SuperSearnold - Comic Book Reviews

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld]. Welcome to my comic book review blog - thanks for tuning in. Today is Wednesday, October 1st, 2008.

Today’s Issue:
As per your request - Doctor Tomorrow #01-#12, the complete mini-series published by Acclaim Comics back in 1997. The series was written by Bob Layton (X-Factor, Iron Man) with art by a whole slew of famous folks like Dick Giordano (Batman, Brave and the Bold), Jimmy Palmiotti (Daredevil, Painkiller Jane), and Alex Maleev (Daredevil, Secret Invasion). The variety of artists was because each issue emulated the style of a famous comic book creator - from Jack Kirby and Will Eisner to Frank Miller and John Byrne.

Premise:
Doctor Tomorrow is about a man from 1941 who stumbles upon a time capsule with technology from the year 1998. He uses this technology and knowledge of the future to become Doctor Tomorrow and help the allies turn the tide of World War Two. The mini-series follows him through his entire life - through the cold war, Viet Nam, and into the present - as he tries to do the right thing with these powers, and always seems to screw things up.

Awesome Parts:
The premise of Doctor Tomorrow was incredible. I like the idea of following a hero through his entire life and seeing that his actions have consequences for the rest of his life. I like the idea of struggling to do the right thing but always seeming to screw things up. I love the philosophical implications of what to do with knowledge of the future. I’ve always been a fan of time travel. The part of the story where Doctor Tomorrow was accused by Joe McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Comittee of being a communist sympathiser was especially moving. I also enjoyed guest appearances by Albert Einstein and Orson Welles as they allied themselves with Doctor Tomorrow in his attempts to save the world.

The Un-Awesome Parts:
I’m afraid that the premise simply wasn’t very well executed. The book wasn’t very well written. The pacing was simply too fast - narrated by an old Doctor Tomorrow telling his story to an unknown audience that isn’t revealed until the 11th issue. Most of the story is TOLD and not SHOWN - which (as I have said many times) is one of the worst sins a writer can commit. I found that finishing the book was a chore. I rarely cared about the characters in the story. I think the best part of each issue was Peter Sanderson’s 2 page explanation of the various artists whose styles were being emulated. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel that the emulations were very successful as only a few issues really had distinguishable art.

My Recommendation:
Unfortunately, I just can’t recommend Doctor Tomorrow. Nevermind the fact that it’s fairly difficult to come by as Acclaim Comics was never really that popular. Even if you already own the book there has to be something better you can do with your time. I LOVED the premise of this story. I think a wonderful comic book could be written involving a similar adventure. But Doctor Tomorrow was so poorly written that I didn’t even enjoy the act of reading it. Many great creators were involved in the creation of Doctor Tomorrow - but it’s definitely not their best work.

That’s it for today. As always - thanks for reading - see you next time.
-Searnold

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