Giant

Giant #1-2

by Mikaël, Matt Maden (Translator)

New York, early 1930s. A mysterious, laconic Irish colossus known as ‘Giant’ sweats blood, along with his fellow immigrants, to build the skyscrapers of Rockefeller Center. For a while, he has not received a reply to the typewritten letters he continues to send, as well as money, to the other side of the ocean, to Mary Ann, the wife of one of his colleagues who died accidentally. Giant, who seems to be afraid of nothing, still has not found the courage to reveal to the young woman that she is a widow ... What does her silence mean? An entrancing everyday working-class tale with the majestic background of the rising skyscrapers of New York.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Bande Dessinée, Historical Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

120 pages, Hardcover

Published May 12, 2020

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story centered around the Sky Boys, those steel workers who built the skyscrapers of New York in the 1930's. Giant is a behemoth of a man, an Irish immigrant with no family. When one of his coworkers falls to his death, he begins to write to the man's wife and send her money as her husband as he can't bear to break the news. It's an artifice that can't go on forever though...

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 5 out of 5]

So everyone knows this staged iconic photograph honoring the (brave!) hard-working men who built Manhattan as others got rich. It's the story of those who built the railroads, the highways: Buddy, can you spare a dime? Romantic, nostalgic, it echoes the Charlie Chaplin films of the period, as does Mikael's terrific, sepia-toned old photograph-inspired historical fiction that will tug at your heart as Chaplin could do.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/histor...

Giant makes the photograph come alive in that it features a large, quiet man working at the tp of the skyscrapers of Rockefeller Center in the early thirties, the days of the Great Depression. A man from Ireland who has left his young wife and two kids to try and make his "fortune" in Manhattan falls to his death. Giant doesn't know how to tell the man's widow that her husband is dead, so he writes to her as her husband, sending her money every month. Of course, this can't go on forever.

A story that imbues this time and place and the notion of hopeful young people building the country for far less money than the rich men would make from these projects with empathy and hope and sorrow. Like a Chaplin film! So well done, one of the best of the year for sure.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giant is so well done. The artwork is brutally honest. The storyline flows seamlessly.

Giant is an Irish immigrant working as a "Sky Boy" in New York City. He and many of his fellow Irish immigrants are metalworkers in process of building Rockefeller Center.

Upon the death of a fellow co-worker, Giant accepts the responsibility of contacting his widow in Ireland. Giant cannot bring himself to to send such horrific news. He takes on the identity of her late husband and begins sending her money so she is able to take care of her family. Thus, the story begins to unfold.

Throughout this journey, Giant begins to soften towards fellow co-workers. He has the misfortune of meeting a woman that believes money is the only answer. He confronts Mafia henchman, with good reason, and makes the acquaintance of a newspaper photographer that wants to know the story behind the man.

A quiet man is Giant. In solitude and sorrow, with dignity and integrity, Giant shines with grit and determination. A very real interpretation of the immigrant life in the 1930s America.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Mikael for an ARC in return for an honest review

[Koen Claeys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mikaël schrijft en tekent een strip over de Ierse migranten die als bouwvakkers wolkenkrabbers hielpen verrijzen in het New York van de jaren '30. Tijdens het lezen van het meeslepende verhaal wordt de lezer constant verwend met oogstrelende strippagina's. Ik vermoed dat de geest van Will Eisner goedkeurend over de schouders van Mikaël mee keek tijdens zijn meesterlijke tekenwerk voor dit album.

[Tom LA · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a magnificent work. This is what sequential art can achieve at its very best.

[João Teixeira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Olhei para a capa deste livro e sabia que ia gostar... Na realidade, de repente, fiz confusão com outro livro do autor, Bootblack , mas em boa (e não tardia) hora percebi que este Giant estava ainda para ser lido e explorado...
E, mais uma vez, não fiquei nada desiludido ao ler este álbum duplo (obrigado à editora por os editar em conjunto numa edição integral).
Arte magnífica, história bem contada. Difícil conseguir melhor.

