The Li’l Depressed Boy #16 Review


Can LDB keep his relationship with Spike a secret?

Official Description from Image Comics:

“I’M IN LOVE WITH A GIRL NAMED SPIKE”  Things get serious.

So I came into reading issue 16 without ever reading the first fifteen issues. I know, I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without picking up an issue either. I was a little skeptical about the series and didn’t know what to expect. The title alone made it sound like a drag. In the end, I freakin’ loved it. It’s clever, fresh and took me completely by surprise.

Writer S. Steven Struble seems to have the magic touch in making the most mundane things seem inherently interesting. In this issue, LDB and Spike, his beautiful manager, are just having a busy day at work. Their relationship seems to be moving along fine. The big moment of the comic is when his other jerkface manager, Toby, rats out their relationship.  The fate of the two lovebirds is left in the air in the end. This was still a fascinating read. One of the things I enjoyed was the details in the comic. It’s all there, from the simple tasks in running the register, to the shoveling of snow, to that one guy who is in shorts when it’s snowing. There is always that one guy who wears shorts when it snows.

Sina Grace is the perfect artist to complement Struble.  Her drawings are simple yet eye-catching with a splash of color here and there. Grace’s style has that classic feel to it, thus making LDB feel timeless. With Grace, less really is more, especially in the panel where an altercation takes place. Even the final panel has minor touches that really sell it.

If you haven’t read The L’il Depressed Boy, I highly recommended you start. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some catching up to do. RECOMMENDED.

4/5

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