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Socialist Grocery

By December 20, 2019
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Artblog Oli Knowles Socialist Grocery 28 DEC19

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In an 8-panel comic part of the series Socialist Grocery by Oli Knowles, Sebastian is first seen sizing up a canvas with their brush while their manager watches. Sebastian Narrates "This week, I've been working on some sign painting for the store - doing a little less shelf stocking. But it means I end up hanging out with all my managers on their smoke breaks.  In the top right panel, Sebastian says, "Hey, did you know Matt was on Conan in 1996?" The manager responds, "Yep. Everyone knows. But did you know I was on a Lego robotics commercial in 1999?" Proceeding to the middle left panel Sebastian on their phone as the manager looks on says, "Wait, I'm looking it up. Youtube has a Lego robotics commercial - but it's from 1997." The manager quips back, "That's not it." Sebastian responds, "I want to watch it anyway." The center middle panel zooms to Sebastian's phone, showing a robot moving through a bathroom. The video narrates, "With new Lego robotics, program and build a car that takes digital photos. With perfect timing!" The middle left panel continues showing Sebastian's phone but now the robot is looking into the camera. A woman appears behind a shower curtain confused in the bottom left panel. In the bottom middle panel, the robot's lens is shown and goes, "SNAP!!" The final panel shows Sebastian holding their phone and their manager looking on, both saying in confusion, "What the fuck?"

Socialist Grocery
In a 9-panel comic part of the Socialist Grocery series by Oli Knowles, Sebastian the main character works the cash register at a grocery. In the first panel a man walks up and says, "Hey. Just buying these two things." The top right panel shows Sebastian's view of the man's shirt plastered with big letters "Blackrock". The middle left most panel shows Sebastian quizzically asking the man, "So... Do you... Uh...Work for Blackrock?" In the middle panel the man tugs at his shirt, "Oh! I sued to, last year. Didn't realize I wore this." In the middle right panel Sebastian asks, "Well... What do you do now?" The man responds, "I work at a lab that's trying to cure cancer." In the bottom left panel the man seen from behind speaks to Sebastian at the register, "When I worked at Blackrock, we played this game" , "With new hires: we asked them to each randomly name a terrible company-" The next panel a half cut row panel shows the man, "-Then we asked them to name something terrible the company's doing. Sure enough, every time Blackrock's behind it!" The lower half left panel shows the man receiving his items from Sebastian, the man continues, "Wait. Wait. Wait. This shirt is why I'm getting side-eye all day!" Sebastian in the last panel seen in side profile says, "Yes - Absolutely."

Socialist Grocery
In an 8-panel comic titled Socialist Grocery by Oli Knowles the story begins with Sebastian talking to their coworker, "One of my favorite coworkers moved to Chicago years back. This month, she transferred back to our store. I hoped she'd remember me." Looking to Marsha holding a bag of chips Sebastian says, "Hey Marsha. It's Me.", "Can I buy these from you?" In the following right panel Marsha wearing square glasses and tussled black hair says smiling, "Of course! I'm glad to see you again after all these years." Sebastian asks, "Same! What's new?" Marsha responds, "Well me and my partner got a house, a dog, 3 cats, a car - lots of spare time, a beautiful garden..." In the middle left panel Sebastian staring off into the corner asks, "That sounds So nice. What's you partner's name? Marsha responds, "Derek." Sebastian quips back, "Oh, have you ever seen the show 'Life With Derek'?" In the middle a small sliver panel shows Marsha saying, "No! Is it anything like our sweet little life? , "I want to watch it!" In the middle right panel Sebastian in profile looking left says, "Actually, no. It's nothing like your life. It's about these two kids, Kasey and Derek, who become step-siblings and have a clear attraction to eachother. Continuing onto the bottom left panel Sebastian gesturing rants, "Now this was on the Disney Channel which of course made it particularly controversial and shocking. The actors all later came out and admitted they were aware of the 'incest' overtone, and furthermore. They even supported it. That's why the show never made it onto Disney Plus." In the bottom top right panel Marsha confused says, "I don't know why you just told me that." In the bottom right panel Sebastian in defeat says, "I don't know why I told you that either.

Socialist Grocery
In a 9-panel comic from the Socialist Grocery series by Oli Knowles, Sebastian begins the first panel narrating to an image of a front door, "In 2020, I lived in a one bedroom apartment, and one day when I was at work..." Sebastian continues onto the right panel, backgrounded with an image of a computer saying download cashapp, "...Someone broke in and took my computer. They tried to use my cashapp account to-" The below panel shows Sebastian's phone in hand, "-Send themselves $10,000. Luckily I only had $4 at the time." The middle left panel displays Sebastian in bed with their partner Maggie both sleeping soundly, Sebastian continues, "I still have dreams frequently. Years later, about my cashapp getting hacked." In the middle right panel Sebastian and his coworker Mickey are shown, both wearing masks and glasses, "Most recently, I had a dream that my coworker, Micky, stole $4,000 from me." On the lower middle left panel Sebastian, shown at work wearing their glasses and a mask desperately relates their troubles to coworkers, "In the dream I tried telling my coworkers but nobody believed me." "Micky stole $4000 from me!" To which the coworker responds, "No Way." The lower bottom middle right panel shows Sebastian in profile with their thumb pointing backwards as if towards Micky, speaking to a coworker Sebastian says "Micky stole $4000 from me!" The Coworker responds, "No, there's no way he did." In the bottom panel Sebastian speaking to another coworker looking concerned says, "Why does nobody believe that this happened??" The coworker responds "Because there's no way yoou even had $4,000."

Socialist Grocery
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