[Marc Bosch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este cómic de Michaël es una maravilla: personajes sólidos, ambientación cuidada y una historia muy bien hilvanada que nos permite acercarnos a las vidas de los irlandeses que levantaron New York a golpe de martillo y las de sus familias que se quedaron atrás. Y por si esto no fuera poco, los dibujos son de una calidad excepcional: por sus encuadres, por las perspectivas en cada uno de los planos medios, trazos limpios, expresividad y, por supuesto, por el color sepia que tan bien sienta a la ciudad y la época. Y aún hay más: el autor arriesga con el cruce de tramas, intercala viñetas de diferentes escenas, juega con la tipografía, encaja los bocadillos entre viñetas de forma dinámica y hasta logra introducir una locución de radio como hilo transversal de la historia. Una obra de arte total de factura técnica impecable que, además, emociona.

[Brett Plaxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The creative forces behind this story took the iconic photograph of the workers sitting on the steel girder and have these people a story. It primarily focuses on Giant, a worker who’s left with telling a wife of the death of her husband and the story becomes so much more than that.
You get transported back to those early days when Rockefeller Centre was being built and the cultural landscape at the time. The tensions between different groups also play a big part in this story.
It’s a great read!

[Ben Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in 1930's New York city, Giant follows a group of "Sky Boys" as they build the Rockefeller Center. The job is a dangerous one for obvious reasons, and at the beginning one of the Sky Boys has died. Fellow Irish immigrant, nicknamed Giant, is tasked with writing a letter to the new widow back home in Ireland. However, Giant can't bring himself to tear their family apart so he writes to Mary Ann as her husband and sends her money.

Giant is a quiet man with a rough history that has caused him to be withdrawn. As the story progresses and his letters with Mary Ann continue, Giant comes out of his shell even becoming friends with his fellow Irish Sky Boys. However, Giant can't go on writing as her husband forever...

The art style is amazing here, showing the gritty reality of New York juxtaposed with a rustic Ireland. we get a glimpse into life at the time, with Chaplin films, a change in presidency, and troubles with the Italian mob.

This graphic novel also goes into the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War, and the lasting effects that it had on the people involved.

Giant is an amazing historical fiction graphic novel. It's packed full of real characters whose story of emigration and of their lives in New York City is important and emotional.


Arc provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Senga krew_w_piach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jest 1932 rok, Nowy Jork rośnie i rozbudowuje się, powoli zamieniając się w najbardziej kultowe miasto świata. Jego potęga rodzi się na plecach robotników, którzy przybyli na statkach z wielu europejskich krajów. Autor „Gianta” kieruje soczewkę na grupę emigrantów z Irlandii, którzy pracowali przy budowie Rockefeller Center. Kojarzycie to słynne zdjęcie, gdzie na metalowym elemencie konstrukcyjnym budynku siedzi grupa nonszalanckich mężczyzn, a poniżej rozciąga się panorama Wielkiego Jabłka? To właśnie oni.

Fabuła jest tu właściwie bez znaczenia. Ot, kolejna historia o pozornie mrukliwym, ale wewnętrznie wrażliwym, izolującym się od reszty świata olbrzymie z tajemniczą przeszłością. Prawdziwym bohaterem komiksu jest miasto - sięgające nieba, pulsujące życiem od piwnic po dachy, przyjmujące kolejne fale przybyszów, niosące obietnicę przygody i spełnienia marzeń. Świetnie jest to oddane w rysunkach ukazujących ulice, zaułki, lokale, detale i życie mieszkańców.
Jednocześnie nie jest to portret wyidealizowany. Mikael fantastycznie oddaje tło społeczne Nowego Jorku w latach trzydziestych, pokazując nierówności, do których prowadził rozpędzający się kapitalizm, trudne warunki życia budowniczych miasta, próby organizowania pierwszych ruchów pracowniczych. Nie brakuje też komentarza antywojennego - bo wojnę Irlandczycy odczuli podwójnie, najpierw Pierwszą, zaraz po niej Domową. Jednocześnie jest to portret irlandzkiej społeczności z jej językiem, nawykami i obrazkami z domu za oceanem.
Graficznie jest to smaczne, zaserwowane w retro klimacie podbitym sepią, dynamiczne i ładne.
Mnie samą zaskoczyło ile ciekawych wątków porusza „Giant” i jak przyjemnie było z nim spędzić trochę czasu.

