What do you think?
Rate this book
Giant Days (Single Issues) #45-48
Giant Days, tom 12: Wypijmy za to!
Na Uniwersytecie Sheffield nie ma miejsca na nudę! Wystarczy, że Esther, Susan i Daisy zabiorą się za zwykłe z pozoru czynności, takie jak rozwiązanie zagadki kradzieży w sklepie z komiksami, pojadą na ślub brata McGrawa, Daisy zapisze się na kurs prawa jazdy… i JUŻ PO NAS.
W tym samym czasie Ed musi przeprowadzić poważną rozmowę ze swoją dziewczyną i przedyskutować jej zachowanie po alkoholu. To ważne dla ich przyszłości… jeśli mają jakąś w ogóle mieć.
Zdobywcy Nagrody Eisnera – John Allison (By Night) oraz Max Sarin – wracają z nowymi wystrzałowymi opowieściami o najlepszych przyjaciółkach na świecie, wzbogaconymi specjalnym zeszytem napisanym i zilustrowanym przez samego Allisona. Album zawiera zeszyty z rozdziałami 45–48.
W tym samym czasie Ed musi przeprowadzić poważną rozmowę ze swoją dziewczyną i przedyskutować jej zachowanie po alkoholu. To ważne dla ich przyszłości… jeśli mają jakąś w ogóle mieć.
Zdobywcy Nagrody Eisnera – John Allison (By Night) oraz Max Sarin – wracają z nowymi wystrzałowymi opowieściami o najlepszych przyjaciółkach na świecie, wzbogaconymi specjalnym zeszytem napisanym i zilustrowanym przez samego Allisona. Album zawiera zeszyty z rozdziałami 45–48.
112 pages, Paperback
First published February 11, 2020
42 people are currently reading
907 people want to read
About the author
John Allison
319 books828 followersJohn Allison is the author and artist of the British webcomics Scary Go Round and Bad Machinery.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 279 reviews
January 3, 2023
This series really hits the skids whenever Max Sarin is relieved of artistic duties. Thankfully, Sarin was in charge for the first three quarters of this volume, but that final chapter? Just... yikes.
January 27, 2020
Ed and Neen have their first fight, Daisy takes a driving test and will Ess have a fling with - gasp! - Dean Thompson?! Also Su-Pto dons the proverbial deerstalker (and Esther’s goth scarf) to hunt down the comics shop thief before returning to the fearsome Northampton for the nuptials of McGraw’s pranktacular bro Frank and a member of the hated Shaw clan. It’s all to play for in Giant Days, Volume the 12th!
Giant Days is still amazing but you already knew that - I’ve gushed about this series in so many reviews at this point that you can basically call me Ol’ Faithful!
I didn’t totally like the Ed and Nina bit because it’s a birruva forced problem. Nina gets carried away when she’s drinking. Is she an alcoholic? Nah, she’s just young and still learning the game of drink. So, storm in a pint glass? Yeah. Well, not even, really, but basically. Hmm. And Daisy as a bad driver - we see her almost hit a barrier and that’s it. Her rep as the ultimate nightmare driver was unconvincingly overstated and felt like pointless filler.
But otherwise it’s another corker of a book. Susan goes all detective noir as she tracks down the comics thief and I kinda liked the tension of wondering (and hoping against!) whether Dean and Ess would somehow become the unlikeliest of couples after Dean’s mental wellness dog Perkin brought them together in a shared secret.
The highlight though is the McGraw/Shaw wedding. Lotsa fun moments, including Daisy wondering whether she’s in love with Esther and Susan preparing to fight her way through the reception at any moment. The scene with Susan and McGraw’s dad was very touching - Susan and Graham McGraw are the bestest couple evarrr!
It’s not the usual home-run but I mean, good lord, twelve volumes (and assorted specials, a prequel and a novel) and it’s still this good? That’s beyond impressive - that’s incomparable. There’s nothing like Giant Days!
Giant Days is still amazing but you already knew that - I’ve gushed about this series in so many reviews at this point that you can basically call me Ol’ Faithful!
I didn’t totally like the Ed and Nina bit because it’s a birruva forced problem. Nina gets carried away when she’s drinking. Is she an alcoholic? Nah, she’s just young and still learning the game of drink. So, storm in a pint glass? Yeah. Well, not even, really, but basically. Hmm. And Daisy as a bad driver - we see her almost hit a barrier and that’s it. Her rep as the ultimate nightmare driver was unconvincingly overstated and felt like pointless filler.
