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Hello, friends! Have you heard the word? No, it’s not “bird,” you brain-addled madperson, it’s “brilliant” or “fun” or “stellar”–fine, fine, that’s plenty of words. All of them, however, are perfect in encapsulating every single volume of Giant Days I’ve read thus far; the fourth volume is no exception.
This volume opens up with the fall-back of last one: Esther has decided to drop out of school following the unhappy, challenging close of her first semester. Daisy ain’t happy with that, no sirree! What does our peppy wee lass do, then? (What accent am I even going for?!) She buys the first train ticket to Esther De Groot’s home town and runs into–who else–but Susan! There really is only one way to deal with Esther’s momentary (read: constant) madness, and Susan has the right of it:
Do they succeed? Do they fail? FIND OUT IN TH—of course they succeed. It’s about the university experiences of these three, not about Esther’s stint in Baker Max:
…No matter how enthusing a lifestyle such as this might seem. Esther’s enjoyment, you’ll agree, speaks volumes. But this issue does plenty more–it’s a homecoming for Esther, who comes to realize what all of us (at least those of us who are well-adjusted): life moves on even when we’re not around. She is able to learn this through a few characters we’ve heard mention of in previous volumes, but never seen, such as Esther’s ex, Eustace, and her best friend from highschool, Sarah. The way their lives have changed, their relationships evolved, it shows Esther she would be back-sliding if she were to give up and come home. It really is well done.
Though some of those scenes get heated up, I count this issue among the most important ones for Esther thus far–and I think it does a great job of striking a tone of comedy that strikes close to home at all times.
Even better is the issue in which Esther goes loco for a cookoo film student with great ambitions and the corniest science fiction ideas you’ve ever imagined. You’ve seen the type–I’ve even worked with an author or two that would make for wonderful analogy to this here writer-director-star.
It’s pretty hilarious how far Esther is willing to go for some. For their part, Susan and Daisy also decide to make a movie in the hopes of earning a good wad of cash:
Daisy’s face here is priceless, I reckon, and Susan’s slyness is a life style, as the kids say.*
The dialogue is snappy and laugh-out-loud funny, as it always is. Esther is the goth queen of my heart, and Daisy and Susan have claimed possession, by now, of as much of my heart as she has, in their own dorky ways. Daisy in particular, does not fail to elicit a laugh out of me. Reading Giant Days remains one of my favourite activities, and as 2020 comes to a close, I think I might permit myself a very serious binge of the remaining volumes on Comixology Unlimited. I will, of course, continue to share my thoughts with you all.
Oh, and the art? As brilliant as ever. I cannot overstate the quality of the work Max Sarin continues to provide for this series.
Also, have this panel, entirely without context:
You’re welcome!
*No kid has ever said this. A kid would undeniably say something crass, such as “mood, biatch!” Or so, at least, my limited exposure to Tik Tok has led me to believe.
The Grimoire Reliquary 