[Przemysław Skoczyński · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teoretycznie główny bohater to postać przemaglowana w popkulturze już setki razy. Byczek, który nie za wiele mówi, nosi ciężar własnej przeszłości i tajemnicy, którą czytelnik pozna przy okazji całkiem zgrabnego twistu kończącego całość. Czym więc ten komiks wygrywa? Grafiką pokazującą faktycznego bohatera tego komiksu, jakim jest rodzące się na naszych oczach miasto budowane tysiącami rąk zaharowujących się na śmierć emigrantów. Naprawdę trudno nie dać się ponieść urokowi tych pełnych nostalgii, ale i niepokoju kadrów, obrazujących tło codziennej niedoli klasy robotniczej.

[Ema · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5*

A arte é estupenda, traço e cores maravilhosos, caracterizam muito bem o tipo de história que a banda desenhada conta. Temos o céu de Nova Iorque como cenário e a vida de imigrantes que trabalham sobre vigas a construir os gigantes arranha-céus da cidade. Trata-se de existências difíceis, mas é sabido que a generosidade e a amizade podem vir do mais inesperado. Não estava à espera de um final tão digno, mas foi a cereja no topo do bolo, longe dos clichés. Vários pormenores acrescentam valor histórico e emocional à história, é um deleite ler com vagar e reparar na riqueza da narrativa gráfica.

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful story.

The awesome thing about this story is that you don't feel like it's fiction. It feels real. It's like watching real life in front of your eyes.

This feels like real people with real emotions. It feels real. That is what impresses me more about this author.

Having read "Bootblack" before, I kinda already expected this type of ending. It's ok. It's a solid ending for a great story.

I totally recommend this if you're looking for good stories set in the 30s in America.

[Magdalena (Lolek The Pug) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5⭐️

[Pop Bop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling, Rewarding, and a Bit Surprising

The drawing here is gorgeous, which was not surprising. But I wondered about what to expect in terms of story. It felt like this might be light on incident and character and mostly dedicated to showing off the author's research into Depression-era New York and immigrant working conditions. Nothing wrong with that of course, but not necessarily a riveting read. Well, not to worry - this book surprises with real depth and heart and drama, while still also capturing the spirit and tempo of the times better than I had any reason to expect.

Our hero, Giant, may be the strong silent type, but he's no brooding or mysterious cipher. Giant is a well realized character about whom we learn a great deal, and suspect more. He carries this tale with his complicated but fundamentally human presence and he commands every panel in which he appears. But this is also a social novel, and a workplace novel, and a tale of friendship and camaraderie. The cast of characters revolving around Giant is rich, varied, colorful, and much more than just standard types. In fact, one of the most appealing aspects of this book is that almost every character said or did something surprising or unexpected, but still consistent and authentic. In the same vein, whenever there was a dramatic high point or juncture, the resolution had a bit of surprise or the unexpected. This is not a by the numbers or shallow tale, but a fully realized, authentic, and carefully constructed work of narrative fiction, and that is what elevated it beyond just a pretty graphic novel, at least for me.

So, a compelling and rewarding story, an accomplished work of graphic art, and a wonderful find. I enjoyed this immensely.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book at the ALA Virtual Convention without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

[Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A glistening reminder that the graphic novel is not dead, regardless of whatever baying the DC/Marvel comics side of things might do at the recent collapse of interest in uninteresting stories and the shifting dominance of the manga industry.

It felt nostalgic and oddly warming to read a story like Giant, which spends great deals of time waxing between gallows humor and sombre moods but does so through some truly evocative artwork and compelling, believably human characters. It's really incredible what kind of quality can show up in Goodreads giveaways amongst all the shlock there; I'm just sad I didn't win my chance at the draw years ago and ended up finding this much farther down the road. For anyone even vaguely interested in drama and the dirty 30's, I highly recommend this comic.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Giant” is the 2nd book I’ve read in Mikaël’s New York triptych. I really love this series. The art is nearly photographic. The colors are so lush. The stories pull out your heart strings.

