"Ill Communication" by Bob Lipski in @Cifiscape Vol. 1: The Twin Cities

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"Ill Communication" by Bob Lipski is an amazingly observant graphic-story featuring Lipski's popular Uptown Girl characters.

Have you ever had one of those ultra-modern conversations where you're in the same room or sitting next to the person that you are texting or instant-messaging? If you've had one of these digital conversations, you will love "Ill Communication."

In "Ill Communication," Uptown Girl has been assigned the task of writing an article about what the Twin Cities might look like in 100 years. Uptown Girl isn't motivated by what the physical landscape of Minneapolis and St. Paul will look like but what the people will be like. It's a good question. Can we know? I remember, in grade school, we were asked to imagine what the year 2000 would look like, and everyone drew pictures of space stations, rocket cars, etc. It's 2010, and we don't have anything that we imagined in class; however, life is much different and Uptown Girl and Ruby have hit the social nail on the head.

Technology has changed people's expectations. The expectation that Ruby and Uptown Girl struggle with is being available 24/7. As a culture, we have decided that it is acceptable to always be reachable by friends, family, and work. Thus, the question is: How will the culture of 24/7 communication evolve in the next 100 years?

Aptly, "Ill Communication" doesn't provide an answer. Instead, through a good dose of irony, it points out the horrible, inescapable present.

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Special Note: Yes, I have a story in Cifiscape Vol. 1: The Twin Cities - "What's For Dinner" - so I have a vested interest in the anthology selling. However, all the authors in the anthology are local Twin Cities' authors, and the stories are excellent, so I'm going to review them all over the next few days. Cheers!