Giant Days, Vol. 1

Giant Days (Single Issues) #1-4

by John Allison, Lissa Treiman (Illustrator)

Susan, Esther, and Daisy started at university three weeks ago and became fast friends. Now, away from home for the first time, all three want to reinvent themselves. But in the face of handwringing boys, “personal experimentation,” influenza, mystery-mold, nu-chauvinism, and the willful, unwanted intrusion of “academia,” they may be lucky just to make it to spring alive. Going off to university is always a time of change and growth, but for Esther, Susan, and Daisy, things are about to get a little weird.

Collects issues #1-4.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, LGBT

112 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2015

About the author

John Allison is the author and artist of the British webcomics Scary Go Round and Bad Machinery.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.

Reviews

[Jesse (JesseTheReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read! Though I did feel it lacked a bit of direction, but it was such an entertaining read.

[karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

i am stunned that i loved this book so much.

seriously - huge props to you people (YOUUUUU PEEEEEOPLE!!) who kept reviewing this book with such praise and pushing it on me and my apologies for not believing you all sooner. the artwork still does nothing for me, and is the reason i stubbornly resisted it for so long, but i fell hard for the characters, the story, and the general energy of this book.

it's funny, it's charming, it features strong female relationships between wildly dissimilar, believable characters, celebrating that phenomenon that occurs during the first year of college (or "university," since this is british), where everyone's a bit unmoored, on their own for the first time, exploring their options, coming into themselves, and friendships don't necessarily have to have common interests or personalities as their foundation - just proximity, basic compatibility, and some sort of spark that bridges differences.



and so begins the story of gothy drama queen esther



homeschooled nerdy daisy



and earnest independent susan



the situations are small, familiar - getting sick in the germ-fest of close quarters



being sexually scrutinized by gross dudes



while still embracing your own sexuality



old rivalries



new love interests



pulling all-nighters



chemical experimentation



it's just … fun. and it reminded me nostalgically of my own distant undergrad days.

leaving the dorm in club gear when nothing else was clean



nosiness about new friends



very dramatic and demanding nosiness about new friends



deflecting that nosiness



and those in-jokes that become recurring themes peppering strong friendships



also, sartorial whimsy



frivolous spending on unnecessary things because of the urgent wanting



which i totally get, because not only do i want those boots like crazy, right now i am desperately trying to talk myself out of this:



and these:



okay, pretty much everything on this page:

http://www.storenvy.com/LaurynG/c/688...

but i digress. back to the "remember college?" stuff

the dramatic tantrums



the academia-inspired metaphors



of course, i am too old for this slang to ring my nostalgia bells



and too american for this



overall, it's smart, full of good-natured teasing and mama-bear protectiveness - both of each other and misguidedly, of wretched birds



and it also covers the peril of 'youthful enthusiasm/idealism' gone too far - when feminism oversteps into misandry or when knee-jerk loyalty to friends leads to unwarranted scolding of a blameless party.

i don't have a favorite character yet - all three of them are appealing in their own way.

daisy for the secret dangerous core to her bubblegum sweetness:



susan for being so impatient and easy to provoke:



and esther for drinking just like drinky crow:





and this guy:



well, both these guys:



i'm digging this, and even though the art hasn't won me over yet, i'm in it for the long run.

thanks, various goodreaders, for showing me the light!

*********************************************
in a world where math always makes sense, this would have gotten four stars. but it gets an extra star for surprising the crap out of me. 'cuz i'd seen this series reviewed favorably all over the goodreads, and it has been recommended to me a number of times, but i'd flipped through it before and completely hated the artwork, which looked like some newspaper comic strip and didn't interest me in the least. but i finally gave it a shot and WOW! i loved the story and the characters, even though i'm still not sold on the art. so - five stars for the shock of liking it so much that i've already read the second volume and once again find myself stuck in that limbo of want and wait.

full review to come.



come to my blog!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This graphic novel was really really fun and cute!
I had a great time reading the adventures of Susan, Esther, and Daisy as they start their university lives.

