Billy Ling (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

A common theme that runs throughout a lot of Sandman is the idea of telling and listening to stories. Death: The High Cost Of Living is no exception.

In the first issue of the series we are introduced to Sexton. He seems like a typical teenager, but perhaps a little depressed and he decides that he no longer wants to live….until Didi enters is life.

Didi is Death, as a mortal. Sexton spends the day with Didi and at the end of the day, she dies. Sexton recounts his day to Billy, who is a boy with special needs, who often sits in the hallway of the apartment complex. Billy’s mother thinks he sits in the hallway because he gets bored.

Sexton tells Billy about his day with Didi admits that he almost believed she was Death, saying that he wishes that Death could be someone like Didi instead of “just nothing, or pain, or blackness” and instead someone “funny and friendly and nice, and maybe just a tiny bit crazy.”

After Sexton goes into his apartment Mad Hettie visits the hallway, still looking for her heart, which Didi had given to Sexton in a Russian nesting doll and in turn Sexton gave the doll to Billy.

Billy appears in Death: The High Cost Of Living # 1, on page 11 and in # 3 on pages 21-24.

Anna did a great job with this portrait. Billy is a difficult character to draw and be respectful, but Anna accomplished that with her portrait. I really like the how Anna draws eyes and this character has kind eyes, which adds a bit of emotional attachment to this character from the Death series.

Here is Billy Ling…