“Giant” follows the story of the “Sky Boys,” who built the skyscrapers of Manhattan in the early 1900s. Specifically, it’s about an oversized, stoic Irish immigrant, who goes by the name “Giant,” and a new arrival from Ireland, Dan. Dan keeps trying to get to know Giant better but gets nothing except that Giant writes to a woman in Ireland and sends her money.

At first, I didn’t think this book would compare to the other book I read in the triptych (“Bootblack”). However, I became more interested in the story as it went along and then Mikaël threw in a plot twist that changed everything.

This book is just warm and nostalgic. I loved it.

[Philip Callahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3'5*
Una historia corta, con una premisa sencilla, ¿Quienes eran los famosos obreros de los rascacielos de Nueva York? Quién no ha visto esa mítica fotografía encima de una viga, en una altura vertiginosa, pues bien, este trabajo, imagina quiénes eran esos obreros, cómo eran sus vidas, sus miserias y secretos, historia corta, muy entrañable, con buenos personajes, con un buen telón de fondo, irlandeses, italianos, el IRA, un tal Laguardia, y un tal Rockefeller, y sobretodo, un dibujo impresionante.
Recomendable lectura de un par de tardes.

[Mateen Mahboubi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully illustrated story of the workers that gave up so much to help make NYC the city that it is today. Oftentimes the past is glorified when we look at those who were doing well but rarely is the story told of the sacrifices and struggles of those who struggled to eek out a living. A great story of the complicated lives of those who gave up their homes (and sometimes lives) in search of work and a possible future in America.

[Monica San Miguel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha gustado mucho, una buena historia de los primeros irlandeses en Nueva York que juega un papel tan importante como los personajes porque está maravillosamente ambientada, y los dibujos son realmente bonitos gustándome especialmente los colores y los claroscuros que utiliza

[R.J. Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,6 ⭐️ 💔❤️‍🩹

[M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this.
I've always been obsessed with NYC so I must admit something : a quick look at the cover page & the summary and i was half-sold already.
This immersion in the lives of the first generation immigrants that litteraly built NYC as we know it was really interesting and i felt that it was very realistic too (the way the sky-workers talk, with the irish accent and all, in particular.) The tenderness Mikael had for his writing subject is obvious.
The subplot consist in a bittersweet story of lost loves and fraternity that will rob your heart.

Side note : I also loved the artworks and the colorization.

More infos and (amazing) photographies on this subject here : https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/1...

Thanks a lot to Papercutz Editions and NetGalley for this advance copy.

[Paul Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the art. It is a kind of noir-ish, minimal style that I enjoyed looking at. The concept and flavor of the graphic novel was also appealing to me. The photo that inspired Giant is one that I had seen previously and was always curious about and it was cool to see that as part of the story. The plot was underwhelming for me. I liked the characters but I wasn't particularly drawn in and the resolution didn't do much for me either.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lunch atop a Skyscraper is a famous photo depicting eleven ironworkers sitting on a metal beam while taking a break from the construction of the Rockefeller Center in New York City. The image is a striking one that captured the era of American industrialization in the 1930s, iconic to the very DNA of New York City itself. With Giant, Mikaël seeks to breathe life into the workers that helped build one of the greatest cities in the world. The story is centered around the life of Ryan Murphy, an Irish immigrant who left behind his wife and kids to make a life for himself in the developing Manhattan. But his fortunes turn to ill when he falls to his death on the job, and its his co-worker, Giant, who must pick up the pieces. Starting with having to inform Ryan's wife on his death, the quiet, taciturn Giant instead opts to continue writing her letters as "Ryan" himself.

Giant serves as a somewhat melancholic and brooding look into the lives of immigrants who came to America, their role in the nation's industrialization, and the risks associated with the construction jobs they took. Architecture is a crucial aspect to the story as well, with New York's spiring skyscrapers peppering the backgrounds and the sepia and muddy tones coloring in the industrialized new world well. The streets serve as almost a character on its own, with Mikaël's thoughtful designs bringing them to life with ease.