But otherwise it’s another corker of a book. Susan goes all detective noir as she tracks down the comics thief and I kinda liked the tension of wondering (and hoping against!) whether Dean and Ess would somehow become the unlikeliest of couples after Dean’s mental wellness dog Perkin brought them together in a shared secret.
The highlight though is the McGraw/Shaw wedding. Lotsa fun moments, including Daisy wondering whether she’s in love with Esther and Susan preparing to fight her way through the reception at any moment. The scene with Susan and McGraw’s dad was very touching - Susan and Graham McGraw are the bestest couple evarrr!
It’s not the usual home-run but I mean, good lord, twelve volumes (and assorted specials, a prequel and a novel) and it’s still this good? That’s beyond impressive - that’s incomparable. There’s nothing like Giant Days!
February 21, 2020
I am astonished at how the high quality of the writing and art remains sustained at volume 12. How funny and smart and light it is without being cloying or too silly. It's not perfect, but it's still very, very good, a breath of fresh air. In this one Daisy learns to drive and drives all of her teachers to madness (though I would have liked to see some more specific examples of the bad driving). I was as well unsettled a bit to encounter an otherwise just fine artist Allison drawing one of the issues instead of Max Sarin; for a minute I thought I needed to clean my glasses.
But--and I may be wrong here--it appears the fight between Ed and Nina reveals an actual, real-world problem, the kind almost never really addressed in fun-filled Giant Days: Alcoholism, that they both need to face. I had a moment there when I was reminded of Simon Hanselmann's stoner comic turned more weighty addiction narrative; whether that will seriously happen here I can't quite tell.
Other highlight threads: Susan takes the lead in solving a comic book shop heist. Dean gets a dog, to the delight/consternation of others. But the big event here is McGraw's brother's wedding, filled with hijinx and petty jealousies and near-fights and so on. Fun to be had!
But--and I may be wrong here--it appears the fight between Ed and Nina reveals an actual, real-world problem, the kind almost never really addressed in fun-filled Giant Days: Alcoholism, that they both need to face. I had a moment there when I was reminded of Simon Hanselmann's stoner comic turned more weighty addiction narrative; whether that will seriously happen here I can't quite tell.
Other highlight threads: Susan takes the lead in solving a comic book shop heist. Dean gets a dog, to the delight/consternation of others. But the big event here is McGraw's brother's wedding, filled with hijinx and petty jealousies and near-fights and so on. Fun to be had!
July 4, 2019
Oh boy, I'm not prepared for this series to end. Just two more volumes after this (less, actually — just four issues as I'm writing this) and we're all out of new Giant Days stories to read. To say that this makes me sad would be a massive understatement. Then again, what other comic book could you say was absolutely perfect for its entire run of 60 or so (including specials) issues, never once dipping in quality and bringing nothing but joy since day one? There aren't a lot of them, that's for sure. I love you, Giant Days, and I wish you didn't have to end. But such is life, and I will savour every remaining moment I have left with this book.
May 5, 2020
I love this series so much it hurts, and every volume that includes a lot of McGraw time is always A+ imo. <3
January 16, 2021
A wedding, a driving test, an adorable doggo, and many a hangover feature here. The Giant Days gang are learning to overcome the usual problems that haunt many during their early twenties and university days, and continue to do so with as much wit and drama as possible. I love that Ed and Graham shared much of the spotlight as I have grown to love them just as much as Esther, Daisy, and Susan.
September 15, 2020
Another delightful and funny volume in this lovely comic book series! I will never get tired of these girls and I'm so sad knowing the end of their university life is near, I don't want to see them go, I just can't. They keep being so relatable, Daisy with her driving lessons and Susan with her insecurities about McGraw's family. I hope to get to the next volume soon!
February 21, 2020
Yes, I'm 100% biased when it comes to this series and yes, I don't care one bit. I love it so much, and it's still awesome 12 volumes in--we're heading towards the end, and I'm already sad that I'll soon be saying goodbye to these characters. They hold a special place in my heart at this point. (Side note: I normally don't like when the art style changes for an issue, but it was fun to see the original art style from the first volume, particularly with Susan's character). We're in the endgame now *sad face*
June 9, 2020
Was this a trial-run for keeping the series going indefinitely? College seems forgotten as the trio engage in a variety of sitcom hijinks involving a secret pet, driving lessons, a shoplifter, and a wedding. Still fun, but I'm ready for a conclusion.