The incredible friendships with relatable humor, and growing up stories made this storyline extremely enjoyable.


I want more flashbacks!

Definitely going to check out the next volume.

*Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying Giant Days, Vol. 1, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!*


This review and more can be found on my blog.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute, and definitely worth reading if you enjoy slice-of-life comics.



I've been hearing about this for years but it didn't sound like anything that I would enjoy. And to be honest, I actually didn't much enjoy this. It had that hyper-quippy Gillmore Girls feel to it that doesn't do much for me. The characters are young and manic and wacky and adorably confused by their first taste of adulthood, and their problems are silly and over the top.
And while I couldn't wait to be done with them, I know that it's just a personal preference on my part that has nothing to do with the storytelling.



If this sounds like something you'd like, I would 100% recommend checking this out.
However, if you think the premise sounds like nails on a chalkboard and would maybe only pick it up because of all the 4 and 5 star reviews?
Listen to your gut.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely a great slice of life comic book! I don't know what I was expecting in terms of the plot line, but for some reason just reading about the characters proved to be extremely interesting and I really did enjoy it.

It's been a while since I've read a comic book that focused on the development of average college students or just the development of friendship among young adults so I really appreciated that aspect of the story. Looking at all three of our main characters, I would probably have to say that Esther is my favorite character. She has a dark/goth outer appearance, but she also has this sense of humor and light characteristics about her that I really enjoyed. She seems to me to be the balance of the group of friends and I appreciate that. She also comes off as the type of friend that you can talk to about anything without the fear of being judged.

This book does contain some LGBT themes which I thoroughly enjoyed. I won't go into much detail because I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but it was definitely unexpected and I'm glad that it is proving to be a part of the character development.

Overall I think that this was a great bind up of the first four issues and I already have the next volume checked out on my kindle to read as soon as I get a chance.

[Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read 4/10/18: Man I have been absolutely blowing through graphic novels on my lunch break now that I’ve started getting them on hoopla and don’t have to remember to bring them with me. Anywhoo, this was cuter than I remembered and I’m excited to carry on with the series again!

Original read 6/28/18: This was okay! I feel like I might start to enjoy it more as the series goes on. Here's hoping

[Lindsey Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHY IS THIS OVER???? WHYYYYYYYY? HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO WAIT FOR VOLUME 2??? I LOVED THIS SO FREAKING MUCH!!! NEW FAVORITE GRAPHIC NOVEL SERIES AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this graphic novel!! I want the whole collection now!



Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

How did I not read this until now? It is fantastic. Oh yeah, I tried to read Bad Machinery first (which has a lot of problems.)

The story revolves around 3 college freshmen (Esther, Daisy, and Susan) who live next door to one another with a couple of other supporting characters, Ed and McGraw. The stories are all of your typical college experiences, turning old enough to drink, everyone getting sick, going to your first college party, etc. Sounds mundane but the characters are so fully realized and fun you can't wait to read more.

Highly recommended for fans of Mark Waid's Archie book or fans of Terry Moore.

[Riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. The characters were fun and I can see it getting much better in future volumes. But the plot seemed to have a strange flow.

[carol. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Underwhelming, given the rave reviews. Mildly diverting.

Art is reminiscent of the delightful Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy, which is probably what tempted me, along with the buzz. Storyline, however, is strictly mundane. Though it centers on three young British women meeting as college roomies, all their obstacles are mundane. There's a bout with influenza, a sexist social media site (hello, proto-facebook!) and celebrate an 18th birthday by drinking. Ester is a goth, Daisy is a home-schooled naif, and Susan a cynical intellectual. Surprisingly, all are white. It's cute, and parts are funny, particularly when they each navigate having the flu in their own ways. It's entertaining but partially based on Britishisms that may not entirely translate wood pigeons, Polish pep pills.

Also, for those who might be triggered, on two different occasions, some of the humor is based on the naif being high.

