Penguin Soup for the Soul

by Tom Tomorrow

From its modest beginnings in the 'zine world, Tom Tomorrow's cartoons have steadily grown into one of the most recognizible and widely read features in the American press. Appearing regularly in U.S. News and World Report, The Nation, The New York Times, and more than one hundred other magazines and newspapers, as well as on the web on such popular sites as Salon, Tom Tomorrow's social and political satire is read by more than twenty million people weekly. Frequently cited in reader polls as one of the most popular features in papers and magazines that feature him, Tom Tomorrow has shown that he has his finger on the pulse of a disenchanted American populace-and the rare ability to infuriate many of the rest. Now, to the delight of new fans and old, Penguin Soup for the Soul brings together Sparky, the Wonder Penguin (the most acerbic, cantankerous cartoon animal in the comics business), Biff, and Betty, not to mention the entire cast of modern America-ranging from Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich to media pundits and the entire 105th Congress. So, take a deep breath and prepare for yet another excursion into Tomorrowland. . .

Genres: Humor, Politics, Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Cartoon, Satire

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

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

[Theo Logos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Tomorrow fits into a long, American tradition of political cartooning. I first saw his Modern World in a local weekly paper back during the ‘90s. His unique style, using vintage clip art, rip offs from other cartoons like The Family Circus, and pop culture references conveyed biting satire and ironic commentary of the Clinton era political scene.

Tomorrow’s work had a definite Left Of Center slant, but the foibles of the era of political triangulation allowed him wide range to eviscerate both sides of the political fence with his sharp satire. Penguin Soup For The Soul is a time capsule back to the days when the bitter divide of our present era was just beginning to emerge from its cursed chrysalis.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was published in1998. Still reads well. Politics hasn't changed a bit! :D

[Dominick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Torn between three and four stars for this one. I did enjoy it, probably more because I tend to see most of the issues raised here similarly to how Tomorrow sees them than because there's anything special about his insights or his comics craft, though. I do like that he's at heart non-partisan, pointing out that the Democrats and Republicans are really about as different as zits and pimples, but it's the rare strip where he really manages to knock one out of the park. His tone reminds me somewhat of Berke Breathed (and not just because he too has a penguin mascot character); even his style does, a bit, in the way he uses clip art of real people in his images, metacartoon elements, and so on. But he doesn't seem all that terribly interested in the visual elements of comics. Even in his introduction, he talks about how word-heavy his work is. It's the rare strip that makes more than perfunctory use of the visual possibilities of the medium, though when he does do so, he shows some nice chops. As a result, this book is less interesting as comics than as editorializing, which is fine enough in its own way but not a primary interest for me.

[David Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is almost twenty years old, and I got it when it was basically new. I'm not sure how I, as a middle schooler, found myself reading leftist political cartoons. The mystery is even deeper when you consider that I thought of myself as a budding Republican at the time. Those were strange days.

Tom Tomorrow continues to rant honorably in cartoon form, and his work in the 21st century is as excellent as it was in the 20th. The fact that he could basically reprint a lot of his old work and be exactly as relevent today is not his fault. It's society's fault for letting him down.

I don't know that there's anything special about Penguin Soup for the Soul, but it was my first exposure to subversive leftism and that's got to count for something.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

--What's up with these children, anyway? They're three feet tall and spend half their time playing with imaginary friends!

--They're like insane dwarves! I can't relate to that!

[Keith Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Came across this collection of political cartoons from 1996/97 in a used book store. Makes me nostalgic for the Clinton administration.