THE TOMORROWS #1 (comic review)

Review by Atlee Greene

Curt Pires’ new futuristic sci-fi miniseries welcomes us to a new reality where free and artistic thought bring about a swift and legal death sentence.

The ground work for this corporate synergy of complete and utter control was laid out long ago through social media, executed by corrupt proprietors of Atlas Inc.

Vigilantes, after whom the comic is named, rebel against authoritarian rule of the times. Atlas Inc. gives the public all of the information that want to hear, and they want to exploit that to the nth degree.

There is a lot that takes place in this introductory issue, and a dispirited artist named Zoey Holloway gets yanked into the center of it all. While there isn’t a lot to Zoey’s backstory, that works well here because she represents the reader.

The “Ok, what is all of this?” naivety is something that anyone can relate to and is easy to imagine if we were suddenly faced with the choice to live life as it is, or to do something to change the system.

It’s ironic that expression is the enemy in The Tomorrows, and yet, Jason Copland’s artwork is vividly communicative in its approach to storytelling. The book is rife with intricate page layouts and keeps things moving at a steady pace. The pencil work is dark, detailed, and keeps the reader entrenched in the story.

Adam Metcalfe’s primary color pallet of various blues and purples holds its own when it comes to conveying particular sentiments. It’s psychedelic, gloomy, and gorgeous all at the same time.

There appears to be a theme with the books written by Curt Pires. His critically acclaimed series Pop deals with manufactured music and stardom. The Tomorrows deals with the propaganda of art being dangerous and therefore illegal.

The message appears to be that the world around us is fake since, increasingly, every facet of life is being controlled by either the government or big business. The message isn’t original by any means, but Pires doesn’t hit the reader on the nose with it either.

What ultimately makes The Tomorrows worth investing your $3.99 is the fact that all of the creators involved bring something unique to the table.

Pires is a star on the rise, and his layered writing style makes it easy to understand why. Copland’s pop art influence resonates through the book and is a great choice of style considering the legality of the narrative and Metcafe’s coloring brings a distinct element to the story, besides augmenting the illustrations.

The ending heavily suggests that that the scope of the overarching story is larger than one first thought. With a new artist for every issue, it seems that the creative juices are flowing full steam ahead to produce a large and well-conceived book that aims to impress and succeeds.