A Story For Desmond is an abstract look at the gifts that our family pass along to our children. A father finds himself alone with his baby and unable to calm him until the baby, Desmond, sees a picture of his deceased Grandmother. Our father begins telling Desmond of the gifts that his Grandmother left for him in her absence. The first being a compass. From there the story shows young Desmond on an adventure riding his dog. They use the compass, which is clearly a metaphor for a moral compass, to find the right thing to do. In this case it’s to save a sock monkey from some real monkeys that are beat it up for being different. From there the story continues on with each gift or family trait that was passed down to Desmond while the art shows us a fantastical story.

The use of metaphors in this story are very well-crafted. Obviously adults will pick up on them right away, but this is also a great comic to give a child who many not see the deeper meaning. The story still manages to bring that deeper meaning to the surface with the artwork though. In that regard it’s very successful at including any reader regardless of age.

Creator Jason Walz intentionally picks fantastic settings like the jungle, space and deep sea diving to not only add interest, but to also make simple ideas like courage, sharing and caring stand out. The backdrops are big and powerful so that the simple ideas are easier to see. It’s like a game of “which one of these don’t belong.” Baby in space, aliens, gift of humor… well let’s see that last one seems a bit too real so that’s got to be the message. A Story For Desmond has great story construction and even if younger readers don’t pick up on that they’ll at least enjoy the setting.

A Story For Desmond is a fast read, but it has a lot of heart even if you don’t have kids. It’s a generational story so while the new generation, Desmond, is the focus there’s still a story about a son missing his own mother. If you enjoy touching stories with rich artwork, then check out A Story For Desmond.

Score: 4/5

A Story For Desmond Creator: Jason Walz Publisher: Tinto Press Price: $5.00 Format: One-Shot; Print/Digital Website