Giant Days

Giant Days
Publication information
Publisher Boom! Studios
Schedule Monthly
Format Ongoing series
Genre Varsity comedy
Publication date 2011 (webcomic)
2015 (comic book)[1]
Creative team
Created by John Allison
Written by John Allison
Artist(s) John Allison (webcomic/minicomic)
Lissa Treiman (issues 1–6)
Max Sarin (issues 7–37, 40-)
Julia Madrigal (issues 38-39)
Inker(s) Liz Fleming (issues 13–35)
Letterer(s) Jim Campbell (Boom)
Colorist(s) Whitney Cogar (Boom)

Giant Days is an ongoing comedic comic book written by John Allison, with art by Max Sarin and Lissa Treiman. The series follows three young women – Esther de Groot, Susan Ptolemy and Daisy Wooton – who share a hall of residence at university. Originally created as a webcomic spin-off from his previous series Scary Go Round, and then self-published as a series of small press comics, Giant Days was subsequently picked up by Boom! Studios first as a six-issue miniseries and then as a monthly ongoing series. In 2016 Giant Days was nominated for two Eisner Awards and four Harvey Awards.[2][3]

Creation

Webcomic

Giant Days is part of the same universe as Allison's previous series Bobbins and Scary Go Round. When Scary Go Round came to end in 2009, Allison followed it with the series Bad Machinery. However, Bad Machinery – a mystery series about school-aged sleuths – was a departure from Scary Go Round, which had focused on a group of twenty-somethings, and Allison worried that the new series might alienate his audience. In case Bad Machinery failed, Allison began planning a second series based on the character of Esther de Groot from Scary Go Round.[4] Although Bad Machinery ultimately proved to be a success, he produced three short Giant Days stories between chapters of Bad Machinery. These were subsequently printed and sold by Allison.[5]

Ongoing series

In 2013, Boom! Studios launched "Boom! Box", an imprint for experimental comics from established artists outside the comics industry.[6] Allison, who was friends with Boom! editor Shannon Watters after catching her when she fell at a convention, saw Boom! Box as a good fit for continuing the Giant Days story and pitched it.[5] The series was initially picked up as a six-issue limited series with pencilling by Disney animator Lissa Treiman (who had previously written a guest comic for Scary Go Round). This was the first time Allison had written a comic but not drawn it.[5] Giant Days was a success, and after the final issue of the miniseries was picked up as ongoing series, with Max Sarin replacing Treiman (although Treiman remained the cover artist until issue 24).[7]

Setting

Giant Days is set at the University of Sheffield and has a more realistic, less paranormal atmosphere than Allison's other comics, which take place in the fictional town of Tackleford.[5] The series begins with Scary Go Round character Esther de Groot, a melodramatic goth, moving into her hall of residence and befriending her new neighbours: the cheerful homeschooled Daisy Wooton and the prickly but grounded Susan Ptolemy. The three webcomic storylines focus on Esther, as she is targeted by a gang of private school head girls, breaks up with her school boyfriend, and joins a black metal society. In the comic book series, Susan becomes the viewpoint character although the series remains an ensemble.[5]

Characters

Main

Esther De Groot

Esther is tall, slim, pale, and goth. She is an English Literature major who loves black metal. She is proficient in boxing and is often seen falling in and out of love with various young men. Her friends consider her to be a drama queen, but she is also a very loyal and protective friend.

Susan Ptolemy

Susan is shorter and more of a tomboy than the other girls. She grew up in Northampton, smokes a lot and adopts a tough attitude but is secretly very sensitive. Though she is a medical student, Susan also has a reputation for being very slovenly and her room-mates are constantly trying to get her to clean her filthy room and laptop. At the beginning of the series she is secretly in love with her childhood friend McGraw, whom she later dates.

