Reviews 

“Tomorrow” #1

By | February 28th, 2020
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In a media landscape filled to overflowing with dystopian narratives that center on youth protagonists, “Tomorrow” #1 stands out as a particularly disturbing, artfully constructed debut. (Warning: may contain minor spoilers.)

Cover by Dan Parent
Written by Peter Milligan
Illustrated by Jesús Hervás
Colored by James Devlin
Lettered by Sal Cipriano

In this shocking new sci-fi horror series, a Russian computer virus has jumped the species barrier and wiped out most of the adult population, leaving the world precariously in the hands of the next generation. In the wake of devastation, musical prodigy Oscar Fuentes is separated from his twin sister Cira. Stranded on opposite sides of the country, they’re swept into rapidly evolving networks of teenage gangs. Can Oscar find his way back to Cira . . . or will they be lost to each other forever, in a dangerous makeshift civilization that is mercilessly replacing the past?

For many American children, participating in an active shooter drill at school is an annual rite of passage. In Carter County, Tennessee kids as young as six have been taught to administer Narcan nasal spray to reverse the deadly effects of an opioid overdose. Last year in California, nearly 8,000 separate wild fires burned an estimated 259,823 acres of land – a mere blip compared to the 46 million acres that have been ravaged by flames in Australia. Add the Coronavirus and Climate Anxiety into the mix and The Apocalypse no longer seems like an outlandish event long-prophesied by religious fanatics, it feels like it’s already here.

In “Tomorrow” #1, the stunning debut installment of this creator-owned series from Dark Horse imprint Berger Books, writer Peter Milligan feeds off this ambient tension and dives right into the story, whether you’re ready or not. Here, there’s no lengthy prologue or meticulous worldbuilding that sets up the story to come, just the body of a dead woman laying on the floor with small pools of blood near her mouth. In the middle ground, we also see the reaction of the book’s protagonist, Oscar Fuentes, a cello prodigy who’s been staring at the body for precisely ten minutes and twenty seconds. We know this because Oscar tells us in a rather stilted inner monologue that strongly suggests he doesn’t process events and emotions the way most people do.

Near the bottom of the page, our suspicions are quickly confirmed. We see a man clutching his chest, crumpling to the tile floor. Oscar’s face is unflinching, his words completely detached, as he coolly reassures us the man’s fate is already irreversibly sealed. “I don’t mean to come across as callous – I’m neuro atypical, not a monster – but there’s nothing I can do to save him.” Oscar walks down the hall, past another dead woman, and out the door, leaving the carnage behind.

From there, the story flashes back to three days prior, when the mysterious, deadly virus currently wreaking havoc all over the globe was first erupting. Notably, Milligan keeps the momentum going with compact, action-packed that deftly interweave the introduction of new characters, crucial bits of backstory and potential plot points. Narratively, however, the book’s stellar artwork does most of the heavy lifting. Page layouts and compositions, in particular, are superb.

Beginning on the first page and throughout much of the book, illustrator Jesús Hervás uses inset panels to wondrous effect. With characters who sometimes extend beyond panel borders and backgrounds that often continue behind multiple smaller panels, there’s a three dimensional, layered quality to the art that feels tangible. It also keeps the focus well balanced, simultaneously on the core characters and their emotions, as well as the growing chaos engulfing the world they inhabit.

James Devlin’s vibrant colors accentuate Hervás’s inks beautifully. In places there is definitely a surreal quality. The pale purplish hallways of the West Side College of Music, for example, have a subtle, yet decidedly eerie sheen. As do the pale aquamarine scrubs of the hospital staff. The bright red warmup jackets of the prep school soccer team, on the other hand, leap right off the page, commanding your attention, exactly like their team captain – the highly pretentious Nate Fielding who’s not afraid to let you know he can buy and sell your ass in a heartbeat. Jesús Hervás’s inks have a wonderful level of detail and Devlin is with him every step of the way, digging deep into backgrounds to bring every panel to life.

Finally, I’m not particularly enamored with preview pages. In fact my reaction is often skeptical, making me wonder why the scene(s) glommed onto the end weren’t included in what we just read. In this case, however, with a compelling cliffhanger that doesn’t circle back to Oscar, the extra scenes provide a tantalizing look at where the story is headed, in some ways likely quite different than what we may have surmised. It adds an intriguing twist while still congruent with what we’ve just experienced.

Final Verdict: 9.1 With an immensely likable, neuro-atypical viewpoint character, a pitch-perfect narrative structure and killer artwork to boot, “Tomorrow” #1 is another home run from Berger Books.


John Schaidler

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