Customer Reviews

I Kill Giants

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The very first giant, Ur, was the result of a union between the earth and sky. When he became too lonely from being the only of his kind, he tore himself apart, creating a group of other giants: swamp giants, mountain giants, frost giants, and, worst of all, titans. They're unstoppable.

We know this because Barbara Thorson explains it just so. Barbara is waiting for the giants to come, at which time she will fend them off with her deadly hammer. It's tough work, preparing for an oncoming invasion and being the sole person tasked with killing them when they arrive.

Barbara is a unique fifth grader, even aside from training to kill giants. She wears giant bunny ears, avoids talking to most of her classmates, has regular conversations with fairies, calls her P.E. teacher a bull dyke, and even slaps the school psychologist. She's antisocial and proud of it, considering almost all the people she encounters to be stupid and annoying.

Only fellow student Sophia manages to crack Barbara's thick shell, acquiring a place of trust and friendship that no one else ever has--or even tried to attain. The sweetness of the friendship is genuine, as are most of the relationships in I Kill Giants. Whether Barbara is dealing with her principal, her psychologist, or her sister (who is raising Barbara and her rarely seen brother), and even when the dialogue feels ready-made to fit a movie starring a sassy protagonist, the words have the ring of truth to them. Even when writer Joe Kelly pushes the dialogue to the brink, he pulls back just in time to ensure believability. Better yet, he sends in surprises to usher the story along in unexpected paths (anchoring it as he goes with some fun allusions; my favorite being one of the best movie quotes ever: "No fighting in the war room!").

All along, we know this story is headed somewhere; we just don't know where at first. Kelly holds his cards close to his vest for a good part of the story--even scribbling through lines of his own dialogue to obscure what's really going on in Barbara's life--but he pulls the curtain back just in time, confirming our suspicions without making us wait too long for the satisfaction of knowing, after all this, just what is going on with this character we've become so attached to.

That attachment is perhaps the best trick I Kill Giants, because it comes about so subtly and effectively. Like JM Ken Niimura's frenetic but pitch-perfect art, Barbara's personality is wild, jagged, and impossible to not get engrossed in. By the time we've finished our journey with Barbara, we're stronger for the experience and so is she.

I Kill Giants is easily accessible for teens (the aforementioned bull dyke outburst is about the harshest the language ever gets, and the violence is frequent enough but never graphic), but it's a true gem for adults as well. It, like Barbara, is lovely, wonderful, and one of a kind.

-- John Hogan

I Kill Giants is both powerful and poignant with its young protagonist, Barbara, battling in the awkward struggle of otherness. She cocoons herself in her imaginary world, slaying monsters and facing giants that, though flights of fancy, are tangible symbols of the inevitable truths she must face. The writing is subtle and the artwork, a nod to manga, is whimsical yet the perfect delivery piece for so touching a story. It's one of the few comics that forced me to shed a tear, but sniffling aside, I rallied for its heroine and her all too vivid moment of having to grow up. This is a fine example of why comic books can and should be considered part of the canon of good literature.

I just finished reading this book and simply put it was amazing. It is a perfect example of how great the graphic novel is as a medium.

I want to say nothing about the content of this book. Go in with a totally fresh slate. Don't go look at pictures, don't read other reviews, don't wait, just buy it.

I picked it up on recommendation from my local comic shop guy. His words we're "It's good, really really good, buy it". I did just as he said, and am glad that I did.

This touching and humorous story of a young girl who must invent monsters to cope with her demons touched something inside of me. I bought it blind because I was looking for something light and the cover art was fun. It was not what I was expecting yet I read it in one go. This is one of the only books that I have ever allowed myself a few tears for. The writing and art are perfect for this story, and the protagonist is someone who we can all relate with at different times. If you want a treasured part of your collection which will stir up emotion, get this book!

Some graphic novels, that get high praises, have been a complete let down. Things that make a comic are the story, the art, and the overall impression the book leaves. Failure of one can make the book suffer. The art has to complement the story and vice versa, in order to be successful. With that in mind, I decided to check out I Kill Giants. I was skeptical about this book at first. So I decided to wait until the comics were collected, and then check it out. (I tend on waiting for books to be collected, and then read it). And I was completely surprised by this book. The story was balanced with the art in a unique way.

