Greetings from the Modern World

"Greetings From This Modern World," published back in 1992 collects Tom Tomorrow's politically charged comic strips from 1989 through the end of 1991. While the content itself is over a dozen years old the book still manages to read as if it were published weeks ago with the bulk of its subject matter covering George Bush (Sr.), Iraq and Sadaam Hussein, big government and the warped skewering of 'news' by media broadcasters/publishers/advertisers. While the book will entertain with its razor-sharp aesthetic of sarcasm and political commentary it is somewhat unsettling when realizing how little things have changed since this book was first published.

I love Tom Tomorrows's THIS MODERN WORLD, read it avidly in the local alternative press, and so was delighted to find a copy of this particular title at our local publiclibrary. These cartoons are a bit old now...circa the Gulf War & aftermath. But they're still quite funny...We need Tom'sinsights now more than ever with the war-hysteria that isonce again gripping our nation (the Gulf War segments inthis collection take on an eerie ring of familiarity inrecent days).I've kept up with Tom's latest cartoons and he hasn't missed a beat. Thank you Tom!

For anyone sick of anything in this modern world that we live in, prepare to be entertained.Tom Tomorrow writes his comic with a well-crafted wit that is for anyone who is tired of the misguided politics and organizations of America. It will make you laught, cry, and wince as you come to realize the pathetic and scary state of our United States, and will inspire you to make a change.

Tom Tommorow is a true rebel--unlike most of today's hipsters and ironists, he has the guts to stand for something and stay committed to"outmoded" ideas like peace and social justice while holding on to a damn good sense of humor and an eye for the truly absurd(aka the rich and powerful). His honesty, wit, and,yes, stridency puts him a few notches above any other cartoonist I've seen. Buy the book and you'll look at the culture we live in with new eyes. Peace out

...but that's part of why it's so unsettling. Tom Tomorrow's use of clip art - and his prevalence of '50s imagery - may well be an attempt to cover up a lack of drawing ability, but it works incredibly well to get across a feeling of unworldliness - that the material he deals with happens in some strange parallel dimension where families are still nuclear, politicians are loving, and there's two cars in ever garage. This, of course, makes the fact that he's actually making observations on how everything works in the real world even more biting and relevent than it would have been if he just drew everything from scratch. His humour is sarcastic and surreal, tending towards analysis of politicians and the media. This, his first collected volume, shows his progress from vague satire on contemporary consumerist society to more directed attacks on the banality of television, the fact that we're continually surprised by political misdoings, and, well, satire on contemporary consumerist society. Thoughtful, witty, sarcastic and surreal, Tom Tomorrow is a very clued up cartoonist. Definitely worth reading; several times, for preference. How many other cartoons can deconstruct network news coverage of Gulf War protests and still have you crying with laughter on the floor?