WOTN Review: Giant Days: As Time Goes By #1 (Boom! Box)

Time to Say Goodbye in Giant Days: As Time Goes By #1

It’s hard to believe that the time has finally come, but Giant Days is at an end as of this week. Giant Days: As Time Goes By #1 is the final issue in the series, giving us a fond farewell to the characters we’ve spent years growing to know and love.

Following Daisy, Esther, and Susan on their college journeys has been a blast. Yet it was inevitable that the series would end eventually. After all, they weren’t going to stay in college forever. That sounds like a special form of torture for these three.

This final issue of the series gives us a chance to say goodbye. And as the title sort of hints at, it involves a gap in time. This is a story of our girls a year after Esther and Daisy graduated (Susan still has a long slog ahead of her, thanks to her chosen degree). It’s nice to get a chance to see what their future outside of school will look like.

Giant Days: As Time Goes By #1 is one of the series’ larger issues, which is a huge relief. Any extra page given to us about our leading ladies feels like a treasure. And we’re not going to waste a moment of that time.

Writing

Giant Days: As Time Goes By #1 may have been the finale of the series, but John Allison made a point of doing something more with the plot. This is not simply a bitter-sweet tale of goodbyes. No, this is Giant Days we’re talking about. And it just wouldn’t be the same without our trio getting one final hurrah in.

And that means there’s a certain amount of chaos to be found within these pages. You know the sort of trouble these three can get into. Now imagine what trouble they can get into when two of them are out of school (and the third is desperately looking forward to that freedom). Yeah, there’s a lot they could get into, right?

There is a lot to be said about this issue. It was fun seeing our three girls in their chosen career paths and getting a glimpse or two of McGraw and Ed. But it was more than that as well. There were some comical moments, of course. Susan’s plot, in particular, is worthy of a chuckle or two (yet is so perfectly Susan).

This issue covered some heavier subjects, such as the need to reach out to your support system – no matter what. It was touching and heartwarming. And okay, it was, in fact, a bitter-sweet conclusion. But I still maintain that there was still so much more to be found within this issue.

Art

Giant Days: As Time Goes By #1 brought us the classic looks and style we’ve gotten used to over the years. While the characters may have changed a bit (it has been a year, after all), they’re still clearly our girls.

Max Sarin has always had a way of drawing characters, especially regarding facial expressions. And let’s be honest here – Esther is a lady of many expressions, as are her friends. So that was no mean feat.

Meanwhile, Whitney Cogar’s colors were absolute perfection. Even the most casual background is brought to life with the color palette Cogar includes. Altering the tones of flashbacks (usually just a panel or two here and there) was an intelligent choice as well. And then there was the lettering, provided by Jim Campbell. And it’s no surprise that his work is exemplary.

Conclusion

It’s sad to have to say goodbye to a beloved series. But at least Giant Days: As Time Goes By #1 made it a bit more bearable by giving the characters the send-off they all deserved. And okay, it does help to know that John Allison has already started a new project (Steeple).

Giant Days was a fantastic series while it lasted. For many, it permanently altered their expressions and preconceptions of what makes a comic book. For the rest of us? We simply enjoyed the charming adventures of Daisy, Esther, and Susan. And it’s not something we’ll forget any time soon.

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.

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