MOME omnipresent cartoonist, teacher and Uncivilized Books founder Tom Kaczynski is back to the market with a new piece of civilization-system discussion out next month on Fantagraphics: Beta testing the Apocalypse.
BTTA compiles most of Tom’s work from MOME but as most of his work was in b&w BTTA has a colored flavor being printed in two-colors throughout with a different Pantone color for each story. Plus, “The New,” a fresh story created expressly for this book which also happens to be his longest story to date.
“The New” is set in an unnamed third-world megalopolis, the city creaks under the pressure of explosive growth. Whole districts are built in a week. The story follows an internationally renowned starchitect as he struggles to impose his vision on the metropolis. A vision threatened by the massive dispossessed slum-proletariat inhabiting the slums and favelas on the edges of the city. From the fetid ferment of garbage dumps and shanties emerges a new feral architecture.
All the architectural & political love from Tom to question a few things and praise others. More info and pre-order this way… a few more images this other way.
