Have you ever had that feeling that you’re reading something that may as well be a snapshot of your own life? It’s only happen to me once before; B.P.R.D. Plague of Frogs is basically something that happened to me in the summer of ’97, but Li’l Depressed Boy is pretty much my whole adolescence. I shall explain.
This comic is the story of rag doll boy in a world of real people, he’s not actually a rag doll boy, it’s how he sees himself (I am sooooo perceptive aren’t I?). He’s a bit of an awkward one but incredibly nice, and finds himself completely out of his depth when it comes to the opposite sex. Sound familiar?
The brilliant thing about this comic is the perspective. This is the world through the eyes of a character we’ve all been at some point in our lives. He’s probably not as unattractive as he thinks he is, he probably isn’t as awkward as he thinks he is and he probably isn’t as uncool as he thinks he is. But he thinks he is, and therefore in the comic book about his life… he is. I know that may sound a bit lame, but it’s a point that’s incredibly important in explaining why the book resonated so much with me, and I don’t think anyone can say they’ve never been this guy.
Panel from #1
I’m not sure whether ‘depressed’ gives this comic a fair description. It’s actually quite uplifting and really funny, though I’m genuinely worried about what might happen to the relationship. The ‘boy meets girl’ stuff is incredibly touching, but if it falls apart it will actually start getting depressive, that’s a triumph for character development isn’t it? I worry for Li’l Depressed Boy being able to handle life’s ups and downs, I think it’s because I can see myself somewhere on the pages.
The art handles the tone of the comic beautifully. It doesn’t focus on anything except what the character might focus on, which keeps the feeling that this is a world through a single perspective. At the beginning of #1 things were a bit bleak, as soon as the romantic interest was introduced the world got a little brighter and I reckon it’ll keep getting brighter as the romance continues. It’s a wonderful idea that’s been nicely executed, reflecting life and how our perspective fluctuates depending on circumstance.
So, here are some key points to describe The Li’l Depressed Boy #2; touching, good and a comic. THE END.
Li’l Depressed Boy #2 is released on Wednesday 9th March. It’s by S.Steven Struble & Sina Grace.
From #1
Joe Innes.
