Comic Review: Giant Days #53

Giant Days #53

BOOM! Studios

Writer: John Allison

Artist: Max Sarin

So. Giant Days #53. After every issue of Giant Days, I almost instantly get excited in anticipation of the next one, but after I’d finished Giant Days #52 that feeling was different. Trepidation was also there, as well as excitement. Giant Days was almost over. Only issue 53, 54 and 55 to go. So going into this issue I was nervous. Could John Allison and Max Sarin make Giant Days a home run? As it turns out, my fear was dreadfully misplaced.

Is it bizarre to say this issue made me emotional? Giant Days isn’t even over for two issues after this, but it properly hit me this issue that this is one of the last times I’ll ever see the gang. You see, Giant Days #53 covers the final week of university before graduation, with Susan, Daisy, and Esther getting into some classic escapades, but throughout the issue, there’s a constant looming reminder that, yes, this is almost the end.

John Allison is at his best here. Sure, he’s always pretty amazing, but here he’s doubly amazing. Daisy especially stands out in this issue. She’s always been probably my favourite character in the series (possibly because I see a bit of myself in her, but don’t tell anybody I said that), and she’s got some great moments in this issue. Susan and Esther are also great here.  Susan and Esther also have some great moments throughout, but it’s Daisy’s time to shine in this issue. Sadly, McGraw and Ed don’t appear in this issue, which was a slight downer (McGraw is easily my second favourite character), but I trust in Allison that there’s a reason for this and that we’ll see them before the end.

And Max Sarin’s art is just… beautiful. Throughout the series (well, his run on the series) their art always displays the tone and emotion of a scene brilliantly, I was cold on this art style, to begin with, but I quickly started adoring the simplicity, yet complexity of it. I know that makes little sense, but Sarin’s art straddles the line between realistic and crazy perfectly. This issue is hilarious throughout (as Giant Days tends to be), and while it’s obviously Allison’s writing that’s a large part of this, Sarin’s art is also a key part of the humour. The expressions they draw, the way they design the scenarios the group is placed into, all of this feeds into the hilarity throughout the issue.

So as Giant Days starts properly wrapping up, and we see the final days of the eclectic bunch of students we’ve been seeing for the past 53 issues, I can’t help but feel a small tear shed from the corner of my eye. Giant Days truly is a once in a lifetime comic, and nothing will ever come close to it in my heart.

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