One of the things I love about Image Comics is that of the bigger publishers, they are the ones who will let a smaller creator publish their work and expose it to a wider audience. Now, to be honest, I hadn’t even heard of Li’l Depressed Boy, but it showed up in the Image Previews for this week, and LDB was shown. Something about it spoke to me, so I decided to take the plunge and buy it. I am very glad I did.
The story of Li’l Depressed Boy stars the titular LDB, who just happens to be a ragdoll. You might think that’s an odd choice, but in making the main character a ragdoll, artist Sina Grace can really show his emotional states in a way that just wouldn’t work on a normal human face. The writing and coloring by S. Steven Struble is no slouch either. Li’l Depressed Boy in the space of a few pages seems like a real character to me, someone I can relate to.
The tale itself could be considered a slice-of-life tale of well, a little depressed boy. From the get-go though, our LDB is determined to get out of his funk. I found it rather inspiring that he actually tries to better his station in life rather than wallowing in self-pity. Things are going ok, and then he meets a girl. He immediately seems infatuated with her, and who can blame him?
Anyway it’s a quick meeting, but she leaves an impression on our LDB. He goes on with life, hanging with friends, and meets the girl again at the laundromat. From there, the conversation flows nicely and culminates in a “date” at a concert. It goes pretty well, culminating in a late-night feast at the local diner.
The story ends when the date does, and I’m unsure of how it’ll play out. Is LDB making a mountain out of a molehill, or is what he feels for her real? I am not sure, but I am really excited to find out. I know my synopsis is a bit light, but this is a story that needs to be experienced firsthand. So much so that I’m going to go over to http://www.lildepressedboy.com and read some more. I suggest you do too. And hey if you like it, throw the creators a few bucks, they deserve it.
Li’l Depressed Boy #1 is on sale now from Image Comics for $2.99.