is significantly different to McCarthy's, but it suits the story and setting just as well.
The last three stories all follow a similar formula to one another: they're short, high-concept sci-fi tales with a twist at the end. In the latter two cases, the result is mediocre, but I think the first of the three (60 Hours that Shook the World) works really well. The art in all three has a dark, serious style that lacks the charm that makes McCarthy's other stuff great.
I picked this book up on a whim, mostly due to my love for Milligan's magnum opus, Enigma. Unfortunately, there's little evidence of his literary genius in the irreverent, hair-brained comics collected here. However, there is brilliant art, heaps of imagination and just enough wit to keep me engaged.
May 4, 2018
An insanely bonkers sci-fi comix series following Micky Swift, a jobless wastoid who gets sent into the future and has to find his own way back. I remain in awe of McCarthy and Hewlett’s inconceivably detailed illustrations.
July 24, 2018
The best part of this is the interviews. This book is really just to complete the omissions from the Best of Milligan and McCarthy. It's Milligan and McCarthy when they were art school punks, and this feels like their zine work.
Only if you want to see how far they've come.
Only if you want to see how far they've come.
March 27, 2023
Even though the story was amusing but not much more than that, I had to give it 4 stars. For the creators. Brandan McCarthy is one of comics’ greatest. Milligan & Hewlett-Packard, they’re good, too.
May 27, 2026
A companion piece to The Best of Milligan and McCarthy, where an abridged version of Sooner or Later appears. The whole strip is collected here, along with a sequel story, other odds and ends, and two excellent interviews with M and M. This is typically trippy stuff from these gentlemen. There’s Thatcher era satire, but the tone is more whimsical and goofy than biting. Not for everyone, but a good read if you like it weird. I'm still fascinated that these comics came out when they did. They are very idiosyncratic, even years later.
July 23, 2016
Didn't like it then and not improved with age. Art is OK.
Read
September 9, 20182000AD's brief experiment with a back cover gag strip, overly reliant on leaden satirical puns ('House of Conmen'? I see what you did there!), which would probably have been tough going to read en masse even during the Thatcherite era at which it swings. And 30 years on? Yeah. But it's Milligan and McCarthy so, while surely their most minor work together, still not entirely devoid of interest - even in this format a certain weird fizziness will always find its way through, albeit only fitfully. The collection also includes the slightly more conventional sequel, with art by Jamie Hewlett; some Future Shocks &c; and interviews with the creators. The best snippet from which is that ATV nearly made a Dan Dare show with James Fox as the hero, Rodney Bewes as Digby, and Johnny Rotten as the Mekon. But it nevertheless adds up to a very skimpy volume, and would surely have been better left as one component of an omnibus for hardcore fans. As, indeed, some but not all of these strips did appear a few years back. Publishers make odd decisions sometimes.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews