Artificial Flowers
Writer: Rachel Smith
Publisher: Avery Hill Publishing
Review by Hafsa Alkhudairi
Artificial Flowers is a story that doesn’t have superheroes or action scenes. The story is a memory or a snippet of life. Rachel Smith brings to life a simple story that emits familial relationships and art. The struggle is real to be an artist in a climate where people want to see something beyond the ordinary. Siobhan, the protagonist, is struggling in the London art scene, but she had the support of her parents and all the attachments that come with that. It showed a different side of familial obligations not often explored in any medium.
The art is soft and colourful. The design of the characters and their facial expressions are very vivid. Some of the characters in the scenes are reminiscent of muppets’ two-dimensional art. Other scenes have the characters drawn very realistically in style. The art in the comic made by the characters is as diverse as the art by the creator. This is true for the characters as well. They are diverse in ethics, ethnicity, lifestyles, mental health, and characteristics.
The beauty of the comic is that no matter what your opinion about the actions taken, the experience is human. People fall short of expectation or rise above it. Some want to be the best and present the best. Is that always what is best for everyone though? Is that how every person can succeed and become accomplished? Is that how you can become happy?
The comic explores those questions and answers them to the best of the creator’s ability. The exploration is human and simple in its nature and message. Reading it as a whole in a graphic novel translated the idea in the most direct and comprehensive manner.
The Verdict
Buy it! The story is fantastic. It is simple storyline with complex characters and relationships. It explores family and romance. It talks about the art scene in London and the life it leads. As a graphic novel, the whole plot is presented, twisted, and solved. It explores a single person’s experience in becoming an adult. Was it successful or not? That is up to the reader to decide.
Pre-order Artificial Flowers here!
