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katastrofu
Two
Joined: 19 May 2009
Posts: 95
Sun Aug 23, 2009 6:42 pm |
 Post subject: Review: I Kill Giants |
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I Kill Giants
Image Comics
Joe Kelly and JM Ken Nimura
I Kill Giants is a series both sweeping and minute; an epic tale whose setting is the often shadowy/amorphous/surreal intersection of the imagined and the real. Author Joe Kelly and artist Ken Nimura present us with a funny, sometimes shocking, emotionally-stirring piece of work about the unlikeliest of heroines and her grim undertaking.
Enter the wonderfully atrocious and deeply troubled Barbara Thorson, hell-bent on ridding the world of giants : grotesque, murderous creatures that everyone else is too stupid to notice. Easily the strangest thing about 5th grade, and the most intelligent, badass little girl that ever lived. With the thunder-maker, light-bringer Coveleski and her razor-sharp wit, she will delight, shock, and ultimately ensnare you, heart-shaped purse and all.
Readers are thrown into a world—Barbara’s world— where the distinctions between fantasy and reality are vague, at best. Pixies frolic and flutter around her as she sets up giant traps involving dead animals; her days are characterized by reading books about giants, and looking out for omens, harbingers of doom. This escapism enables her to turn her problems into something she can understand, something she can kill.
The story is simple but captivating, intimate but fantastical. Kelly successfully captures the mind of this eccentric fifth grader and everything that sets her apart, while reminding us that she is, in fact, still a kid: a little girl who wants to make friends and wear make-up, a child longing for a normal life. Whether Barbara is crazy or not is never pointed out, and equally mysterious are the nature of these giants she’s set out to defeat.
There’s something about I Kill Giants that makes it an extremely enjoyable read. Perhaps this is due to the memorable (hilarious, shocking, sniff-inducing) events that perpetuate the story. As far as characterization goes, Barbara is the most complex, which is fine, as she is the star. Some other characters, like Principal Marx and Taylor, come off as two-dimensional. Then again, we’re seeing things from Barbara’s point of view, and everyone she encounters adds to the complexity of her mission; there are no useless characters.
Ken Nimura’s art is beautiful. It is expressive and manga-esque, fitting the story perfectly. The character designs suggest something about their personality; Barbara’s odd fashion sense and glaring eyes, Sophia’s carefree smiles and swishy hair, and of course, the towering dark figures emerging from the sea, with ferocious glowing eyes. The raw brushwork echoes the brutal honesty found in the writing with simple, sweeping lines, frenzied action sequences. My favorite moments in this series are the ones without words: Barbara finding a note from Sophia as she exits the principal’s office, Principal Marx looking down at Barbara exasperatedly. Nimura brings further depth and emotion to his art with the use of light and shadow, and everything just bleeds personality.
What makes I Kill Giants so appealing is that everyone can relate to Barbara’s need to escape real life, as well as her struggle to make friends and slay her giants. I loved the smallness and simplicity of the storytelling. Funny and touching, I Kill Giants is a beautiful, emotional read, drawing you in with every snappy retort and bloodbath, every reindeer garnished with human kidney.
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Gah. Sorry this took so long! Found it a bit hard to trim it down to 500, so it's a tiny bit longer than that.  |
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Job McBadass
Douche (Retired)
Joined: 01 Dec 2008
Posts: 920
Location: In the Moment
Wed Oct 14, 2009 9:52 pm |
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I am still waiting for that TPB to come out. I will cull my little imaginary piggy bank herd when that happens.
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love,
Job |
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