Tomorrow Stories, Book 2

I love Alan Moore. I know it's not possible, but I feel like he writes just for me. His work is fanciful, supernatural, twisted, naughty, biting and groundbreaking. And until now, I didn't know that Alan Moore could be funny. 

Alan Moore's Tomorrow Stories are comprised of a rotating group of 5 different subject styles of pulp and classic comic book archetypes. Johnny B. Quick is a boy genius who lives in a small rural town. The Cobweb is the femme fatale who fights a lot of crime while wearing very little. Greyshirt is the costume vigilante who has turned from a life of crime after surviving a near catastrophe. First American and his alluring sidekick U.S. Angel are the stereotypical patriotic superhero duo. Lastly, Splash is your bizarro hero; a living blob of ink that navigates a world that is not his own. Different artists tackles these 5 subjects with Moore as the author of them all.

Tomorrow Stories are in my mind Alan Moore's MAD Magazine. Each story is satirical with those hidden jokes in the background. One story might find the protagonist exploiting the world of fine art with the next one skewering the music industry. 

My favorite stories involve Johnny B. Quick. Johnny is really brilliant. But what he has in book smarts, he lacks in life experiences. The Quick family read like the ignorant family that Marty McFly encounters when he crashes into the barn way back in 1955. It's just a hilarious idea that I wish would have been expanded into a lengthy monthly solo series. 

The First American stories were really naughty. I'm surprised Alan Moore got away with many of his dirty jokes. But these tales were really consistent across the board. The Splash stories were very funny. Yet, not every joke or gag connected. Though the Splash story from issue #7 'a Bigger Splash' should be a required addition if there ever is an essential Alan Moore compendium. 

The Cobweb and Greyshirt segments were my least favorite. For the most part, Moore goes too experimental. The crossover between the two characters was great. As solo acts, not so enjoyable. One Cobweb story is done like a series of newspaper strips and the dialect spoken by some of the characters is just too annoying to attempt to decipher. With Greyshirt, Moore crafts a musical piece. I HATE comics where you have to imagine there's singing and music. I can't read music. I just don't get the tempo. So, maybe Alan Moore really doesn't write just for me...

Tomorrow Stories was limited to a 12-issue run with 2 over-sized specials. I'm just missing 3 issues and the specials for a complete collection of the tales. So I at least have more misadventures to look forward too. Plus, one of the issues I have is a Christmas extravaganza! (I really can't wait for that one!) 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.