One of those things that the industry needs but nobody seems able to sell is comics for younger readers. Another is comics (besides manga) aimed at girls. Li'l Red Stitch is both, which means its likely to be missed by the great majority of comics readers, which is a shame, because it's actually quite a bit of fun. Huddleston and Nichols have cooked up a celebration of southwestern culture and girls who don't want to be "little ladies," reminiscent of Paul Dini's Ida Red and Mike Kunkel's Herobear and the Kid. The story really could have moved a little quicker, given that the concept really isn't fully established by the end of the first issue, but the artwork is gorgeous, the protagonist undeniably engaging and the magic in the title undeniable, especially for those with a love of southern culture.
It seems clear, given the title of the book and the prologue sequence, that the story will revolve at some point around a magical length of fabric that can bring stuffed animals to life. Unfortunately, while Nichols and Huddleston open with this interesting and fun image, they move forward a little too quickly into the modern era so that they can establish their modern protagonist, and then don't quite get around to giving her the magical legacy that would tie her into the prologue. The results are two entertaining stories that don't quite come together into one narrative as well as they should.
That said, though, each narrative is certainly entertaining. Mamaw's tale of rescuing farmers and toys from greedy bankers and their offspring is the kind of homespun fable that belongs to southwestern culture, and our modern day protagonist, while unfortunately left nameless, has a very charming and effusive personality that makes her easy to like as well. I'd like to give Nichols and Huddleston credit and say that the protagonist being nameless is deliberate, in a way to make her an everygirl figure, but I think it more likely that they just missed a storytelling fundamental in failing to slip in the lead character's name. At any rate, nameless or not, she's a likable character full of intelligence and imagination, and her love for her "Mamaw" comes through clearly.
Where Li'l Red Stitch really excels, though, is on the art front. Huddleston notes in his afterword that his daughter provided many of the expressions for his protagonist, and that real little girl (and the love her father has for her) is very clear in every page. Huddleston and colorist Mike Garcia do stunningly beautiful work here, and given how many colorists these days overuse browns and yellows, it's nice to see someone leaning on those colors while still keeping a bright and colorful tone to the story. Much of the magic of Li'l Red Stitch comes from the artwork, whether it's the homey charm of Mamaw's house, the impressive rush of ghost horses or the cartoonishly rendered animals of the desert.
I must confess that a certain amount of my fondness for Stitch comes because my wife has taken up knitting recently and I have a little girl, so I can see my loved ones in the faces of the characters in this book. In general, the book is long on charm but short on story, and though there's plenty of potential for an entertaining all-ages tale, so far Li'l Red Stitch has great atmosphere and characters but could use stronger (and faster) plotting.
