Giant Days #47
It’s time for Daisy to get her driver’s license, but she may not really be a natural behind the wheel. Can she overcome her nerves to become the ultimate motorist, and (for everyone’s safety) should she be allowed to?
Giant Days #47 is the latest comic in John Allison’s Giant Days series, from BOOM! Studios’ imprint company, BOOM! Box. This time, the eccentric teen Daisy is attempting to get her drivers licence, while her close friends Dean and Esther are on their own adventure trying to hide their adorable new troublesome friend from everyone so they don’t get kicked out of their place. Going into the comic, I had never read any of the other Giant Days comics, so the chances of me being lost were high. However, this adventurous tale was easy to follow. The characters were seamlessly introduced, making me feel as if they were a few of my closest pals. With amazing writers and artists such as John Allison, Max Sarin, and the BOOM! Box team, this playful adventure tale is destined to be a hit.
A lot of comics today use a massive amount of dialogue and art on each page to compensate for lack of an actual story. Often, creators make short stories that drag on, but as expected with anything from BOOM! Studios creation, this was not the case, and it did not disappoint. This time, Allison created a brief adventure of excitement, humor, and a bit of intrigue. For me, one of the key elements of a great comic is when character’s dialogue and actions seamlessly progress the storyline, rather than relying on narration. When the characters are acting out and explaining what is going on, it feels natural, as if we are getting an exclusive sneak peek into the lives our relatable, fun going characters. When writers have the narrators or characters directly explain what is going on, it drives me insane, but when amazing writers like Allison take the wheel, this is not a concern. Coming from the author of By Night, there is no question that this will be BOOM! Studios next smash hit.
As in any BOOM! Box comic, the art is fantastic and brings the amazing storyline to life, making us feel once again like we are living in the character’s lives. We get an inside look at their ideas and actions, watching the events following unfold. The simplistic style of art fits well with the simplistic nature of the storyline, along with the style of writing. The whole comic is a cohesive, fun story that allows the reader to step into the shoes of a relatable teenage girl and her band of friends. The use of shading is often misused and/or overused in comics today, but the almost retro style of illustration allows the reader to flow from one scene to the next seamlessly. Whitney Cogar did a fantastic job with the use of a flat animation style and flowy color scheme throughout the comic, overall giving the reader a happy vibe. It draws the reader’s eye away from the simplistic background, bringing them toward the characters and their actions. This technique is found in many of BOOM! Studios comics, and I believe it is one of the reasons why their comics are such a success, and I think that this one with be no different.
Teens today enjoy short comics that are easy to pick up and set down, presenting simple, yet humorous storyline that is sure to please many. The art does a fantastic job of capturing the mood of the story, and once again the BOOM! Box team did a fantastic job and pulled together another masterpiece!
