Is This Tomorrow? Or Just the Future of Comics?

Is This Tomorrow?, the online weekly comic by Kelly Shane and Woody Compton, presents the finest in contemporary picto-literature.

Of late, there has been quite a buzz developing on Internet blogs concerning a comic strip that's smart as a whip, idiosyncratic as heck, and well drawn, to boot. Is This Tomorrow?, also referred to as ITT?, is a weekly web-based comic unlike any other (online at http://www.isthistomorrow.com). Scifi.com called ITT? "humorous meta-comics that blend divergent topics and styles to create bizarre bedfellows. Don't miss it."

   Writer Kelly Shane and artist Woody Compton create works that hearken back to the last century in their subject matter but rocket into the future with their experimental conceptual form. And they're darn funny, too. (Or thought provoking or scary or many other things, depending on the particular comic.) The creators refer to ITT? as "The Finest in Contemporary Picto-Literature!"

   "Thankfully," said Compton, "the only rules we follow are that the strips have to be black and white and consist of a single page story. Otherwise the sky is the limit. And those rules could change at any time!"

   Though most of the strips are comical, some are serious, and a number take a subtle tongue-in-cheek look at the subject matter. Many utilize classic comic book and strip genres as jumping off points, such as the strip that asks what would happen if the lord of the jungle ate a naked lunch. The most popular strips on the web-site tend to be the series of biographical sketches, featuring subjects such as serial killer Albert Fish, novelist Thomas Pynchon, comic book artist Steve Ditko, and poetess Sylvia Plath.

   "We try to make every comic somehow different," said Shane. "There are no reoccurring characters, which has its pros and cons. Hopefully, this format keeps us from getting into a rut. It makes it harder to sell an Is This Tomorrow? movie, though."

   "I hope," said Compton, "readers will enjoy never knowing what to expect every Monday. Certainly a collection of the strips in a book form would be an unusual
read."

   ITT? originally appeared back in the early 1990s in the pages of the Florida Flambeau, a newspaper affiliated with Florida State University and Florida A&M. Its original run ended after some of the early strips offended the sensibilities of the arts editor and certain faculty advisors. Is This Tomorrow? was re-launched as a weekly online comic in July of this year. The comic's name was taken from an anti-Communist comic book published in the 1940s.

   "I'd like to think," said Compton, "our strips would appeal to hardcore comic fans and those who would otherwise never read comics. From the responses we've received, our readership consists of a spectrum from teenagers to octogenarians."

   Is This Tomorrow? comics playfully explore the potential of the comic strip form. The subject matter is often silly, but the storytelling is subtly sophisticated. Compton's art varies with each comic, taking on whatever style is appropriate to the subject matter. Many of the strips are packed with allusions to myriad manifestations of 20th century culture, and quite a few operate on various conceptual levels. Shane and Compton seem to be having a great time imbuing the comics with their enthusiasm, intelligence, irreverence and craftsmanship.

   "We love comics," said Shane. "From a young age, the combination of pictures, words and panels set off massive chemical reactions in our brains. This kind of inborn love of a medium cannot be resisted. Our DNA strands have programmed us to create these strips."

   ITT? is currently celebrating the month of October with a series of horror comics, referencing such influences as EC comics, H.P. Lovecraft, Warren magazines and Val Lewton films, plus much more.

   Is This Tomorrow? can be found online at http://www.isthistomorrow.com/. At least one new comic is posted every week.