Review: Cows by Devi Menon

How about an autobiographical entry in the Laydeez Do Comics Online Comics Fair tackling the difficult situation of dealing with a loved one in hospital and the complex questions surrounding suffering in enjoyable art with an Art Deco-like style of quality? The right answer is Cows from Devi Menon.

Devi Menon is a part-time comics creator based in London (pretty much). She is the author of the graphic novel Amla Mater, the story of Mili and her journey from her ancestral village in South India to the United Kingdom via a jar of Amla pickle. Amla Mater is published by Yali Books.

This one's an entry in the extensively interesting catalogue curated as part of the LDComics Online Comics Fair running until the 31st of July, the link for which will be at the end of this review. LDcomics is a women-led comics forum open to all. Smashing talent introduced, we oughta have a review.

So, let's start with the art. Devi Menon has created art of simple presentation with shades of Art Deco styling and an understated beauty that's a really enjoyable experience, it's gentle and accessible art full of lovely moments particularly in its more abstract depictions. The mix of art presented is quite wonderful as it offers emphasising moments to a story with heaps of emotion.

There are some inspired artistic moments like the "pregnancy page" and "stained glass window", and the watercolour moments dropped sparingly through also add extra quality to an altogether relishable package. It's not art that slaps you in the face, more a gentle paws at you, and sometimes that's exactly what you want. On to the story, then.

Cows is a very personal story of confronting illness and mortality, and questions raised around suffering. Devi handles the subject matter with gentle grace, wonderfully poetic reflection and some lighter moments thanks to a family game of Cows & Bulls, the letters version. This game adds a beautiful framing to events, starting as a simple time-passing distraction and slowly morphing into something more poetic and beautiful. There's some raw sadness on display with this one, making it an emotional ride, but the poetic reflection keeps a sense of hope and love throughout, and a poignancy of a confessional matter to underpin it all. There's some real food for thought on offer in a melancholy way.  Introspection of the highest quality is produced poetically and profoundly with tangible sadness and love.

This book is a great package of introspective poetic narrative and delightable art that offers a special experience for those it will reach, that honours a special person and reflects the fears and things left unsaid when a loved one falls ill.

It's that italic bit again, please support the book, and if you can, please support us here with the Ko-fi below, thanks.

For fans of poetic storytelling, introspective profundity, family, heartache, a poignant game of Cows & Bulls that slowly encapsulates the narrative as a powerful framing tool, dealing with loss, confronting illness, facing mortality and musings on suffering in delightable art with an edge of Art Deco style come sit with Cows by Devi Menon.

To get your copy, it's the exciting LDC Online Comics Fair you want, specifically here. While you're there, you should also check out our The Keluarga Cable Ship Company review. Once again, the LDC Online Comics Fair runs until the 31st of July and is well worth checking out. There's a great assortment of books at ridiculously reasonable prices. I'd highly recommend it.

Review 4.5/5 For its poetic core.