Brian Fies' graphic novel Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow? looks at technology and visions of the future throughout the 20th century, as seen through the eyes of a boy and his father. It begins in 1939, at the New York World's Fair, the boy young, wide-eyed and optimistic. The narrative jumps forward around 10 years each chapter, the boy growing at the slow rate of traditional comics characters, the father barely aging at all. As time goes on, the boy becomes more disillusioned and disenchanted with technology and the promise of a better world, matching the zeitgeist of that decade.
I loved this graphic novel. The artwork is clean and engaging. In each chapter, Fies has a comic book read by the boy which perfectly captures the look and spirit of comics of that decade. And the thoughts on technology, optimism and hope for the future really connected with my own. Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow? is sweet, smart, a little somber, but ultimately uplifting.