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vol 1: ★★★★☆
Vol. 2: ★★★★★
Vol. 3: ★★★★★
Vol. 4: ★★★★★
Vol. 5: ★★★★★
Vol. 6: ★★★★★
Vol. 7: ★★★★★
Vol. 8: ★★★★★
Vol. 9: ★★★★★
Vol. 10: ★★★★★

I've been meaning to read Giant Days forever, and I'm so glad I finally picked up the series! It's not often that I get into contemporary graphic novels, but this is an exception worth making. The characters are lively and fun (especially Esther, who is naturally my little goth heart's fave), there's a healthy mix of diversity thrown into the cast, and the storyline is engaging while even being just a little bit suspenseful.

[R.K. Gold · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

It was a really cute read in a low stakes world set in Britain. Follows three girls—Esther, Susan, and Daisy. They’re flat mates navigating university life together.

As the volume progressed we dove a little more into the character’s backstories (mostly Susan who broke the 4th wall before her flashback)

Had a couple moments when it felt a little degrassi, not in a bad way, just not subtle at all—but since it’s touching on real topics of conversation I can see this work finding its way into the hands of someone who really needs it, who is maybe feeling a bit like an outcast.

I feel like most people will be able to identify to at least one of the three main characters.

I’m going to end this review here before I dive into spoilers.

[Andy Marr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm knocking this down to a three-star rating. I originally gave it four, but having now read a further ten volumes, it's easy to pick this out as one of the weakest in the series. Like its counterparts, it contains lashings and lashings of teen angst and silly melodrama, which is precisely right, given the story and setting. However, the series doesn't really kick off until mid-way through volume 2, when Max Sarin takes over from Lissa Treiman as artist-in-chief.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giant Days follows three first year students at university: Daisy, home-schooled and naive, the youngest of the group; Esther, a Goth chick who looks identical to Nemi and is getting over her recent breakup with her high-school boyfriend; and Susan, the mother of the group and a med student. In this first book, they get sick, deal with obnoxious lad students running an offensive website, and celebrate Daisy’s 18th.

Ok, first of all, I am a foolish fool for not listening to everyone who told me this comic is fantastic - Giant Days IS bloody brilliant, I shouldn’t have taken so long to check it out! In my defence I read John Allison’s earlier comic, Bad Machinery, which was ok but not great so I wasn’t sure if Giant Days would be more of that. My problems with Bad Machinery were that the dialogue was too grown-up and witty for the characters who were 12/13 years old, and the stories had this contrived and precious Scooby-Doo-esque quality to them. But Allison could undeniably write really well, it was just a matter of finding the right setup for his style - and he’s found it with this series.

Giant Days is an improvement over Bad Machinery because the dialogue now fits the characters’ ages - 18 and up - and Allison’s abandoned silly murder mysteries involving football teams for stories naturally suited to the characters. On paper the stories in this first volume sound mundane - getting ill, having a party, love stuff - except Allison’s treatment of them is anything but, showing that he just needs to let the characters be themselves to make the narrative their own rather than forcing them into something that feels artificial.

Tonally, and maybe a little bit with the sometimes over-dramatic presentation, Giant Days is very similar to that other modern masterpiece, Scott Pilgrim, with the characters occasionally breaking the fourth wall/referencing the fact they’re in a narrative (“Flashback! Flashback! Flashback!”). The dialogue is breezy and effervescent and the charming cast are enormously likeable, even the supporting characters like the practical and moustachioed McGraw, and Ed, the everyman, who secretly loves Esther.

Allison juggles numerous storylines at once so you’re never bored: he sows the mystery of Susan and McGraw’s fraught past while Daisy becomes the surrogate mother of Gordon the woodpigeon’s offspring; Susan’s satirical misandrist publication, Femmist, begins to be taken seriously as Esther hallucinates a room of Santeria priests while in a fever and Daisy experiences her first rave. There’s too much to mention but I loved it all and everything effortlessly fits in with the campus backdrop. It reads like Spaced set on a uni campus!

Lissa Treiman’s art is wonderfully expressive and gorgeous to behold, all the while selling Allison’s jokes and visually matching the playful humour perfectly. She’s a storyboard artist at Disney whose credits include Wreck-It Ralph and Big Hero 6 so, while this is her first comic, it’s no surprise how well she handles the medium. Whitney Cogar’s colours too are so beautiful and delightfully complements Treiman’s pages.