Daisy Wooton

Daisy is biracial, tall, with curly/frizzy light brown hair and glasses. She is an orphan whose parents died in a plane crash, after which she was raised and homeschooled by her grandmother. Daisy struggles with her sexuality and eventually dates a woman. Her friends see her as an innocent, wide-eyed optimist. She is very sweet and always tries to see the best in people.

Secondary

McGraw

A fellow student and childhood friend/enemy of Susan's from Northampton who eventually dates her. He is very serious, mature, and an excellent handyman who often helps the girls do odd jobs around their apartment when they move off-campus.

Ed Gemmel

A fellow student who harbors an unrequited crush on Esther. He is also a friend and room mate of McGraw's.

Reception

Giant Days was well received, with reviewers especially positive about its depiction of women. Oliver Sava of The A.V. Club noted that "College-aged women are a demographic woefully underserved in the world of monthly comics, so when a new title caters to this group, it immediately stands out"[8] and that "Women make up a large portion of Disney fandom, and hiring a Disney animator for Giant Days gives the book a visual sensibility that will appeal to those fans while presenting a story they don’t get to see in the Disney house style."[9] Janelle Asselin writing for Comics Alliance praised its depiction of online shaming[10] while Comic Bastards singled out the depth of the characters, in particular the sympathetic treatment of Daisy's homeschooling and the nuance of her coming-out arc.[7] David Nieves, reviewing the first issue for Comics Beat, described Treiman's art as having the "emotional grandiose [sic] of Scott Pilgrim" and the writing as having "the feminine voice of HBO’s GIRLS", both with a newspaper comic strip influence, but noted that "a slice of life story needs a little more emotional stakes".[11]

Awards

  • 2016 Eisner Awards: Nominated for Best Limited Series
  • 2016 Eisner Awards: Nominated for Best Writer/Artist (John Allison)[2]
  • 2016 Harvey Awards: Nominated for Best New Series
  • 2016 Harvey Awards: Nominated for Most Promising New Talent (Lissa Treiman)
  • 2016 Harvey Awards: Nominated for Best Original Graphic Publication for Younger Readers
  • 2016 Harvey Awards: Nominated for Best Continuing or Limited Series[3]
  • 2018 Eisner Awards: Nominated for Best Continuing Series[12]

Issues

IssuePublication datePencilsInksCover
Webcomics
#1 2011 John Allison
#2 2013
#3 2013
Boom! Box
#1 18 March, 2015 Lissa Treiman
#2 5 April, 2015
#3 13 May, 2015
#4 17 June, 2015
#5 15 July, 2015
#6 19 August, 2015
#7 21 October, 2015 Max Sarin Lissa Treiman
#8 18 November, 2015
#9 9 December, 2015
#10 6 January, 2016
#11 3 February, 2016
#12 2 March, 2016
#13 6 April 2016 Max Sarin Liz Fleming
#14 4 May, 2016
#15 1 June, 2016
#16 6 July, 2016
#17 3 August, 2016
#18 7 September, 2016
#19 5 October, 2016
2016
Holiday
Special		 26 October, 2016 Lissa Treiman
Caanan Grall
Colors: Jeremy Lawson
#20 2 November, 2016 Max Sarin Liz Fleming
#21 7 December, 2016
#22 4 January, 2017
#23 1 February, 2017
#24 1 March, 2017
#25 5 April, 2017 Max Sarin
#26 3 May, 2017
#27 7 June, 2017
#28 5 July, 2017
#29 2 August, 2017
#30 6 September, 2017
#31 4 October, 2017
#32 1 November, 2017
2017
Holiday
Special		 22 November, 2017 Jenn St-Onge
Colors: Sarah Stern
#33 6 December, 2017 Max Sarin Liz Fleming Max Sarin
#34 3 January, 2018
#35 7 February, 2018
#36 7 March, 2018 Max Sarin
#37 4 April, 2018
#38 2 May, 2018 Julia Madrigal Max Sarin
#39 6 June, 2018
#40 4 July, 2018 Max Sarin
#41 1 August, 2018
#42 5 September, 2018
#43 3 October, 2018 Max Sarin Liz Fleming Max Sarin
#44 7 November, 2018
2018
Holiday
Special		 December, 2018 John Allison

