“This Modern World”

NBCi presents

January 18, 2001

“This Modern World” creator, Tom Tomorrow, chats about his award winning, politically focused comic strip and animated series, which is distributed to over 120 newspapers and a number of Web sites as part of the Mondo Mini Shows line-up. Tom shares his opinions of the new president and of the controversial 2000 Election.

Page 1 of 7

NBCi: Welcome to NBCi Live! Tonight in honor of the upcoming inauguration, we are chatting with Tom Tomorrow, creator of the politically charged comic strip and animated series "This Modern World." Tom joins us from New York. Welcome Tom!

Tom Tomorrow: Hi, here I am!

Nmbr 1 Animator: Which media figure has provided the best material?

Tom Tomorrow: Well, I started doing political cartoons during the first Bush administration, and really picked up steam during the Clinton administration. I guess then, for me, I'd have to say Bill Clinton, because of my age and the amount of time I have been doing this. Also, Clinton has just been such an extraordinary figure with his appetites and his scandals, and the things that I like to talk about that maybe don't get talked about so much, such as his steering the Democratic party so far to the right. But I'm sure George W. Bush will provide me with a lot of material as well.

Salsfan: Is it more important to give a message or to be funny?

Tom Tomorrow: Well, I think both are equally important. I'm clearly driven to do this--I like having the soap box to stand on, because there are things that I want to say. But if I'm not funny, if I'm just some guy ranting, then who's going to pay attention?

Anzwers: Do you feel your cartooning is an outgrowth of political activism?

Tom Tomorrow: No, I was always a cartoonist. I have never really considered myself an activist. Cartooning was an outgrowth of cartooning!

Maximus: What do you feel is your most significant comic, either because of the message or because of the quality?

Tom Tomorrow: Boy, that's a hard question, and I'm not sitting here with a big pile of them in front of me. I probably would have to go through them a while and think about that. Some cartoons have elicited greater responses, and set off more controversy than others. I prefer to think of it as a body of work, rather than single out specific cartoons, because to me, it's an ongoing process week to week, trying to convey a particular world view.

Goldie: What aspects of the cartoon medium do you think other media, such as TV and audio, don't offer?

Tom Tomorrow: Well, the way I do it, which is very word-heavy, I think the advantage is that I sort of create a voice that the reader hears in his/her head. It's the difference between reading a novel and internalizing the characters, and going to a movie and having everything laid out for you.

Page 1 of 7