Sometimes comics can bring us into the immediacy of a moment – or in this case a series of moments – with a profound eloquence. Judy Powell’s ‘Tea with Granny’ is the fifty-sixth edition in Colossive Press’s Colossive Cartographies series of tactile, fold-out zines. Powell’s name may be familiar to those who have interacted with the LDComics group, either through their online or in-person monthly presentation meet-ups. In 2021 she won their Rosalind B. Penfold Prize which looks to acknowledge artists “finding [their] voice over the age of fifty.”
‘Tea with Granny’ is presumably an autobiographical account of a young girl enjoying an afternoon treat with a grandparent via a trip to the Liberty’s department store in London. In effect it’s a 7-panel comic strip sitting on a scene-setting larger image of the retail establishment itself. The Cartographies have a reputation now for providing an experimental canvas for visual storytellers. That is indeed the case here but rather than the abstract or oblique approach to sequentials that many Cartographies take, Powell’s playfulness with visual narrative is instead rooted in a gorgeous, slightly retro realism.
From the excitement of preparing for a day out to a child’s eye perspective on an adult big city world ‘Tea with Granny’ provides us with a series of visual vignettes that beautifully capture a sense of fond but slightly fractured childhood memories. Complementing this anecdotal approach is Powell’s lettering which allows her to snake a commentary on events around each illustration as if she were wrapping this account up with a bow. Every storytelling tool is used adeptly to create a sense of place and time, especially the colouring which isn’t quite sepia but leans into that aesthetic.
An impressive piece of resonant storytelling in such a limited space, ‘Tea with Granny’ only makes me want to seek out more of Powell’s work in future.
Judy Powell (W/A) • Colossive Press, £2.00
Review by Andy Oliver