October 13, 2019
May it never end ❤️❤️❤️
February 28, 2020
Only one more volume to go... It's so good!
May 2, 2021
I never really understood people complaining about artist switches in volumes since I have 0 visual memory meaning while I can sometime tell when an artist's changed, it's very easy to enjoy an issue unclouded by my love for the old style, but issue 48 was drawn so drastically different that I genuinely couldn't recognize Susan until she was name dropped. The characters were drawn a lot more angular which can work with other series, but really took away from the more fluid dramatic expressions I'd come to expect.
(Also I'm bitter I'm nearing the end so maybe that also contributed to me not loving this one)
(Also I'm bitter I'm nearing the end so maybe that also contributed to me not loving this one)
January 17, 2021
Giant Days continues its run of utter perfection. Let's be honest, I am drawing this out as long as possible and just couldn't wait any longer.
This arc continues some of the sillier arcs we've come to expect from Giant Days - for example, Susan takes on a PI job for Esther's comic book store, with a bunch of hilarious comic book references in tow - while building towards bigger character arcs. You'd think after 11 volumes there'd be less of that to do, but Allison has plenty of room: Ed discovers Nina's drinking problem, McGraw's brother gets married (and Susan reunites with an enemy there), Daisy learns to drive and has an important revelation. It's incredible to see these characters continue to grow and change, while remaining as lovable as ever. (Esther encouraging Ed to work on his relationship with Nina, in particular.) Allison also does a beautiful job pairing up characters who haven't had a lot of screen time together, like Daisy and Ed, and Esther and McGraw.
Max Sarin is one of my favorite artists in comics. Her fluid style is a joy to look at, and her strong, sometimes a bit over the top expressions carry and elevate the humor to a whole other level. In this arc I especially loved colorist Whitney Cogar's use of black and white while Susan went capering, as well as imagery with a Venn Diagram. I will say, as much as I love Allison as a writer - and I respect his talents as an artist - I wish Sarin had illustrated the final issue. It was a bit jarring.
I will be putting off the final two volumes of Giant Days as long as possible - my love for this series is unshakeable.
This arc continues some of the sillier arcs we've come to expect from Giant Days - for example, Susan takes on a PI job for Esther's comic book store, with a bunch of hilarious comic book references in tow - while building towards bigger character arcs. You'd think after 11 volumes there'd be less of that to do, but Allison has plenty of room: Ed discovers Nina's drinking problem, McGraw's brother gets married (and Susan reunites with an enemy there), Daisy learns to drive and has an important revelation. It's incredible to see these characters continue to grow and change, while remaining as lovable as ever. (Esther encouraging Ed to work on his relationship with Nina, in particular.) Allison also does a beautiful job pairing up characters who haven't had a lot of screen time together, like Daisy and Ed, and Esther and McGraw.
Max Sarin is one of my favorite artists in comics. Her fluid style is a joy to look at, and her strong, sometimes a bit over the top expressions carry and elevate the humor to a whole other level. In this arc I especially loved colorist Whitney Cogar's use of black and white while Susan went capering, as well as imagery with a Venn Diagram. I will say, as much as I love Allison as a writer - and I respect his talents as an artist - I wish Sarin had illustrated the final issue. It was a bit jarring.
I will be putting off the final two volumes of Giant Days as long as possible - my love for this series is unshakeable.
October 29, 2022
This one was fine. It was kind of boring. And I’m getting bad feelings that my relationship I want to happen isn’t going to happen and it’s making me sad.
January 14, 2024
Absolutnie zawyżona ocena za igranie z moim trash shipem.
November 14, 2019
This was okay but I'm never really a fan of the volumes that are more random standalone issues than anything that advances the actual plot, such as it is. I'm not sure how long they are planning to keep it going but it definitely feels like it's about time for it to start winding down. Still a good series so hopefully it picks up again with the next one though.
July 1, 2019
Read in single issues. Can't wait for trades anymore when this glorious series is almost at an end.
June 30, 2020
I continue to enjoy this series and it never fails. I think it's because of how in a short span of pages there's a focus on a certain character(s) and then will smoothly transition to another character(s).
A puppy became part of the group for a bit (for Esther) and was such a cute puffer. Daisy is motivated to get her license (against her many instructors warning that she should stick to the bus). She caused many accidents and almost ran over the puffer when he escaped. And Susan (who is tied with being my favorite along with Esther) helps solves the crime of who is looting the comic store Esther works for and attends the wedding of McGraw's brother who happens to marry into a family she has major beef with.