The story is about a young girl (Barbara), who tends to surround herself with fantasies about the world around her, rather than accept how it truly is. There is a girl that bullies her around, but she stands up to her. Her mother is sick and her father is gone, in return her sister takes care of her. She visits the schools councilor, and everyone calls her psycho for it. She meets a new girl and befriends her. And she kills giants.

The title of the series is a metaphor for overcoming troubles. The entire time reading it, you get introduced to different situations that present added troubles for Barbara. But it leaves you rooting for rooting for her throughout the entire story. You hope for the best for this character. Very few books can relate the character to the reader. With Barbara, there is something that you can relate to her. Among the story and art, this is what makes the book fantastic. **THIS MAY SPOIL THE END** It has a rather sad ending, however the reader gets the rewarded for sticking with Barbara until the very end.

The book is collected very nicely in the paperback edition. The cover is sturdy, the paper is strong with a nice gloss, and the ink is very clean. There are some thumbnail sketches of Barbara, other characters, as well as ideas for giants in the back of the book. Along with the sketches, are the thoughts of the writer and artist, as they work with each other on different topics. Overall, this is an impressive book, and is highly recommended.

When asked on Career Day what she has in mind for her future, tenacious student Barbara Thorson readily replies: "I already have a `career.' ... I kill giants." She knows firsthand that giants aren't just mythical--we face them in everyday life. Unable to accept that her mother is dying of cancer, Barbara employs an elaborate fantasy world to block out reality. But although this feisty pipsqueak has the courage of ten men, life proves that some giants we face can't be beaten, but must simply be endured. It's a little difficult figuring out what's going on during the first few chapters. The scene introducing Barbara's family throws in too many characters at once, some that don't reappear for the rest of the graphic novel. We don't yet know that Barbara's mother is bed-ridden due to the advanced state of her cancer, so we're left to wonder if Karen, the young woman fixing dinner, is her mother or older sister, or if the entire gaggle of teenage boys playing Dungeons and Dragons are her brothers, or just her brother's friends. Barbara is also shown throughout the graphic novel to sport either bunny ears, cat ears, bear ears, etc. Anyone familiar with anime (the drawing style of the graphic novel) will recognize that this is a frequently appearing trait among anime characters--why this occurs is anyone's guess. Anyone not familiar with the "animal-ears" trait will surely be extremely confused. Why does Barbara have bunny ears when the rest of the characters don't? The answer becomes clear after the story settles down and the reader becomes familiar with the storyteller's rules: Barbara spends most of her day in a fantasy world populated with giants and fairies. Why shouldn't she have bunny ears? It's only after you get past this stumbling point that the reader is finally able to sit back and enjoy the story. The thought of life's obstacles manifesting themselves as giants is really quite clever, and makes Barbara's struggles more endearing. I Kill Giants is a whirligig of a tale, a magical story about a kooky, brazen little girl who deals with life's tragedies the only way she knows how: by fighting them. Recommended for Ages 13-Up.

Barbara Thorson doesn't have to wonder what she'll be when she grows up. She is a giant killer. She knows how to find them, how to hunt them, and what weapons are needed to kill them. 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 haven't looked at this book in a couple of months, but I'm still tearing up while trying to write this review and remembering the story. The book is just that powerful. We may not all know someone exactly like Barbara, but 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. Joe 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.

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.

This is one of the best graphic novels I have ever read. It has humor, sadness, charm, and miles of heart.

Barbara Thorson is one of the most wonderful comics characters you are ever likely to meet. She plays dungeons and dragons, wears animal-ear headbands, mouths off to bullies and adults...and kills giants. From the start of her story, you don't know exactly what to make of her. Are all the fantasy creatures around her just in her head? And are the giants she has to face even real? She seems to live with both feet planted firmly in a fantasy world that no one around her can get through to reach her. And she does need someone to reach her, because she has a Secret. There is something going on in her life that she is not telling anyone about, and if she is left on her own, this is a fight she might not win.

