Giant Days #15
BOOM Studios
Written by: John Allison
Art by: Max Sarin & Liz Fleming
Colors by: Whitney Cogar
‘Giant Days’ has been one of the best comics being published today. The slice-of-life stories of young women in college are funny, endearing, and often poignant. It’s no surprise it’s been nominated for a 2016 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series. After fourteen issues it’s still a joy to read even if issue fifteen falls a little short.
John Allison is usually more nuanced and clever than in this more straightforward story but it’s still fun. Esther is starring in an indie film and she’s obsessed with the hot writer-director who is clueless to her advances. He’s vying for a large cash prize at a film festival and that gets the attention of Daisy and Susan.
courtesy of Comicbookresources.com
With some inventive methods of acquiring some movie-making equipment, Daisy and Susan are soon brainstorming and off to make their own indie film. Meanwhile, Esther is determined to pull filmmaker Adam away from cutting his film and getting his full attention.
And perhaps that was the part that left me uneasy, just how much Esther throws herself at Adam. I don’t know if it was because it felt out of character or just cliched but it just bugged me a little. Otherwise, Susan and Daisy made a great comedy duo as they put together their film which happened to parody Adam’s film.
Like Lissa Treiman before him, artist Max Sarin has taken over without skipping a beat keeping a joyful cartoonish style with expressive faces and dramatic poses. It’s the kind of illustrations that put a smile on your face seeing the big bright eyes of Daisy or the exaggerated body language of Esther. Whitney Cogar adds some eclectic color schemes that are bright and warm. It’s totally in tune with Sarin’s designs and the tone of Allison’s script.
‘Giant Days’ has raised the bar so high that when an issue doesn’t quite live up to expectations it can seem worse than it is. It’s still more entertaining and satisfying than 99% of what’s available at your local comic book store. It’s always an adventure with Esther, Daisy, and Susan and worth cherishing every month.