A puppy became part of the group for a bit (for Esther) and was such a cute puffer. Daisy is motivated to get her license (against her many instructors warning that she should stick to the bus). She caused many accidents and almost ran over the puffer when he escaped. And Susan (who is tied with being my favorite along with Esther) helps solves the crime of who is looting the comic store Esther works for and attends the wedding of McGraw's brother who happens to marry into a family she has major beef with.
April 20, 2020
Never not loving this series.
This one does feel slightly more episodic than previous (Nina, Perkins,Daisy) but it's still utterly charming and wonderful and so so real. I feel like we're slowly getting to the end now? Unless if they all go on to do Masters degrees? (well Susan still has a million years given that she's going into medicine). I wish there were more comics like this. The drawing style does change 3/4 of the way through - I didn't like it but then it doesn't detract too much from story (unlike Rat Queens or Lumberjanes).
This one does feel slightly more episodic than previous (Nina, Perkins,Daisy) but it's still utterly charming and wonderful and so so real. I feel like we're slowly getting to the end now? Unless if they all go on to do Masters degrees? (well Susan still has a million years given that she's going into medicine). I wish there were more comics like this. The drawing style does change 3/4 of the way through - I didn't like it but then it doesn't detract too much from story (unlike Rat Queens or Lumberjanes).
May 25, 2020
I love these characters so much that I don't think I'm a good judge of how good any of these volumes are. Esther de Groot is my whole goth heart.
July 14, 2020
Lovely as always! This series gives me the serotonin I crave desperately but never have
February 13, 2021
ADORE THIS SERIES AND THESE GIRLS!!! ♥️♥️
January 3, 2023
4.5/5
It's a beautiful series. Heartwarming, funny, and relatable. Two more vols to go.
It's a beautiful series. Heartwarming, funny, and relatable. Two more vols to go.
February 5, 2024
always rly awkward when they get a guest artist for an issue and it's ugly
Rep: lesbian mc
Rep: lesbian mc
December 2, 2021
Again, 4.5 stars on the blog because I'm not a fan of the changing art style mid-volume.
July 23, 2021
This was great till the last volume. The guest artist was terrible and the characters didn't even look like themselves. He gave Susan pointed teeth for goodness sakes!
April 20, 2020
3.5 stars
WHAT WAS THAT LAST ISSUE THOUGH? Is this the volume of 'everyone has chemistry with Esther?/ Is this flirting?'
First issue here: Ed Gemmell's relationship isn't dreamy anymore. This is actually my favorite issue in here. It was actually quite realistic, the depiction of alcoholism, and how Nina can be quite the mean drunk. I really enjoyed how they tried to make it work and how Esther dropped some truth bombs when things got difficult.
Second Issue: Susan becomes a P.I. for Esther's boss. Some things have been stolen in the comic book shop, so Ptolemy has to track this thief, maaaaybe with some help from the girls. The artwork here is hilarious as well as the whole noir inner narrative.
Third: Daisy's learning to drive, she miiight be a disaster on wheels, and Esther miiiiight have become Dean's ideal woman? There's a cute little puppy involved! Plus, McGraw's brother is in town and we see a different side of Graham.
Fourth: Okay, this one is weird. First, it's drawn by John Allison himself. It's not a bad style, but it is a bit jarring to have the artwork changed so suddenly. It's wedding time, and the girls celebrates a McGraw and Shaw union. Daisy is Esther's date and for a moment... she starts questioning her own feelings for the gothic beauty. At the party, Esther and Graham's dance affects Susan's insecurities and... it's weird too? Also, apparently my otp is completely dead because Esther dismisses her crush (on Ed)and here I was thinking maybe it could still happen.
It was a fun volume, but not one of my favourites. Still, issue #45 (the first one collected here) was great. I love how everything in Giant Days is fun, but Allison is never afraid to explore some mature themes, never losing the overall tone of the series. The writing is on point.
WHAT WAS THAT LAST ISSUE THOUGH? Is this the volume of 'everyone has chemistry with Esther?/ Is this flirting?'
First issue here: Ed Gemmell's relationship isn't dreamy anymore. This is actually my favorite issue in here. It was actually quite realistic, the depiction of alcoholism, and how Nina can be quite the mean drunk. I really enjoyed how they tried to make it work and how Esther dropped some truth bombs when things got difficult.
