I Kill Giants

For a graphic novel that seems on the surface to be a simple adventure novel, our predisposition is quickly stripped away by the complex themes revolving around cancer, growing up, and a child's coping mechanisms. Kelly's protagonist is at once endearing because of her (slightly deluded) bravery, wit, and foolishness that stem from her inability to deal with her mother's sickness. Using her created mythical giants and titans as a metaphor for cancer isn't even that cleve, but Kelly makes it work in this context by blending them with a real life storm which she faces as she realizes that she can't actually fight a disease. All she can do is overcome her own foolishness, which she does triumph over in the end.

Originality lies at the far side of unoriginality—we tell the same stories, we just tell them in a way that is inventive or astonishing. When I think about the plot/premise of this short graphic novel that received enough acclaim to become a movie...I guess I can see that there’s not much new here. But the execution is just so marvelous. The art style dares you to enjoy it, and the story uses an opaque, unanswered, lack of clarity that reflects adolescence, reflects the human condition. The book takes risks: Images don’t make sense. Dialogue is deliberately scratched out. It’s a chaotic romp across well-tread fields that everyone should read. Recommended.

This is a compilation of the individual books of a graphic novel, about a young girl who uses fantasy to give herself a way to cope with (and yet deny) the harsh realities of her real world. This is a theme I have seen explored many times, but rarely to such effect in both writing and artwork. The story (and art) is compelling and complex, requiring careful attention, but it is well worth the effort. Barbara is a unique character with her own style and strength, who sums up the main idea of the story beautifully at the conclusion: "We're stronger than we think we are."

A young girl is convinced that there are monsters and that she can kill them with her special, homemade weapon despite the fact that this belief isolates her at school and causes problems at her already-troubled home. It also has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that her mother is dying of cancer. Nope. Just like this story will definitely not lead the reader to tears. NOPE.
I liked this graphic novel tons. Barbara is such a great character, and I lovelovelove that whether or not the monsters are real or are in Barbara's imagination or both is left open to interpretation. But the art was too...sloppy? There were many panels that I stared at for far too long trying to suss out what exactly was going on and that irritated me enough show more to pull me out of the story several times. A shame, really, because otherwise this would have been close to a 5-star read for me. show less

If you were to judge a book by it’s cover your probably wouldn’t think too much about this one. It’s a bit eye catching in that you’ve got this intense face peering at you, but there’s nothing else there. No words to tell you the story and you’d be tempted to pass it by. But that would be a mistake. Under this somewhat simple looking cover is a powerful story, with equally powerful artwork. After reading this book (I got it via Interlibrary loan) I promptly ordered a copy for my library, a copy for myself, and began recommending it to everyone that I met, in some cases handing them the book saying “go read this. Now.” It’s that good. This is the story of Barbara Thorson…and her battle against the giants.

Barbara show more Thorson doesn’t have to wonder what she’ll be when she grows up. She already knows. She is a giant killer. She knows how to find them, how to hunt them, and what weapons are needed to kill them. And she needs these skills in her life now, because the giants are coming. But Barbara is facing these battles alone. She doesn’t have any friends, is often bullied, sees things other don’t see, and follows the beat of her own drummer. But as the giants get closer Barbara starts to let others into her world…but can she protect them and her family from what’s to come? Will Barbara and her might hammer Coveleski defeat the giant awakening…or will they fall in the battle? The final battle will leave you on the edge of your seat and move you like nothing before.

I can not look at this book for weeks at a time and yet I can still tear up while remembering and describing this story. The book is just that powerful. Joe has created an amazing story line with characters that touch our hearts. While we may not know someone exactly like Barbara, we can recognize bits of ourselves in her personality and the actions that she takes during a trying time in her life. It doesn’t matter if you were the geek, the star athlete, or the most popular kid in the school…Barbara is part of you. Kelly has written a story that captivates and holds you from the first to the last page and never lets go in between. He builds his characters up that we can picture them standing in front of us, we can relate to their problems and battles, and when the final battle comes…when we finally find out what Giants Barbara is facing, we weep at the struggle and wonder what we would do if we were in the same position. The story is just that good. And months down the road you’ll still remember it.

