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Socialist Grocery


6 panel comic from the series "Socialist Grocery," in which Sebastian discovers a new AI app that generates photos based on any combination of words, and he and Maggie get sucked in for hours, searching more and more obscure and zany things.

Transcription

[Panel 1]: Sebastian sits in bed under the covers wearing a tank top, looking at his phone with confusion. Maggie, who looks disinterested, stands nearby in the door frame to the bedroom, looking down at Sebastian’s phone over his shoulder.
Sebastian: Have you seen this new AI Program that everyone’s using?

[Panel 2]: Close-up view of Sebastian’s phone from over his shoulder, which shows a search bar and a button that says “run,” with the results being a series of 9 photos.
Sebastian: You type in a phrase of idea, and then the program makes 9 images of what it thinks you mean. For example, here’s 9 pictures it made of “imogen heap as a juggalo.”

[Panel 3]: Sebastian and Maggie lay side by side in bed under the covers, with just their hands out, holding their phones up to their faces.
Caption: 2 hours later…
Sebastian: I made “Philadelphia City Hall covered in Fruit Gushers.”
Maggie: I made “Buzz Aldrin fighting Karl Marx on the moon.”

[Panel 4]: Sebastian’s face is half in frame, showing them speaking to Maggie and holding their phone up with their right hand so that Maggie can see. Sebastian covers their left eye with their left hand.
Sebastian: Oh- just typed in “my year in 2034.” What do you see? I want to be surprised.

[Panel 5]: View from over Maggie’s shoulder, who is still in bed but now turned toward Sebastian to see his phone. Sebastian continues to cover his eyes and hold up the phone, which shows 9 different images.
Maggie: Hmm… an aquarium, a sea urchin, a sunken ship…

[Panel 6]: Aerial view of Sebastian, still with his hand up to his eyes, but now peaking through the fingers as he listens to Maggie and looks stunned.
Maggie: A blood stain, someone exploding, a sign on an abandoned gas station, 11 people wading into a river at night–
Sebastian (cutting Maggie off): Ok, thanks!

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