The Future's So Bright I Can't Bear to Look

by Tom Tomorrow

Welcome to a world where George Bush and Dick Cheney are secretly radical leftists trying to destroy the Republican party from within; where Jeffrey Dahmer is a celebrated conservative pundit and the author of such instant bestsellers as Kill Them and Eat Them ; and where Richard Perle hosts the NeoCon Game Show, awarding fabulous prizes to the contestant with the most outlandishly wrong answers. Welcome to the world of Tom Tomorrow, whose subversive new anthology skewers the absurdities of American political culture -- and the depravities of the Bush era -- with the sardonic wit and keen insight his many loyal readers have come to expect. From Hurricane Katrina to the latest presidential campaign, these cartoons provide an unflinching look at where we've been -- and just how bright we can expect the future to be.

Genres: Comics, Politics, Humor, Graphic Novels

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 29, 2008

About the author

Tom Tomorrow is the pen name of editorial cartoonist Dan Perkins, creator of the weekly political cartoon, This Modern World, which appears in approximately 80 newspapers across the U.S., and on websites such as Daily Kos, Truthout and Credo. His work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Spin, Mother Jones, Esquire, The Economist, The Nation, U.S. News and World Report, and The American Prospect, and has been featured on Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

From 1999-2001, he worked on a series of animated web cartoons which can be viewed here.

In 2009, he created the cover art for the Pearl Jam album Backspacer.

In 2011 he ended a 16 year run at Salon to create and edit a new comics section at Daily Kos.

He has published nine anthologies of his work:

–Greetings From This Modern World (1992)
–Tune in Tomorrow (1994)
–The Wrath of Sparky (1996)
–Penguin Soup for the Soul (1998)
–When Penguins Attack (2000) (introduction by Dave Eggers)
–The Great Big Book of Tomorrow (2003)
–Hell in a Handbasket (2006)
–The Future’s So Bright I Can’t Bear to Look (2008)
Too Much Crazy (2010)

He is also the author of a book for children, The Very Silly Mayor (2009).

He received the first place Robert F. Kennedy Award for Excellence in Journalism in 1998 and in 2003. Other honors include:

1993: Media Alliance Meritorious Achievement Award
1995: Society of Professional Journalists James Madison Freedom of Information Award
2000: Association for Education in Journalism and Education, Professional Freedom and Responsibility Award
2001: James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism
2004: Altweekly Award, 2nd Place
2006: Altweekly Award, 3rd Place

Tom Tomorrow is available for speaking engagements. For further information, contact tomtomorrow (at) gmail (dot) com. He is also currently in the market for a new publisher, if anyone’s interested.

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's always a little weird to read editorial cartoons fifteen years after they first appeared. Many of the political figures are still prominent today, but so many have fallen along the wayside and are fading from memory as are the events in which they figured. It's amusing to see what angered the cartoonist then and think, "Oh, buddy, you have no idea how much worse it's gonna get."

Still, it's good to remind oneself of even relatively recent historical events in order to see the continuities, the places where history is always repeating itself. The conservative vs. liberal back and forth is as regular and reliable as the black and white spies from Mad magazine. The conspiracy theories are always spiraling and the culture wars rage on over abortion, Christmas, and children's education.

Tom Tomorrow's cartoons are dense and wordy, but I easily identify with the liberal anger and sarcasm dripping from every page.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the wild ride that was the most recent occupation of the Oval Office, it took me a while to get back into the headspace of what was going on back in 2007. Maybe because during the Bush era, most of the time I couldn't bear to look. ("Hey...that's the name of the book!") During the Matt Gaetz era, running across a reference to the end of Mark Foley's congressional career felt—weird. By the end though, a young whippersnapper named Barack Obama was giving Hillary Clinton a run for her money at the 2008 nomination, McCain was being berated for being a stodgy old veteran (rather than single-handedly saving the Affordable Care Act as he did several years later). I've got a couple more This Modern World collections from the library and I started with the oldest, so my trip down memory lane should only improve from here.

[Scott Ollar · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best part of this book is how it mirrors the current state of affairs in America under Mango Mussolini

[Catherine Schaff-Stump · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of fun in the usual fashion. I wonder what Tom Tomorrow will spend most of his strip on now that there isn't quite as much to parody?

[Van Tilburg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read, an example of how humor can be a weapon.