Collected editions

The series has so far been assembled into the following collections:

Trade paperbacks

TitleMaterial collectedPublication dateISBN
Giant Days Volume One
  • Giant Days #1–4
 November 18, 2015 9781608867899
Giant Days Volume Two
  • Giant Days #5–8
 March 30, 2016 9781608868049
Giant Days Volume Three
  • Giant Days #9–12
 September 28, 2016 9781608868513
Giant Days Volume Four
  • Giant Days #13–16
 March 1, 2017 9781608869381
Giant Days Volume Five
  • Giant Days #17–20
 June 7, 2017 9781608869824
Giant Days Volume Six
  • Giant Days #21–24
 October 11, 2017 9781684150281
Giant Days Volume Seven
  • Giant Days #25–28
 March 14, 2018 9781684151318
Giant Days: Extra Credit Volume One
  • Giant Days: 2016 Holiday Special
  • Giant Days: 2017 Holiday Special
  • "Fridge Raider" (BOOM! Box Mix Tape 2015 short story)
  • "Music Is Important" (BOOM! Box Mix Tape 2016 short story)
 June 13, 2018 9781684152223
Giant Days Volume Eight
  • Giant Days #29–32
 August 15, 2018 9781684152070
Giant Days: Early Registration
  • Giant Days #1–3 (webcomic)
 December, 2018[13] 9781684152650
Giant Days Volume Nine
  • Giant Days #33–36
 February 6, 2019 9781684153107

Hardcovers

TitleMaterial collectedPublication dateISBN
Giant Days: Not on the Test Edition I—Fall Semester
  • Giant Days #1–8
  • Giant Days #1 (webcomic)
  • "Fridge Raider" (BOOM! Box Mix Tape 2015 short story)
 June 28, 2017 9781608869947
Giant Days: Not on the Test Edition II—Winter Semester
  • Giant Days #9–16
  • Giant Days #2 (webcomic)
  • "Music Is Important" (BOOM! Box Mix Tape 2016 short story)
 January 10, 2018 9781684150588
Giant Days: Not on the Test Edition III—Spring Semester
  • Giant Days #17–24
  • Giant Days #3 (webcomic)
 October 31, 2018 9781684152636

References

  1. ↑ John Allison. "New Reader's Guide". Scary Go Round. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  2. 1 2 "2016 Eisner Award Nominees". Comic Con. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  3. 1 2 "2016 HARVEY AWARDS Nominees Announced". Newsarama. 5 July 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  4. ↑ Christine Marie (3 May 2016). ""Giant Days Had A Long Genesis" An Interview With Writer John Allison". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Steve Foxe (18 March 2015). "Giant Days Creator John Allison On Collaboration, Continuity and Quantum Leap". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  6. ↑ "Boom! Studios announces new imprint Boom! Box, an experimental line of titles created just 'for the love of it'". Boom! Studios. 22 November 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Giant Days: How John Allison's Wonderful Series Avoids the Pitfalls of YA Literature". Comic Bastards. 13 June 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  8. ↑ Oliver Sava (24 March 2015). "Howard The Duck is overstuffed; Giant Days and Sleepwalking captivate". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  9. ↑ Oliver Sava (21 August 2015). "Boom! targets female readers with the delightful Giant Days and Power Up". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  10. ↑ Janelle Asselin (15 May 2015). "Thumbnail: In Praise of 'Giant Days' Approach to Internetting". Comics Alliance. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016.
  11. ↑ David Nieves (18 March 2015). "Review: Giant Days "Boy Drama Will Be On The Test"". The Beat. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  12. ↑ "2018 Eisner Awards Nominations". Newsarama. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  13. ↑ Mega, Al. "Giant Days Signs Up for Early Registration". Comic Crusaders. Comic Crusaders. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
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