Big Girls #1

Image Comics

Writer & Artist: Jason Howard

Letterer: Fonografiks

I like Kaiju and Tokusatsu stuff. Giant monsters fighting giant people and robots will always be cool to me. I guess I just never grew up, so of course, Big Girls #1 excited me. The promise of giant girls fighting giant, monstrous mutated boys is too good to ignore. So how is Jason Howard’s (mostly) solo debut for this series?

Ember is a 300-foot monster fighter, here to save the day from boys who suffer from a similar affliction, but instead, they just become monsters instead of keeping their humanity. She works with law enforcement to not only stop the giant monsters but prevent boys from growing up and terrorizing others. It’s a fun concept that overall works rather well. The pacing is solid, with a solid introduction to the world and stakes and some decent characterizations too. The worldbuilding is solid, and the stage is set for what could be a fine action thriller.

There is a scene early on that initially shocked me. It was simply out of nowhere and didn’t match the tone that I expected from the series. Throughout the issue, the tone is somewhat inconsistent, but I was happy to find that the mentioned scene didn’t just exist for the shock factor. Jason Howard clearly wants to create a world that has the usual black and white morality that is found in the genre. Not every emotional moment hits too strongly, but I can’t say that these moments weren’t unenjoyable. Howard handles the themes adequately, with nothing outright offensive despite the subject matter.

Outside of these moments, this is a thrilling issue. The giant fights are fantastic and easy to follow for the reader. The comic book medium doesn’t necessarily have the challenges that animation does when it comes to giant monster movement and the feeling of weight. Artists need to find a way to convey that feeling through sequential art, and Howard successfully does that. I wish the final action scene was just a bit longer, but it satisfies my hunger for now.

Outside of the battles, the art is solid. Bold, messy lines fill the panels and create a sense of chaos during the action scenes. The characters are wildly expressive, which benefits the mayhem. Howard’s layouts allow for great pacing during the faster moments, and also breathe life into the more quiet moments full of character thoughts. A few panels seem to look a bit more rushed or have fewer details than others, but this is overall a good looking comic book. The letters by Fonografiks aren’t anything mind-blowing, but they get the job done.

Big Girls #1 suffers from a few issues in tone consistency but is overall an enjoyable debut. Fans of giant kaiju stuff should consider picking up this series. Those who aren’t interested in this series’ themes likely won’t be fans, but Jason Howard has crafted a fine start to the series.

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Read Big Girls #1 on Comixology