City of Tomorrow

by Howard Chaykin, Michelle Madsen

When Eli Foyle's utopian city of Columbia--built with super-advanced nanotechnology and run by an army of robot supermen--becomes a robotic police state, prodigal son Tucker Foyle returns to put his house in order as loudly and violently as possible. An action-packed, futuristic tale written and illustrated by comics legend, Howard Chaykin.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Science Fiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2006

About the author

Howard Victor Chaykin is an American comic book artist and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor, Gil Kane, and the mid-20th century illustrators Robert Fawcett and Al Parker.

Reviews

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't bad. It's a little more coherent than some of Chaykin's work, and the artwork is good. Very original story. The plot is too complex to go into here but it has robots, a government plot involving WMDs, some sex, some family drama, and some bullets.

It's pretty typical Chaykin, so you know what you're getting. You will probably know before you start this whether you'll like it or not. I liked it.

[Robert Bussie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This science fiction noir about robot servants getting a virus and turning the stereotypical utopia of the ideal American family setting into a den of depravity is actually a pretty cool story idea. I also like the character Tucker; he is a throwback to the hard edged noir detectives. However, the execution of the story is just average.

The art is not to my liking. The lines are too thin and a lot of the faces look weird.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Howard Chaykin, dystopia. If you like it, you'll like it. If not, you probably won't. It's got Chaykin's sense of timing, his exaggerated and exploited women, the one-liners. Sex and violence, twist endings, bad parents.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 really

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

What are the three R's again? Whatever,
in Chaykin's case case they would be Re-Use-Re-Hash-Re-Draw...
it's a story about gangster-full-size-action-figure-dolls, the women are your typical Chaykin drop-dead sexy pin-up girls... the type you used to see on the sides of WWII airplanes... and the men are stereotypical square-chinned well-dressed in nicely pleated pants and stylish shoes mobsters. Except in the case of this book, the android ones have rosy doll cheeks.
The action is also classic Chaykin with the backgrounds entirelly filled by the rat-at-at-tat of machine gun fire while the hero is potrayed in a mid-air mid-sideways-jump firing at the 4th wall... Chaykin thru and thru.
The story is also classic Chaykin, two "android"-mobster mobs are vying for the same territory, when the anti-hero shows up to clean the town, with a bit of government conspiracy thrown in for effect.
So yeah, although I still like Chaykin's artwork enough to give it a 3.5 stars, the story itself gets at most a 2.5... let's round it up to 3 for the heck of it.
C'mon Howie... and I've been reading your stuff since way back when, when you were still lil' Howie Chaykin... you can give us much better, whatever happened to the likes of Flagg and American Century?

[Jonathan Briggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Welcome to Howard Chaykin's future, where the women are all big-breasted and braless and the temperature is always about 10 degrees below normal. In this particular variation, Eli Foyle creates a nanotech utopia staffed by androids and pisses off his punk son, Tucker, who misses labor unions or something. Eli's paradise is hacked and infected by a virus that causes the droids to go bad. The guys don zoot suits, and the dolls strap on G-strings. Enter the estranged Tucker, Desert Eagle automag in each fist, to clean up the joint. He fires literally zillions of bullets, occasionally pausing for quickie sex, but never to reload. Chaykin's cheesecake art has always been more of a draw than his sledgehammer satire or third-rate Chandler imitation. "City of Tomorrow!" is 4-star art in the service of a 2-star story, so we'll split the difference.

[MerryMeerkat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Star Rating Art: 3 Stars
Star Rating Story: 2 Stars

Netgalley Review.

First Impression: Average.

Plot/Storyline: I must admit, I wasn���t reading Batman when Damian came into existance, so I have no clue who is mother is and how he got to be living with Bruce Wayne. I will definitely have to go back to catch up.

Parts are really confusing, not sure what the heck is going on. This book is a mess. Art is only average and the story confusing. I���m giving up after 30 pages as I don���t like to waste time with bad books.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This narrative wasn't linear, so I really had to pay attention, which I appreciated. The artwork is impressive, both vibrant and descriptive, as if one is watching an old 1970's episode of Batman or Spiderman. IE: when a character shoots, punches, or blows someone or something up, it is completely spelled out: 'Krrrak..." "Zinng" etc. Nice.

[James Schneider · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is Chaykin at his least interesting/memorable. I love his cartooning, and there are pleasures to be had when encountering any of his varied styles across his body of work, but this book feels hollow and glib. I would have a hard time recommending it to any but the most ardent Chaykin fan.

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. I don't know, Howard Chaykin can be kind of uncomfortable to read sometimes.

[Fugo Feedback]

Supongo que como no pude llevárselo al autor para que me lo tachoneara un poco seguirá en lista de espera por un buen tiempo...

[Adrian · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know what? Fuck trying to finish this. There is nothing of value here.

[Brent · Rating 2 out of 5]

Minor work by Chaykin is still a guilty pleasure.
Great find c/o bargain bin; recommended on that basis.
Not for kids.

[Dony Grayman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edición española publicada como Colección El Día Después #11.

[La Revistería Comics · Rating 3 out of 5]

La Ciudad del Mañana recopilada en un único tomo en, como no podía ser de otro modo, la Colección El Día Después.