Giant Days Vol. 1

by Dr John Allison

[Quirky Cat]

Giant Days is the first in what has been an amazing (and thankfully long running) series. It’s light and fun and full of personality, and thus perfect for anyone looking for an escape from all the heavier graphic novels out there (I’m looking at you Brian K. Vaughan). This lovely series is brought to us by John Allison (Bad Machinery, Scary Go Round, Murder She Writes) and Lissa Treiman (Where is Dead Zero?).



Okay, I know what you’re thinking. You’re looking at this series and thinking it’s a silly story meant for girls. It isn’t. I mean, it can totally get silly at times, but in a good way. And it certainly isn’t meant just for girls. I’d like to think that many people with different preferences would like this series. A belief that I think is supported based on how many volumes are out or coming out (seriously, volume nine is on the way!).
Being that this is the first volume a lot of time is spent having us get to know our lovely new cast. First there’s Susan. She’s grumpy and worldly, and hopes to eventually become a doctor. She’s also a total slob. I don’t think she’ll have the best bedside manner in the world, but otherwise I’m rooting for her! She’s very dramatic, but in the ‘angry at the world’ sort of way. She’s great at starting or getting into feuds, as evidenced by the plot revolving around her this volume.
Then there’s Esther. She dresses in this really love gothic and Victorian fashion blend, and has paper-white skin. She’s full to the brim of confidence, feisty, and has a drama field around her. What’s a drama field? Well…basically drama and accidents tend to just…happen around her. There’s plenty of gags about this, so it’s a topic we’ll be seeing for a while I think.
And then there’s adorable Daisy. She’s by far the most naïve of the group, despite the fact that she’s had more losses in life than the other two. She’s sweet, hardworking, and stubborn as a mule when she wants to be. She’s a neat freak – so naturally that means she’ll be cleaning up after Susan quite a bit. Did I mention she’s got a massive amount of curly hair? She reminds me of Hermione in a way (the Hermione in the books, with the unmanageable frizzy hair).
There are two other characters introduced in this series that I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of. McGraw is one, obviously. He has the potential to be boyfriend or rival, depending heavily on Susan’s moods. And there’s Ed. He kind of reminds me of Daisy, in a way. He’s probably the meekest of the group, but he’s loyal to a fault and completely smitten with Esther (drama field, remember?).
Interestingly despite knowing quite a lot about their personalities at this point I couldn’t say that I know a lot about their history. Sure, things have been hinted and implied, but that’s it. In a way we know the most about Susan’s past, but that’s thanks to McGraw.
This was a great start to a new series. It’s been fun getting to know these characters and all of the antics they manage to get themselves into. I can’t wait to see what happens next. I wonder if the series will last through the rest of their education. I doubt it’ll continue much beyond that point. Or would it? I don’t know.


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