A Little Review of 'Cosmos & Other Stories' and I find out it's a lonely place

'Cosmos & Other Stories'

Created by Rozi Hathaway.

Published by Good Comics.

'...a collection of short stories about love and longing..... if you've ever been in a crowd, felt the ache of absence, or looked for meaning ion the constellations, then this collection will speak to you.'

It's not often that a piece of art touches you in in such a profound way. I speak as a cynical forty something who up until March the 21st this year hadn't really found a gem in the small press and was worried that it was sitting back in it's collective armchair ready for retirement. This comic changed my mind and did so with grace and a gentle whisper.

This is a comic full of stories that examine those private unseen moments that we all experience without the gaze of others. These accounts are both big and small in impact in the lives of ordinary people. Rozi describes them in her summary as 'about love and longing..' but I would add the word loneliness. In these solitary heartbreaking moments she shows us stories that broke this readers heart (just a little).

A moment can change your mind and your attitude, a moment can hurt you, a moment can inspire you, a moment can change everything. Rozi proves that comics are a powerful instrument. Good art rents a room in your consciousness and really good art plants roots in your subconscious. This is a piece of art that will allow you to step out of the rush, rush, dopamine fueled day and rest happy in that second of time. The one you could be in now if you were reading this book, that is the effect it has had on me.

I have intentionally not recounted the narratives in these short stories as they are indeed short and to do so would spoil. But the art is very worthy of comment. An experimental style full of loose pencils and flashes of colour. Characters are represented as ghostly images, wandering this landscape and thinking, always thinking. Rozi uses colours that are at ironic and telling angles to the initial appearance of a story. The creator plays with our preconceptions. The red of a sky or building line as the cold weather settles into view is a lovely addition that makes you watch the page like it is a moving canvas. The art adds a definite poetry to each line in a way that should be explored more in our world.

This is a book that I guarantee you will reread and enjoy. You may also shed a tiny tear.

Find Rozi at www.rozihathaway.com or on Twitter @angelsallfire

Many thanks for reading.