Giant Days is a fun, clever, witty, and effortlessly enthralling read that I blew through in a single sitting and closed it wanting more - in other words, it’s a first-rate comic. The creative team are at the top of their game and it’s pure joy to experience. Don’t be like me and put this off - believe the hype, Giant Days is all that!

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

reread feb '18
STILL FREAKING LOVE THIS SERIES. now that I've reread vol 1 i can read the rest of the volumes and catch up!

-----------------------

THIS WAS FRIGGIN ADORABLE AND HILARIOUS. Do you love lady friendship, smart humor, diversity, and coming of age stories? THEN READ THIS. This sort of gave me the same feeling when I read Fangirl. This follows three friends who are in their first year of university. It's relatable and hilarious. I neeeeeeeeed the second volume NOW. I'm even considering getting the single issues!

[Warda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so much fun to read!!!
I need the next one.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a find! This book was fun. It took me back to my university days- New friends, weird situations, interesting friends and absurdities. I enjoy the characters and the energy the art conveys. I did find it interesting that when they went to class it was mostly empty; we used to go to class in my day. Attendance was a mandatory thing.

There is still so much to explore here. I feel like we only met our characters and I am wanting to know more and more and more. Susan, Ester, and Daisy make a great 3's couple. I can't wait to see where this goes. It has to be a dance and it can only be good.

I'm glad to have found this book. I'll keep reading more of this.

[demi. ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

❥ 3.5 / 5 stars

[Hamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found @The Book Prescription

Giant Days Vol 1 was a surprisingly good comic! I like that the setting is in a university and the 3 MC are girls who are relatable. This was funny and had good drawing style and it is easy to read. I don’t know where it is moving though but future volumes will decide! This is more of a NA type of comics for uni students! Yay 😀

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Words cannot express how much I love this book!

Well, maybe they can and I should stop being so lazy.

I'm a long time reader of John Allison's webcomics so I was delighted to see his work enter a different arena in the form of the 20 page comicbook. Allison's quirky sense of humour is well represented here, even if he's chosen to lose the paranormal elements of his webcomics. I love all the characters and the mostly done-in-one-issue stories are charming and very funny. If you've never read Allison's webcomics, don't worry; while these issues do contain characters from his earlier work, you don't need any prior knowledge as these stories stand alone and introduce the characters to new readers really well.

The real revelation of this book for me is Lissa Treiman's wonderful artwork! I was initially sceptical when I first found out Allison wasn't also providing the artwork for this series but as soon as I copped a load of Treiman's superb cartooning all my doubts evaporated like dewdrops on Mercury! By the end of this first volume she had become one of my favourite artists and I'm sure I'll track down her other work.

The best news is that this book has proved so popular that the original six issue run has been extended to twice that length! YEEEESSSSS!!!

A-hem. As you were.

[Kai Spellmeier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giant Days was fun and sarcastic and very cute. I'll make sure to get hold of the next volumes!

Find more of my books on Instagram

[ally]

i giggled so much!

big saturday morning cartoons energy 🎈

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kept seeing this everywhere so I decided to try it out on Hoopla. Three college students, making their way in the world. I had a home-schooled girl in my freshman friend trio too, so I think I found a few shared experiences. I can see sitting and reading all of these the same way I might binge on tv show on Netflix, light but enjoyable.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

First volume (collecting the first 4 issues) of a series about Susan, Esther, and Daisy starting university in the U.K.. It's a very British comic, I am told, but I have to say aside from a bit of language and cultural refs this feels like three white girls going to college, pretty much anywhere. Which is to say it will be immensely popular with the high school girl crowd. The tone is pretty manic but not much really happens.

These girls get to be friends because they are in the same dorm. An old boyfriend surfaces who will be a regular character, clearly. There's a sexist social media site they protest. They get the flu, there are boys hovering, birthday over-drinking, and so on. They are all different and likable, and the dialogue from Allison is really well done. Lissa Treiman does a pretty great job with the illustrations, too.

