In Review – “Lost Property” by Andy Poyiadgi

Lost Property - Cover

Created by Andy Poyiadgi
Published by NoBrow Press
24 pages. Full Colour
Cover Price – £6.50

The Book: What if all the things you ever lost, each valuable possession you vowed to treasure but could not keep safe, all the misplaced items you never found, were all to re-appear?

Gerald is a postman, much like any other postmen. One day, having lost a precious and personal item, he visits his local lost and found. Only to find far more than he bargained for, because in this “self storage”, each and every one of Gerald’s lost possessions has been kept and contained. How each item got there and why they are under one roof is a mystery. But they were all there…

Faced with this new trove of personal riches, Gerald discovers their ability to trigger powerful memories resurrecting the ghosts of his past, igniting long lost passions and helping him change the course of his future.

 

 

Lost Property - Morning Coffee

“Gerald’s business was other people’s property.”

 

 

The Review: Andy Poyiadgi writes and draws the sort of comics that float through the air and land in your hands beautiful and clever in equal measure.  I have had the pleasure in the past of interviewing this creator and he’s full of unexpected ideas and ways of looking at the world.

His new book Lost Property is due to be published by NoBrow this month, so I was over the moon to see a preview copy land through my letterbox.

I absolutely loved this book. It’s precisely drawn, written and formatted to show and hide clues and personal feelings at every turn. Often wordless but with exquisite attention to detail it flows through your mind like a gentle wind of a story, pausing at moments to let you collect your thoughts. It allows the space for the reader to ponder and consider narrative and emotion.

The art crosses the line between folks like Chris Ware and Seth, in that it’s got intelligent and flowing layouts and then dips its foot into the pacing of a Scott McCloud graphic novel. Time moves around the characters as they walk through its story, moving from motion to transfixed dream like states at the drop of a panel. It’s genuinely the perfect comic for a lazy weekend.

Lost Property - On Yer BikeWhat Lost Property really does for me is look at the nature of the passing of time. Past and present are there at exactly the same place, the basement of the lost and found.  Gerald moves through time, not in a fancy machine but in his mind and the nostalgia of things, places, feelings and even smells. Yes, I know, this is hard to describe but it’s that good.  I can’t and won’t ruin the ending of the story for you buy it paid off completely.

This book has both beauty and charm. It’s a mixture of hauntingly elegant visuals,  a small town Miss Marple style mystery and, at its heart, an unexpected love story. A story that is genuine and poignant and reveals the rewards of a man who has cared more for those around him than himself.

This is my favourite book this year by a mile.

Get a copy.

• You can find NoBrow Press at www.nobrow.net and on Twitter @nobrowpress

• You can find Andy at www.ajpoyiadgi.com and on Twitter @ajpoyiadgi

Many thanks for reading.

 



Categories: British Comics, Features, Reviews

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