The sign of a great comic or graphic novel, for me, is that the words and images work well together, something that often seems more difficult when you have one person writing and one person illustrating. But Joe and JM have found that perfect harmony. The illustrations in this story strike that perfect chord, the one that makes you take note of what’s going on and captures your imagination. JM’s work reminds me a lot of Nate Powell’s illustrations in, Any Empire and Swallow Me Whole with bare lines capturing the characters and ink washes adding depth and swirling chaos and emotion. It gives the characters this sense of life to them. Swirling lines and washes of ink create emotion and feelings that boil off the page and ensnare the reader from the very first page. The best scenes to illustrate this story (and some of my favorites) in the story are right at the end where Barbara and the giant battles for the last time. That intensity in the lines increases 10 fold and the images and figures begin to blur to capture the chaos and the emotion of the fight, as wave slam around the figures, in this intense fight leaving the reader on the edge of their seats as to what will happen next.

This is one of the best graphic novels that you’ll read. Don’t wait, don’t go read other reviews, don’t wonder anything else…just go buy it. Read it. Savor the story and the illustrations that perfectly capture the intensity of Barbara as she battles Giants and the storms that follow them. You won’t regret it at all. show less

I requested “I Kill Giants” from the library after seeing Ink and Paper Blog booktuber Russell recommend it on his channel. I wasn’t expecting to get emotional while reading this graphic novel, but I did. “I Kill Giants” is about a young D&D obsessed girl who fancies herself to be a giant killer…in a world where there are no such things as giants.

At first, it’s really hard to like self-proclaimed giant killer Barbara Thorson. She’s emotionally immature, closed-off, cruel and prone to abrupt and shocking acts of violence. Alternatively, Barbara has a lot to deal with, she’s virtually friendless and the victim of relentless bullying. Later in the book, things come to a head, and although I felt her coping mechanisms were show more slightly overblown and dramatic, I can also remember what it’s like to be a preteen when most things feel overblown and dramatic.

By the end of the book, I was nearly moved to tears when Barbara faces off with her giants, figuratively and literally. show less

I'm inclined to award this book five stars, but that would be an over the top rating. Then again four feels like it is too little. Oh Goodreads, if only we could award half stars...

So what is it about? Barbara Thorsen faces great problems at home, and flees into fantasy -- the "killing giants" from the title -- to escape from them/deal with them. But these two worlds are about to crash into each other, especially now the fantasy one is infringing more and more on real life. Here be monsters, and they're scary and big, and tragedy is unavoidable.

That may not sound like a highly original premise, so what makes this graphic novel stand out from others with a similar story? For one, the way the story unfolds and leaves you guessing at what show more is really going on until some major reveals late into the tale. But also how Barbara's fantasies end up surprising not just you, but also her. And then there's the artwork, which is magnificent in all its black and white glory. Not just the drawings, but also the structure of the story.

This "Titan Edition" is a large edition of the collected comics in a hardcover binding, which beautifully shows the minute details present in so much of the artwork. You also get:
- 19 pages of covers & promotional art done for the US, Spain and France;
- a "Behind the Scenes" feature where yu get a look at the creative process as Kelly and Niimura comment on concept designs, breakdowns, etc.;
- the cartoony comic strips "Joe & Ken - A Creative Team" included in the original issues and the special strip created for the launch of the IKG paperback edition;
- Kelly's scripts for issues #1 & #7, embellished with Niimura's sketches;
- and mini-bios about Kelly and Niimura.

Do yourself a favor and buy at the very least the regular size softcover TPB, but if you can afford it invest in this lavish special edition so you can really relish the greatness of this book. show less