Comic Review: Tomorrow #2

Tomorrow #2

Dark Horse

Writer: Peter Milligan

Artists: Jesús Hervás & James Devlin

Tomorrow #1 was one of the most refreshing debuts in recent memory. Peter Milligan’s script had all of the components of a successful disaster/pandemic story, while Jesús Hervás and James Devlin brought fantastic art to the pages.

The second chapter of Tomorrow has almost an entirely different feel than the first. After a brief follow-up to the previous issue, Tomorrow #2 features a time-skip showing the decay of society. This issue feels a lot like Y The Last Man meets Lord of the Flies, with children running the streets. The previous issue was full of blood as the infected quickly perished, but Tomorrow #2 is a violent and brutal chapter. Most of the adults left seem to be some of the worst in society, while the children have no role-models to prevent them from completely brutalizing each other. The lack of empathy throughout the issue is unnerving, making this a harsh read.

While the scenario and pacing are this issue’s strengths, the same can’t be said about all of the dialogue of this issue. The script is full of cliches, and some of the conversations simply feel unnatural. Typical disaster movie lines like “In English!” are present here for better or for worse. Despite the inconsistent dialogue, the series protagonists are still compelling, especially Oscar. Having a protagonist that isn’t neurotypical is welcome, and brings new dynamics that we haven’t seen in this genre.

Jesús Hervás and James Devlin continue to make Tomorrow look excellent. The post-apocalyptic setting looks fantastic and unnerving. Despite most of the book taking place in broad daylight, the coloring effects ensure that tension is present in every panel. The action moves along naturally from panel to panel, making Tomorrow easy to read for all readers. A few facial expressions look a bit off at times, but that doesn’t stop Tomorrow #2 from being a fantastic looking comic book.

Tomorrow #2 takes the strong foundation that was built in the first issue and gives readers a thrilling second chapter. This is a must-read series for fans of the genre.