Giant Days #1

by John Allison, Lissa Treiman & Whitney Cogar

Daisy, Ester, and Susan are newly enrolled freshmen at a British college. Even though they are very different people, being dorm neighbors in a school was a shared bond that brought them together.  Giant Days is a glimpse into their college friendship blossom while dealing with each other’s unique hang-ups.

John Allison has made a name for himself with his many webcomic series. Giant Days is one of those series that has spun out of a previous webcomic he had done. If you are a new reader coming into this Giant Days mini-series, you do not need to have read any previous materials. You get the sense that there is previous history between these characters by how they interact. However, the story has a simplistic quality that makes it very easy for any reader to pickup. Now Giant Days is more of a slice-of-life story so it’s more about character interactions more than plot. There are some loose narratives each girl follows but it’s mostly a fun and laidback read.

The art team of Lissa Treiman and Whitney Cogar really made this story pop with their work in Giant Days. Treiman uses a simple and loose style with her illustrations that is complimented by Cogar’s crisp color palette. This art team makes an excellent fit for the story being told in Giant Days. With each character experiencing their own ups and downs in just this issue, the art in Giant Days perfectly reflects those range of emotions. Though Allison may have handled his own art in previous Giant Days stories, Treiman and Cogar deliver a fantastic looking book.

BOOM! has made quite an effort to give webcomic creators a larger platform to show their work to. Giant Days is another example of that and it was executed very well. This was a great read for new or existing Giant Days fans. Being exposed to new creators and different stories is what makes reading comics fun. If you have enjoyed other series from the BOOM! Box imprint then this is a must read.