Terraform, April 27, 2015

“Out of This World” by Koren Shadmi

Reviewed by Kris Rudin

This is an illustrated story, with images by the author. I’m not sure the images add all that much to the narrative, but they do provide little snippets of various scenes. The story itself is set in a near future New York City, where income inequality has fully separated the haves from the have-nots. It is the first-person tale of an ultra-rich teenager, who decides to go slumming amongst the “Lows,” as the poor are called. The only problem is that he has a robotic nanny/bodyguard which he has to ditch. He does so, however not without repercussions. His father’s response to the situation drives home the overall theme, if you notice what he does not say.