The story unfolds at a fairly nice pace, and Giant's own role in the story is established well beyond that of the happenstance bystander. The other characters do feel fairly one-note, but for the most part this graphic novel does a good job highlighting the realities of the early period of American immigration and their role in building one of the greatest cities in the world.

[Anjana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a graphic novel with very evocative artwork. Some pages had more colour than others. It is a stark, realistic take on the lives of Irish immigrants who came to work in a growing city that offered them labour in return for fostering dreams of making it big. The skyscrapers of NYC form but a background of the lives of these normal men. They have left family behind, and some of them send support while others use it as an opportunity to be carefree. 

Our focus is on Giant, a man of few words who is tasked with sending important information home to a widow who doesn't know of her fate yet. He does not necessarily do what he intends to and gets embroiled in something he cannot extricate himself from. Through the ensuing conversations, we see all the people around the main character and the small bonds that crop up between the most unlikely of people. There is no completing story arc, at least not in this copy. We are left with an emotional lesson, something that everyone involved is left to contemplate on, and there is no mention of a happily ever after of any sort. There are minor acknowledgements, personal satisfaction of a few workers which made the reading quite unique. It does have some explicit panels, but they were built into the storyline. 

I would recommend this to anyone who likes indulging in a graphic novel as well as anyone who has even a mild interest in historical fiction of the average man.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers. The review, however, is entirely based on my own reading experience, my familiarity with the city of New York and my previous brushes with graphic novels.

[mariannenoela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Deuxième incursion dans le monde la bande-dessinée : j’aime toujours!

Celle-ci est lugubre et on sent la poussière se lever dans la rue au fil des bulles plus terreuses et salaces les unes que les autres. Dans un New-York des années 30, des immigrants irlandais et italiens viennent riveter les structures des immeubles à étages. Inspiré par une photo d’ouvriers assis sur le toit du monde (une poutre du chantier du Rockefeller Center), il décrit ici la vie de ces ouvriers et les correspondances d’un des personnages principaux avec sa douce, en Irlande. Un monde machiste s’ouvre sous la plume et le crayon de Mikaël. Le vocabulaire (moins accessible) et le propos d’époque misogyne explique la note.

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lo compré por su portada. Viendo esa ilustración, el resto no podía ser menos y sin duda que no lo es; el libro entero es una maravilla.
En cuanto a la historia, no sabia muy bien qué me iba a encontrar, me dejé llevar más por la ilustración, pero me ha gustado.
Al final de libro, la versió de Normal Editorial, vienen unas páginas con algunos de los bocetos que hizo el artista (Mikaël); son geniales.

[Mickey Bits · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mikaël is one of the best creators of graphic novels and sequential art in the business of publishing. The stories are set in an fascinating historical settings that ring true and gritty and replete with unsavory characters. The author transports you back in time. Beyond that he introduces a plot in which the reader immediately feels invested and wants to see it thought the satisfying and touching resolution.

Highly recommended.

[Katika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prosta opowieść, ze skomplikowaną historią w tle. Milczący irlandzki robotnik na rusztowaniach powstającego Rockefeller Center, a wokół kryzys gospodarczy, prohibicja i włoska mafia, a za oceanem wojna domowa i rodziny czekające na listy od bliskich.
Urzekła mnie kreska i ta opowieść. Dialogi wydawały mi się czasem trochę zbyt dydaktyczne, sztucznie wplatające wyjaśnienie kontekstu historycznego w fabułę. Domyślam się jednak, że ciężko to sprawnie zrobić w komiksie.

[EMGONFER · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giant, y en particular el primer tomo (o capítulo, en función de la edición), destaca no solo por un dibujo increíble, sino también por reflejar, a la perfección y con rigor histórico, aquello que fueron los Estados Unidos en los años veinte y treinta del siglo pasado, incluyendo el drama de la inmigración.

Absolutamente recomendable.