The Future Was Then is a new exhibition at The Cartoon Museum that will feature over 80 pages of original comic art alongside other items that tell stories about the future of the human race from 1990 to 4000 AD.

Science fiction and dystopian comics give us possible visions of Earth’s future, imagining what may be in store for humanity. Will hope triumph, with space rangers taking to the cosmos to explore new worlds? Or will fear set in, with futuristic authoritarian regimes taking hold? With original work from iconic futuristic worlds such as Tank Girl, Judge Dredd, and Thunderbirds, and original artwork by legendary artists that includes Jamie Hewlett, Frank Bellamy and Sydney Jordan. This is one not to miss.

What did comic creators in the past think the future would look like?

Over the past hundred years, artists have conjured visions of future police states, intergalactic travel, everyday cybernetic technology, humans leaving Earth and even – gasp – humans using computers daily. Many creators are influenced by the world around them as they create, leaving imprints of their modern-day in their future worlds. The show will explore this in the exhibition through never-before-displayed items from Phoo Action by Jamie Hewlett & Mat Wakeham – a vision of 2004 rooted in the mid-nineties, and a precursor to Hewlett’s later work on Gorillaz.

4 October 2025 – 22 March 2026 at The Cartoon Museum sign up now!