Okay, I like it just fine, but not yet up to Paul's raving 5 star review!

[Magdalena Miękińska (getbooky) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zmieniłam na 5 gwiazdek, bo z czasem uwielbiam to coraz bardziej 😋

[Jan Philipzig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky, charming, likable, humorous portrayal of university life targeted at the high-school crowd (I think). Trying to establish themselves in their new environment, our three female protagonists have to deal with mysterious but affordable Polish flu medication, "lad culture" (read: the latest forms of chauvinism), and the good old stuffiness of "academia." Nothing earth-shattering, but enjoyable enough.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so at first I was reading this and it was enjoyable, but I'm thinking, "I don't get the fuss." And then I read like, three more pages, and I was in love. Whoops.

Giant Days follows three college freshmen, Susan, Esther and Daisy. As the comic starts, they've been in school only about three weeks and have made fast friends with one another. Susan is our narrator. She's smart and feministy and has a temper. Esther is very pale, pretty and "practically consumptive." Daisy and Susan are constantly teasing her (good-naturedly) about her flair for drama. Daisy is a little bit naive, but isn't a prude, and isn't afraid to try new things. They are all very funny.



One of the best things about the comic is that within the span of a few pages, you know these characters absurdly well. It's also a very well-done college story. It walks the fine balance of putting the girls in familiar situations that you might remember from your own college days (or that you are currently living, you dang youngins)--getting sick at the same time, milestone birthdays, or making bets with your friends over very dumb things--and upping the ante on those situations to make them interesting stories to read about. If someone illustrated my college days, nobody would buy it.

I'm not exactly sure what the phrase "giant days" is referring to, but what this comic reminded me most strongly of is the feeling of those rare friendships you can only seem to find in places like college, where very dissimilar people are forced together for long periods of time and end up forming lifelong bonds. The very first issue even opens up with the girls laying around, wondering if they ever would have been friends in another situation.



I also want to shout out to my favorite character, McGraw, Susan's nemesis, who is very tall and has a moustache that makes him look he just walked straight out of the 1970s. Even while Susan is busy hating him (for mysterious reasons,) I find him extremely lovable. Actually, I find them all lovable, so now I will stop writing this review and go read Vol. 2.

[4.5 stars]

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been years since I've last read a graphic novel but I'd heard great things about the Giant Days series, so I thought I'd check it out and I really enjoyed the first volume. It was such a quick and fun read and I also really liked the art in it. I will definitely continue with the second volume of this series and I think I'll generally try to start reading more graphic novels in the future.

instagram || my blog || twitter

[AleJandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 College Life STARS



Primer Novela Grafica New Adult que leo, aunque el tono de la historia es bastante adolescente.
No que me queje, la verdad es que es un libro muy divertido.

La historia sigue las andanzas de tres jóvenes que están empezando College. Lo nuevo que es vivir de forma independiente y todo lo que esto conlleva.

Mi parte favorita:
Cuando nos muestran cuando están enfermas, las 3 enfrentan la enfermedad de forma diferente, pero muy divertida. Me sentí super identificada, no importa que seas una mujer adulta, independiente, capaz de conquistar al mundo, cuando se está enferma, lo único que se quiere es que tu mami te apapache y te haga una sopita.



Lo que menos me gusto:
Una de nuestras queridas protagonistas es puesta en una lista en internet donde se califican a las mujeres por su físico y lo atractivas que son. La pobre solo va a una fiesta a bailar un rato y termina siendo señalada y calificada como si fuera un pedazo de carne. Lo que realmente me molesto es que la chica trata de hacer lo correcto y habla con el rector, pero este le dice que no es tan grave y que no se puede hacer nada al respecto. Al final todo se resuelve de forma chistosa, y si entiendo es un libro para reír, pero al ser este un problema tan real y asquéante, yo esperaba otro desenlace.



En conclusión: Una excelente Novela gráfica, con historia entretenida y gráficos geniales. Para reír mucho.