Second Issue: Susan becomes a P.I. for Esther's boss. Some things have been stolen in the comic book shop, so Ptolemy has to track this thief, maaaaybe with some help from the girls. The artwork here is hilarious as well as the whole noir inner narrative.
Third: Daisy's learning to drive, she miiight be a disaster on wheels, and Esther miiiiight have become Dean's ideal woman? There's a cute little puppy involved! Plus, McGraw's brother is in town and we see a different side of Graham.
Fourth: Okay, this one is weird. First, it's drawn by John Allison himself. It's not a bad style, but it is a bit jarring to have the artwork changed so suddenly. It's wedding time, and the girls celebrates a McGraw and Shaw union. Daisy is Esther's date and for a moment... she starts questioning her own feelings for the gothic beauty. At the party, Esther and Graham's dance affects Susan's insecurities and... it's weird too? Also, apparently my otp is completely dead because Esther dismisses her crush (on Ed)
It was a fun volume, but not one of my favourites. Still, issue #45 (the first one collected here) was great. I love how everything in Giant Days is fun, but Allison is never afraid to explore some mature themes, never losing the overall tone of the series. The writing is on point.
February 6, 2020
Giant Days good. Giant Days always good. Please read Giant Days.
January 25, 2021
i really wish the artist would stop changing it's so jarring. if it didnt change i prob wouldve given 5 stars another great vol <3
June 23, 2021
Every once in a while you stumble across a book that comes really highly reviewed by darn near everyone, and even though you read a lot, you haven’t heard about this book that’s on everyone’s Must Read lists, and you feel kind of stupid about it, so you just dive in so you don’t get embarrassed by the hole in your reading. And you hope you won’t be disappointed, because you know, that happens sometimes, so you don’t get your expectations too high. And then you start reading and it’s like the clouds parted and you realize why everybody told you to Read This Thing: because it really is as delightful as everyone says it is.
Giant Days is that book.
Having finished reading the entire series, this reviews stands for every installment of it, not just because they are uniformly excellent, but because the pacing of the story is such that it really does get a little hard to tell where issues and indeed, entire volumes start and finish. There are defined story lines, sure, but the book employs a webcomic-like pace so every page is itself a bit of a micro-story, usually with a satisfying payoff or laugh-out-loud moment that has been totally earned. But all in al, Giant Days is the kind of thing that will draw you in entirely if you let it. And you should. You really, really should.
The story begins as three young British women begin their three-year journey through university together. There’s Susan, a tough, hard-bitten medical student who smokes way too much for somebody who’s supposed to be advancing health, and who often gets by on the sheer power of her animus. There’s Daisy, who is sweet, brilliant, orphaned and innocent and having been home-schooled is a bit out of her depth being away from home and at school. And then there is Esther, a walking drama machine of gothic intensity, who cannot resist breaking hearts and everything else as she hand waves her way through life. Together, they form a nucleus through which we shall experience their many capers and episodes involving schoolwork, romance, personal drama, financial destitution, sexual identity, bad decisions, sketchy run-ins, more romance, hopes, dreams, futures, true friendship, and more.
Backed by a terrific supporting chase of characters - including the shy Ed Gemmel and the lovable ramrod Graham McGraw - Giant Days is a masterclass in deep characterization, world-building and tonal comedy. Creator and writer John Allison draws in with his compelling, lovable, over-the-top and yet grounded-in-reality protagonists and crafts a meta narrative in which most readers will see something of themselves along the way. The stories never get too massive; they often are just one slice-of-life episode after another so that by the time we get to the last two or three volumes, we realize this thing is coming to and end, and we slow down because we wish to forestall the inevitable. Meanwhile, the artwork - initially by Lissa Treiman but mostly by Max Sarin - is pitch-perfect for the kind of story Allison is telling. Cartoony without ever getting too goofy, beautifully rendered but never overwrought, bright but never neon, convention-breaking when it has to be, and amazingly able to tell a joke visually with one a single panel to do it. This book is an awful lot of fun to look at, but its harmony between writer and artist really is something special.
Throughout this thing, there is a lot of atmospheric comedy - comedy that works because we laugh at getting to know these characters, and then see them doing funny things that reward our investment in them. There are just great sight gags, where Sarin’s ability to veer into wild caricature yields hilarious results. And then there are sublime meta-jokes that get set up and pay off entire volumes later, or are never given a proper close at all, but we the reader see them for what they are. (The best among them involves an art class, and that is all I’ll detail for fear of spoiling it, but it it an act of supreme artistic confidence to set up a joke that awesome and then never actually pull the trigger on it so that the characters in-story know what we know.)