The characters are real and well-written. Everyone has a part to play in Barbara's story. The adults in her life don't know what to do with her. Her family doesn't know how to deal with her. The school psychologist is trying so hard to help her, but can't seem to be able to. It is only when a young girl named Sophia moves in next door to her that we get a glimmer of hope that someone might be able to reach her. Their friendship is one of the highlights of the book.

The art is great. From the adorable to the frightening, Niimura creates a beautiful world. All of his characters, human or otherwise, look great. The story would not be the same without his images to convey it. There is a strong manga influence in the character designs. I loved the way he designed Barbara, a perfect mix of cuteness and defiant strength. Another great art decision is the choice to black out certain sentences in the first half of the book. It gives a sense of menace to whatever it is that Barbara is going through. You know it's something bad when even talking about it is threatening.

This is one of the purest, most touching stories I've ever read. I loved it, and recommend it to you, with all my heart.

Long story short, I loved this book. There is humor, sadness, friendship, betrayal, fantasy, wonder, and action. I really cared what happened to the main character. Not only did I care, I was never really sure what was going to happen. I know I am enjoying something when that little voice in my head says `What's going on?' Case in point, the TV show Lost.

The story is told in a subtle and beautiful manner. The tension of the conflict is tangible in the pages. The art only enforces the feeling of something wicked on the horizon. Rendered in grays with loose and jagged lines which increase the urgency of what this little girl is facing.

This is the kind of book I wish all my friends would read so I could sit down over some coffee and discuss it with them. So get yourself a copy, read it and then let me know what you thought.

Reviewed by Chris for Book Sake.

I Kill Giants, by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura was originally released as a seven issue self-contained series from July 2008 to January 2009 and it is one of the best books for all ages I have ever read.

The story follows Barbara Thorson, a pre-teen girl in a smallish coastal town. She has the same problems that every young girl has (Or so I am told. I have never been a young girl before, so I have nothing to base the comparison on. I DO feel kind of pretty sometimes though...), bullies, stupid teachers, Principals and a complete feeling of isolation in a very crowded world. It is very quickly that we learn that she also kills giants. With her war hammer named Coveleski, so named for the giant killer ballplayer from the early days of baseball. She has imaginary friends in the form of tiny piskies and elves and a plentiful lack of social skills. Much of the time her family does not understand her or her obsession with role playing games and her odd behavior, and there is a clearly stressful family dynamic at work that slowly reveals itself. She has a friend that tries hard to understand her and a school counselor that is trying to get her to open up and deal with the personality issues that are developing.

Much of the story relies heavily on the visual iconography being used. The images in the story are a mix of what we would call real and what we would call fantasy, with no clear boundary between them, much the way the world must seem to young Barbara, a girl that clearly has a rapidly worsening stress related personality disorder starting up. As her behavior becomes increasingly anti social, the art becomes more frantic, using more aggressive panel layouts and larger panel sizes. Barbara's world shapes the book's feel very effectively and the art, while loose and slightly cartoonish (not in a pejorative sense), uses space very well. A heavy use of gray tones and aggressive, almost manga-esque styling at times, keeps the book exciting all the way through.

For anyone with teen and pre teen children in their lives, or remembers their own teen years as difficult, this book is very powerful. Barbara has some serious causes to the stress in her life, and while they are pretty easy to guess as the story begins to explore them, their eventual revelation is surprisingly powerful. The climax of the story is filled with real word events and metaphorical images, and at no time tells you which are which as the people around her seem to be as involved in the events that Barbara sees as she is.

This book was a joy to read. I enjoy the traditional comic book fare as much as anyone, but this was such a refreshing change of pace for me that I found everything more enjoyable for a while after. That is the mark of something very positive and even cathartic. It leaves you feeling cleansed and ready to face what is next. I am a 42 year old adult human male, and I am not ashamed to admit that the book managed to get me choked up as easily as it made me giggle.

Anyone that enjoys feeling like they can identify with a heroic character will love this book.
[...]