Sneak Peek – Lost Property by Andy Poyiadgi

By Antony Esmond on January 25, 2015

Created by Andy Poyiadgi

Published by Nobrow www.nobrow.net

The Book: Andy Poyiadgi’s first comic Teapot Therapy was shortlisted for the Observer/Jonathan Cape/Comica Graphic Short Story Prize. He has since contributed to the anthologies Tiny Pencil, ink+PAPER and Wu Wei. He is also the creator of Teabag Theories, a micro-comic-in-a-teabag that uses the humble brew to unravel the mysteries of science.

Lost Property is Andy’s first book, being published by Nobrow as part of their 17×23 series. The story follows Gerald Cribbin, a postman who finds every object he ever owned stored in the basement of a local lost property office. How Gerald’s long lost possessions came to be under one roof is a mystery, but he is determined to learn more about this strange form of ‘self’ storage, and as a result is forced to question not only his past but also his future…

Lost Property is due out in March.

The Preview: I have been waiting to see what Andy did next since interviewing him just over a year ago. We chatted at Thought Bubble last year and he hinted at this new project. It’s got moments of tone that are in common with his Teapot Therapy project but exhibits a more driven narrative. Still gentle and touching, it walks through a working day of its central character, Gerald the Postman, following him as he tries to solve his mystery and is full of little subtle clues.

I got a real sense of books like Seth’s It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken and Adrian Tomine’s Sleepwalk. The attention to detail and the soft and familiarly parochial colour palette over small town England makes this a warm and affectionate story. He knows how to use place and mood splendidly and shows real growth over even his already excellent Teapot Therapy book.

It’s the little details that make me love Andy’s work. He closes in on the small moments in the everyday to bring out the mood and character of his stories. He manages to slow the beats and pace down masterfully that allow each panel to breathe, mellow in its own bubble of time. It appears at the same time to be understated yet eye catching because of the creator’s individual style.

I cannot recommend this book more highly. It’s a rich and thoughtful book that will cause you to pause in your busy day, take a breath and smell those roses.

Here are some pages to tease you…