There are only a few graphic novels that absolutely break-out into mainstream media heralded for all its’ good and “groundbreaking” feats it accomplishes. Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura’s highly imaginative book I Kill Giants is one of those very books and do they deserve it? Well, yes. Kelly and Niimura have teamed up to release a good solid book about coping with tragedy and the human mind’s impenetrable defense mechanism known only as – imagination. The critical acclaim for this book is overwhelming, but one can not help but wonder how this collected mini series delivered from issue to issue as the opening installments do take some getting used to. The narrative benefits from being collected; the reader can pursue the direction that Kelly and Niimura go by rapidly blowing through the pages to get to the next chapter versus waiting a month to get some closure on this unorthodox story. However, this must have been the reason Image readers loved this mini so much.
The story of I Kill Giants is about a young girl named Barbara Thompson, a fifth grader that is obsessed with D&D and claims to be a giant killer. Barbara alienates herself from every single person that surrounds her by genuinely being rude and downright nasty. At home she is terrified by something outside of her bedroom and can not help but cause grief for her family with her whimsical and unusual imagination. By night she is a trained giant killer, setting traps for possible giants and taking care of her giant-destroying hammer: Coveleski. When a new girl comes to town and tries to befriend Barbara, things begin to spiral downhill as Barbara picks a fight with a bully and is assigned to therapy sessions with the school shrink at the request of the principal (whom Barbara meets with everyday for her constant ejections from the classroom). As the therapy sessions continue, Barbara’s perception of reality and her imagination begin to blur and she is forced to recognize that she has been hiding from something truly more frightening than giants.
YAY:
- The ending is amazing, it is truly the part of this book that makes it absolutely fantastic. The rest of the story is pretty good buildup, but right when the reader is frustrated with the blind hatred that Barbara has for the world, everything falls into place beautifully. Joe Kelly outdid himself by giving the readers an ending that storms and calms at the same time.
- The supporting characters go above and beyond to be the voice of reason to Barbara’s troubled soul. Whether its Mrs. Molle (the school psychiatrist) or Sophia (the new girl in town) they act as the reader’s voice when all parties try to reason with Barbara’s resistance and anger.
- Plain and simply Niimura’s art is a perfect fit for the narrative. Though sometimes his art lets the audience assume too much. He gives no definitive background to some panels which makes one wonder where the characters are (more on this later). However, I dare someone to say that the “Titan” doesn’t look 100% bad ass. What else can be said? The art to this book is the narrative’s ruby slippers.
- The blending of the reality of current angst-y adolescence and the fantastical is pretty awesome. As Barbara monologues on a park bench about how terrible her day was (in a suit of armor mind you) insects fly around her but then the insects turn into gnomes and fairies… it all just progresses well together.
NAY:
- Though I Kill Giants was enjoyable, the pacing needs to be more refined. Two-Thirds of the book is the audience and the supporting characters trying to reason and understand the main character, who just does not care. You simply need more ground work and teasing to make the story more cohesive. The readers KNOW something is wrong with Barbara Thompson, we do not need to be dragged through a little more than half of the pages being reminded of how troubled she is.
- Just as much as the narrative needs a bit more smoothing over, so do the visuals to a certain extent. As mentioned earlier, there are some panels that look like they were scribbled in with strict time constraints, which is acceptable to a certain degree, but is kind of inexcusable for how highly anticipated and reviewed this trade was going to be. Not all visuals need to be clean-cut and photo-shopped to death but some panels just do not match the others and it is noticeable.
- Barbara Thompson is one of the most unlikeable main characters. It is so hard to get into her character and follow her for a long period of time. Kelly saves her with a bad ass ending that feels undeserved (at first) but then everything falls into place (So I guess it is debatable whether this is a nay… but it was worth mentioning how awful she is at times).
Final verdict is that I Kill Giants is a worthwhile book to add to your collection and it is a great read. The opening chapters are kind of slow and Barbara sucks for a while, but the ending is unmissable and just awesome. Though a little pricey at 15.99 for a decent trade (not that long), the narrative is worth your money and you will revisit the story from time to time, especially when Barbara’s story takes on an even more personal aspect.
