I Kill Giants

I Kill Giants *****
Writer: Joe Kelly

Artist: JM Ken Nimura

Publisher: Image

For this week's special review, I've chosen to review the graphic novel, I Kill Giants. This book was recommended to me by my two comic book store buddies (Nick and Andy from Collector's Paradise in Winnetka, CA.) They have never steered me wrong before and I'm glad to say they still have not. Since this is the first actual collected edition review I've done, let me lay it out for you. I'm going to do these reviews by starting off with a short summary; I promise not to give away too much. I will then conclude with a review of what I thought was good and what wasn't so good (not all reviews will have both good and bad things.)

The book starts us off with a look into the main character, Barbara Thorson. The first scene depicts Barbara in school on Career Day, where we learn that she kills Giants. Unfortunately for everyone around her, nobody believes her. We soon learn that Barbara is a bit of a loner. She doesn't have much in the way of friends and her main interaction with the outside world is through her brother and sister and the game Dungeons and Dragons. From the beginning there is a sense of oncoming danger, both in the way signs of impending doom Barbara witnesses and in the darkness that exists on second floor of Barbara's home. There are three things that happen to Barbara that change her: she encounters a bully named Taylor, she is forced to go to therapy, and she makes a friend, Sophia. As the book progresses we can clearly see that there is something that is troubling Barbara, so much that the anger within her begins to lash out, often towards unsuspecting victims. In the end Barbara is left to face an enemy that is far more of a threat than giants.

There is so much good about this book that it's hard to start with just one thing. Joe Kelly did a tremendous job with the writing. The character development throughout the book is incredible; by the end of the book you are left with an emotional connection with Barbara. The writing is elegant when it needs to be and coarse in other parts where that is necessary. Another thing that was excellent with regards to the writing was his story telling ability and I don't just mean the entire story, which was great, but the stories within the story. Barbara's explanations with regards to the terrible ways of giants and titans was awesome for a nerd like me and the story explaining her weapon's name was also great, but this time it appealed to the sports fan in me. The story is great in the numerous ways it can draw you in and get you hooked into caring about this poor soul.

The art in this book is absolutely fantastic. I've had the luxury of having most of the comics I read being drawn by great artists, but every now and then I come across a book that either has terrible art or art that is not suited for the story. JM Ken Nimura's art perfectly suited this book. He was able to capture Kelly's words and translate them so well into imagery. The emotion that flows throughout the text of the book is mirrored in the emotion that Nimura is able to manifest in his art. As a person that, for the most part, doesn't enjoy black and white movies, I think the fact that this book is black and white works extremely well for this book. At the end of the day this book is similar to the Walking Dead,  in that the focus is on the human condition, everything else is just extra. The artwork is stripped of the distractions leaving only the details that are necessary for the story. The overall design, both in character design and layout design, creates a strong emotional tether to the story that lingers long after you've finished reading.

This is a must read book. The creative team did a fantastic job in all aspects of this book. The story itself is touching, heart-breaking, loving, and everything else associated. The artwork is compelling and does a great job enhancing the overall experience.