Giant Days is often mentioned in the same breath as Lumberjanes as the kind of comic series that not only has helped to make Boom! such a successful and accessible comic publisher, but it stands as the kind of story that frankly, a lot of other Boom! titles try to emulate and can’t quite do. There’s no shame in that - Giant Days captures lightning in a bottle for 14 volumes straight, and if every book could do it, we wouldn’t value it as much. It’s good that the things we love end, we are told near the end, because the best things are rare.
Well, if that is so, then Giant Days is a rare book, indeed. I am glad it is over, so I can step away and take stock of it, but I’d be lying if I said that part of me wishes it kept on going like Love and Rockets and just told Susan, Daisy and Esther’s story for the rest of their lives. They are characters I would not mind staying with forever.
Giant Days is that book.
Having finished reading the entire series, this reviews stands for every installment of it, not just because they are uniformly excellent, but because the pacing of the story is such that it really does get a little hard to tell where issues and indeed, entire volumes start and finish. There are defined story lines, sure, but the book employs a webcomic-like pace so every page is itself a bit of a micro-story, usually with a satisfying payoff or laugh-out-loud moment that has been totally earned. But all in al, Giant Days is the kind of thing that will draw you in entirely if you let it. And you should. You really, really should.
The story begins as three young British women begin their three-year journey through university together. There’s Susan, a tough, hard-bitten medical student who smokes way too much for somebody who’s supposed to be advancing health, and who often gets by on the sheer power of her animus. There’s Daisy, who is sweet, brilliant, orphaned and innocent and having been home-schooled is a bit out of her depth being away from home and at school. And then there is Esther, a walking drama machine of gothic intensity, who cannot resist breaking hearts and everything else as she hand waves her way through life. Together, they form a nucleus through which we shall experience their many capers and episodes involving schoolwork, romance, personal drama, financial destitution, sexual identity, bad decisions, sketchy run-ins, more romance, hopes, dreams, futures, true friendship, and more.
Backed by a terrific supporting chase of characters - including the shy Ed Gemmel and the lovable ramrod Graham McGraw - Giant Days is a masterclass in deep characterization, world-building and tonal comedy. Creator and writer John Allison draws in with his compelling, lovable, over-the-top and yet grounded-in-reality protagonists and crafts a meta narrative in which most readers will see something of themselves along the way. The stories never get too massive; they often are just one slice-of-life episode after another so that by the time we get to the last two or three volumes, we realize this thing is coming to and end, and we slow down because we wish to forestall the inevitable. Meanwhile, the artwork - initially by Lissa Treiman but mostly by Max Sarin - is pitch-perfect for the kind of story Allison is telling. Cartoony without ever getting too goofy, beautifully rendered but never overwrought, bright but never neon, convention-breaking when it has to be, and amazingly able to tell a joke visually with one a single panel to do it. This book is an awful lot of fun to look at, but its harmony between writer and artist really is something special.
Throughout this thing, there is a lot of atmospheric comedy - comedy that works because we laugh at getting to know these characters, and then see them doing funny things that reward our investment in them. There are just great sight gags, where Sarin’s ability to veer into wild caricature yields hilarious results. And then there are sublime meta-jokes that get set up and pay off entire volumes later, or are never given a proper close at all, but we the reader see them for what they are. (The best among them involves an art class, and that is all I’ll detail for fear of spoiling it, but it it an act of supreme artistic confidence to set up a joke that awesome and then never actually pull the trigger on it so that the characters in-story know what we know.)
Giant Days is often mentioned in the same breath as Lumberjanes as the kind of comic series that not only has helped to make Boom! such a successful and accessible comic publisher, but it stands as the kind of story that frankly, a lot of other Boom! titles try to emulate and can’t quite do. There’s no shame in that - Giant Days captures lightning in a bottle for 14 volumes straight, and if every book could do it, we wouldn’t value it as much. It’s good that the things we love end, we are told near the end, because the best things are rare.
Well, if that is so, then Giant Days is a rare book, indeed. I am glad it is over, so I can step away and take stock of it, but I’d be lying if I said that part of me wishes it kept on going like Love and Rockets and just told Susan, Daisy and Esther’s story for the rest of their lives. They are characters I would not mind staying with forever.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 279 reviews