The Li'l Depressed Boy #7

Issue seven of S. Steven Struble and Sina Grace's slice-of-life gem from Image places the Li'l Depressed Boy right in the thick of a packed live music show, his stitched ragdoll face carrying that familiar bittersweet expression as he stands among a crowd of energetic concertgoers. On stage behind him, a guitarist belts into a microphone while a stand-up bassist keeps the rhythm, music notes floating through the air above the cheering audience. It's a warm, relatable snapshot of finding yourself in a room full of people yet still somehow in your own head — exactly the kind of quiet emotional honesty that made this series a standout in 2011 indie comics.