Big, profound moments are important in relationships, but the small, seemingly inconsequential ones often are what build the foundation.
Philippa Rice began capturing the day-to-day parts of her relationship with her boyfriend, Luke Pearson, in a comic series she titled “Soppy.” The U.K.-based artist and illustrator started drawing them because she wanted to document those small moments and “silly things,” she told Upworthy. The series was eventually published in a book called “Soppy: A Love Story.”
Rice didn’t set out with any particular big purpose — her series was simply an ongoing project to “fondly remember the times at the beginning of mine and Luke’s relationship.”
But it turns out that those fond memories are quite relatable.
“Lots of people have told me that the comics are just like their own relationships,” Rice told Upworthy in an email interview. “Some people have said I must be spying on them! It’s actually really nice to think that we’re all sort of the same in some ways!”
Indeed we are. From figuring out what to have for dinner to assembling IKEA furniture (the true test of any relationship), the everyday experiences in relationships can be pretty universal.
Enjoy these 24 comics. At least a few — and probably many — might remind you of the early days of relationships you’ve had.
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All comics are property of publisher Andrews McMeel, shared here with permission.
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Relatable, right?
“I think comics can do pretty much anything,” Rice said. “They can be meaningful or they can be totally meaningless fun or anything in-between.”
Rice feels that diary comics, like this Soppy series, are meaningful “because they come straight from one person’s real life.”
And Rice did an amazing job of capturing what real life is all about: the little parts that matter so much, even though we don’t realize it as they occur.
