3 Questions With… Li Chen
I came across Li’s work while looking for new graphic novels online. Detective Beans popped up and I was immediately sold. The art is top-notch, beautiful, and fun. And how could you not love the premise? A kid cat who’s a wannabe 1950s-type gumshoe solving low-key mysteries. It’s every bit as adorable and silly as you could hope for. It’s all ridiculously cute.
I of course had to see what else Li has done and discovered she has a long running webcomic Extra Ordinary and it is also just delightful. Li is apparently quite popular on Instagram and I live under a rock.
So there’s a good chance you already know her work and are a fan but on the off chance you’re unfamiliar, you’re welcome. You can thank me later for introducing you to her work.
Why comics? (What compels you to create in this medium?)
I’ve always loved drawing and writing since I was a kid and comics are like the perfect blend of both! There are some things that are best communicated through art and some that are best through words. I like that comics gives you the flexibility to play around.
Weirdly, I don’t read a lot of comics though. I like reading novels and watching shows/movies and I get a lot of inspiration from both mediums. It’s terrible, I know! I should read more comics…
What is something you do now that you wish you had either figured out or implemented sooner in your career?
I wish I started working digitally sooner! I was very technology-resistant for a long time, because I found computers and programs like Photoshop super overwhelming. I had to be practically pushed into trying it out. But I realised there’s so much you can do in the digital space and now pretty much all my work is digital (I work in Procreate and Photoshop). There will always be a special place in my heart for pencil and paper, though, and I try to draw on paper as often as possible, especially when I’m brainstorming ideas.
What are you currently working on?
I’ve recently just finished up my second Detective Beans book, which will be out later this year! It’s a collection of shorter adventures Beans has around his neighbourhood, Cat Town. I started making these comics four years ago, so it’s exciting to finally compile them into a real book. At the same time, I’m also working on a third Detective Beans book. This will be a proper full-length graphic novel, like my first book Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat and will be out in 2026.
(I’m also working on the Jazz Club Lego set but as you can probably guess, progress has been slow due to the massive amounts of cat-drawing I have to do. No complaints though, I love cats.)
You can find Li online at:
