Review: GIANT DAYS #23

GIANT DAYS #23
Written by John Allison
Art by Max Sarin, Liz Flemming, and Whitney Cogar
Published by BOOM! Studios
Release Date: February 1, 2017

In an issue that keeps trying to emphasize what “the adult thing to do” is, can Susan actually rise above and do what she must? Susan, Esther, and Daisy throw themselves a very adult dinner party in this issue’s Giant Days!

Allison does great work. I love the loosely tied together stories he tells in Giant Days, it’s like a Monster of the Week for college life. This month’s “monster of the week” is a dinner party and it brings together characters the reader wouldn’t have thought would meet, like Dan and Ingrid, who seem to have some pretty fun friendship chemistry.

As Ed Gemmell states so well, “[Those] two together are like avant-garde cabaret”, and they really are. It’s entertaining to read their interactions, though, I may be bias, since Ingrid is probably my favorite character in Giant Days.

Sarin and Fleming’s art is fantastic. The characters feel so fluid in their movement and, while a bit comically animated at times, are always fun to look at. How their art conveys a sense of magical realism throughout the series is intriguing. Things like the smell ghosts and Susan becoming a “being of white hot energy” for a panel makes me look forward to what interesting addition they’ll draw. Cogar’s choice of bright colors also adds to the fun atmosphere of the series.

I think my favorite scene from this particular issue is one where Susan and McGraw’s girlfriend, Emilia, have a conversation with one another. It’s this small, half a page bonding moment where Susan can see Emilia not just as the woman McGraw has fallen for, but for a cool woman who isn’t the cause of her misery. Someone she can relate to and someone who’s not there just to ruin her life. In that moment, Susan sees Emilia as her own person and it’s beautiful. It makes me believe that there is hope that Susan can perhaps grow past her feelings towards McGraw.

You should definitely read Giant Days. You can, in theory, start reading from this issue, but it’s probably best to start from the beginning. The characters are fun, the world is sometimes magical, and reading slice of life stories is always a treat. Check it out!

The Verdict: 9.0/10

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