We’ll actually cover this a bit more tomorrow in Soliciting Multiversity, but Image sent out a preview for the return of “Li’l Depressed Boy” that I felt needed to be posted — mostly because I love this book.
Telling the story of a half-rag doll, half-emo kid in the regular world, this vinyl-spinning sad sack returns to us exactly where we left him: in a new relationship, slightly optimistic but still mostly sad all the time because he’s the li’l depressed boy. Of course, we all know that if there’s one cure for depression, it’s hanging out with your new girlfriend and seeing the woman you used to pine over near-religiously in public as if nothing awkward ever happened between you two. Good thing Struble and Grace are going to cure LDB of his depression, then!
Take a look at the cover for issue #2 and a preview for the first below:
For those who have never read “Li’l Depressed Boy,” it appears that this will be a good jumping on point. Yes, it is directly picking up plot points from the previous series with the return of Jet; however — and this is important — the thing that makes this series work is that even with continuity, the reason “LDB” is a worthwhile read is because of how damn relatable it is.
As I mentioned before, the situation LDB is in is one we’ve all sort of been in at one point or another. There may be baggage that older readers will know more about here than newer readers, but it hardly matters when you can look at LDB and his situation and see parts of yourself there. That’s the main thing that Struble and Grace have strived to provide and succeeded in doing so for the series, and it’s why the first run of the book developed such a massive cult following.
If you just glance over the book, you’ll see some stereotypes and tropes that are widely misunderstood about troubled youths who like alternative music (“alternative to what?”). When you open it up and dig in, you find instead a highly relatable experience about being an outsider, struggling to fit in and find your place in the world and seeking solace in music. Maybe that’s not everyone’s cup of tea and maybe that doesn’t represent a large part of your youth, but I can’t help but relent and say that I see so much of myself in this comic at times that it gets uncomfortable and scary — but that’s why I love it.
That, and Grace’s artwork has leveled up incredibly. Grace always had an excellent eye for the series, filling it with just enough detail to flesh out the world but leave it open for the reader’s to lose themselves in, but his work with “Burn the Orphanage” and more has clearly helped Grace develop an even more refined eye. The pages and the colors presented here are some of the best I’ve ever seen, wonderfully evocative and illustrated with enough awkward tension to fill the bar, let alone a single room. If these four pages are any indication of what’s to come in the series, I’d say the future is rather bright, even for a series that can be as awkwardly bleak at times as this one.
“Li’l Depressed Boy” returns in October, and I for one can’t wait for it to come back. With the higher profile Image has gotten over the past years and the various accolades raining down on them, I would hope that the book finds a new audience that loves it as much as I do.
Image Comics Press Release
The fan-favorite returns with an all-new story about the perils of life and love
Writer Shaun Steven Struble and artist Sina Grace come together to deliver the the latest entry in the Li’l Depressed Boy series that’s sure to delight fans THE LI’L DEPRESSED BOY: SUPPOSED TO BE THERE TOO coming to Image Comics this October. Struble and Grace will be signing at San Diego Comic-Con International on Thursday, 7/24 from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Image booth (#2729).
Continued belowPicking up where they left off, Li’l Depressed Boy takes up his adventures in love, life, and vinyl, but this time with the further romantic complications that come with enjoying a new relationship while occasionally bumping into the ex—a punkster named Jazz—and the residual feelings that stirs up.
In an interview with USA Today, Struble said, “LDB is conflicted about Jazz. She broke his heart, but he doesn’t think she did it on purpose. He now knows to not let himself get too close to her, but she has a habit of appearing when least expected.”
Grace added: “The scripts Struble sent me have been the best blend of melancholic love, and I hope that readers old and new are as excited as we are for LDB’s return to the spinner racks!”
Join LDB as he copes with work woes and navigates love triangles in LI’L DEPRESSED BOY: SUPPOSED TO BE THERE TOO #1.
LI’L DEPRESSED BOY: SUPPOSED TO BE THERE TOO #1 arrives in stores on 10/1 and will be available for only $3.99. It can be pre-ordered with Diamond Code AUG140550.
