#osmart

If you’re at all familiar with any of Neil’s work, this might not come as too much of a surprise. He has carved himself a beautiful little niche that revels in exactly this sort of contrast, often covering fairly mature subject matter whilst maintaining an art style that would feel absolutely at home in the pages of a children’s book. A pretty apt example of what I’m talking about hit the front page of Reddit recently, which some of you might have spotted.

Seven Days in Berlin is Neil’s followup to his first “illustrated travelogue”, Nine Lines of Metro, which detailed a short time he spent in Barcelona earlier this year. If you’ve read Nine Lines, you probably won’t find much different here, but that’s no bad thing: that book featured some of the most genuinely poignant emotional moments I’ve ever seen in a comic, and there’s a whole lot more of that this time around. In terms of story, Seven Days in Berlin picks up right where Nine Lines of Metro left off, with Neil chatting long-distance to a girl named Lisa who he met in Barcelona.  The suggestion is made that he should visit her in her hometown, so he does. The rest of the book simply documents the resulting trip in its entirety. And what a trip it is!

At its heart, Seven Days in Berlin is a love story. I don’t necessarily mean that in the usual boy-meets-girl sense, though that’s certainly a big part of it: it’s as much about the city itself and the experiences the author has as he explores it. What we get is a wonderfully down-to-earth account of a brief relationship and the course it takes over the very short time afforded to it, which in spite of its honesty still manages to come across as remarkably romantic. I’m pretty sure this is something that most people can relate to on some level or another; I don’t think it’s exactly uncommon for people to find themselves fleetingly attracted to someone they met on holiday, and the story detailed here is essentially an extended version of that experience.

Like any good story, there are obstacles along the way. The obvious one is distance, which is at the heart of the book’s tragedy – these are two people who clearly had a great time in each other’s company, but the reader is left feeling uncertain and even pessimistic about what the future might hold for them simply because of their disparate lives. On top of that, not everything around the city itself turns out to be a dream come true. For instance, it takes a lot of time and effort for him to find some quality local artwork, and it ends up being in a pretty surprising place. Ultimately, though, despite the setbacks, the book isn’t just a huge downer. There is a brilliantly humorous air to Neil’s storytelling which serves well in balancing out the heartbreak, as well as keeping the whole thing from becoming too saccharine and falling flat. As it turns out, there are few things funnier than a giant tortoise imparting words of wisdom (an event which comes with its own disclaimer).

If you’re looking for a tale of action and intrigue, then I’d advise you to look elsewhere – there’s no shortage of that in the comic world, after all. If on the other hand you’re open to trying out a charming wee story about an ordinary chap and a girl he met abroad, Seven Days in Berlin is £4 well spent.