Giants #1 Review
Dark Horse
Written by Carlos Valderrama
Art by Miguel Valderrama
32 pages $3.99
Solicit: A cataclysm of unknown origins unleashed a race of gigantic monsters whose presence has driven humanity underground. There, two orphans discover that the most dangerous monster is ambition, which unchecked, will grow until it devours you!o An original vision from two powerful new talents!
o The Valderrama Bros. first American work!
Apparently the Valderrama bros are a thing. Somewhere. In the solicit I just read you probably noticed the part where I said “The Valderrama Bros first American work”. Which leads one to believe that the Valderrama Bros have done important work, somewhere. But Dark Horse and the rest of the internet don’t seem to know where. I checked, and I can’t find shit on the Valderrama Bros. I found a Wilmer Valderrama of that 70’s show fame who was hanging out with Joe Jonas last year but I can’t tell you for sure if he’s related. Seriously Dark Horse, tell me something about these guys because they are very, very talented.
The bros drop the reader into a world where humanity lives underground while giant monsters battle above. In the story we meet two orphans who are trying to make a name for themselves stealing something called ambernoir that has value to the gangs of the underworld.
The two orphans are so driven to prove themselves to a gang called the blood wolves that they agree to venture to the surface in search of ambernoir which proves to be much more dangerous than they expected.
The story is very fast paced and does have a lot of future speak, they say ambernoir a lot without explaining what the hell it is, but the world they bros are fleshing our is very compelling. Miguel Valderrama’s art seems like a perfect cross between Jeff Smith of Bone fame and Blade of the Immortal creator Hirokai Samura. There is so much motion and speed in every panel here it’s easy to forget Giants isn’t an animated feature.
I admit I’m an easy mark for anything featuring giant monsters but this was a giant monster story with heart featuring two young ambitious characters in a world they obviously don’t take seriously enough. Giants #1 is the start of what looks to be an amazing story from two very talented creators from somewhere where they previously did something… I assume. Buy it.
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Matt Baum is the producer, co-founder, and co-host of the Two-Headed Nerd Comic Book Podcast. He is short and loves to talk.
