What Happened To The World of Tomorrow? Paperback
Publisher: Abrams Comicarts
Release Date: August 1, 2012
Price: $14.95
Creator: Brian Fies
Format: 208 pages, Paperback, w/ Color
ISBN: 978-1-4197-0441-3
Age Rating: Teen+
ICv2 Rating: 3 stars out of 5

As I read and took notes on What Happened to the World of Tomorrow?, now out in paperback, I noticed a trend fairly early.  No matter what time period was being talked about, I always felt like I was there and could very clearly feel exactly what the author was trying to convey and that's powerful.

Starting with the 1939 World's Fair, this book captures the excitement of technological advances in the 20th century before ultimately asking some serious questions about the space race of the 1960's and our curiosity beyond that.  In this book, we meet an unnamed main character and his father.  Captivated by technology, the two of them grow up together in an uncertain world where war loomed around seemingly every corner and it was difficult to know who your enemies really were.

Using the father-son relationship as a leaping off point, Fies takes his audience on a journey through literally time and space and teaches all of us about our technological history and speculates on where it could go in the future.  In 200 pages, the author is able to take us all on a fantastic journey filled with little tidbits of knowledge and trivia while letting the audience feel the amazing highs such as the moment when a man first walked on the moon to the lows of pretty much everything after that.

This isn't story or presentation that is going to wow anyone however.  The artwork is very simple and is only remarkable because of the interesting use of real photographs from the various decades that serve as an excellent visual aid.  Even with that, the words and dialogue is what drives this book forward and recreates the world that we used to live in.

While aimed at adults, this is a gentle read that could inspire the young and old alike.  In the end, the message behind this one is that the future we all dreamed about could still happen with just a little bit of action from everyone.  It doesn't have to be a big thing, just a small contribution could leave a lasting impact on the world. While not exactly a 'page turner,' this is still a strong addition to shelves.  Recommended.

-- L.B. Bryant