The Little Deaths of Watson Tower – Review
The Little Deaths of Watson Tower is written by Nick Bryan with art by Rosie Alexander. It centres around a group of friends who spend their time hanging around a tower block dressed as skeletons. The “Little Deaths” of the title. They are pretty happy just making a nuisance of themselves and annoying each other. Their lives seem pretty simple until they upset the wrong neighbour.
Synopsis
Kelly Arnold and her friends are hanging around a tower block, dressed like tiny grim reapers, when everything gets too real. Like it or not, they must face the scampering nuisance of death itself.
Review
Predominantly this comic tackles the issue of terminal illness and the looming spectre of death. And it’s done in a very sympathetic manner. Both Kelly, the central character, and the neighbour the Little Deaths bump into, are dealing with it in different ways. Chuck in a bit of magic and things get a little more interesting. Sadly though, they also get a little confusing. I think perhaps The Little Deaths of Watson Tower could have benefited from a few more pages.
From Kelly’s arrival back at Watson Tower after her initial encounter with the neighbour things get a little… perplexing. I wasn’t entirely sure if there was actual magic involved, or if it was something else. I found it a little jarring, although perhaps that was the intention. After all the subject matter isn’t exactly an easy thing to talk about.
The Art
I absolutely loved Rosie’s style. The stunningly eye-catching pink cover gives way to a spooky, dream-like black and white interior. Appropriate given the skeletal shenanigans she is illustrating. The whole thing has this sort of hazy feel to it, which I felt helped communicate the muddled feelings of Kelly and the neighbour. From what I have seen of her work on Rosie’s website / instagram I’m keen to check out more of her work.
Where to find it
If you want to get your hands on a copy of then you have a few options. You can pick it up in digital or print format from Nick’s website. It is also available on the comichaus app.
