We Called Them Giants is an upcoming graphic novel written by Kieron Gillen (The Wicked + The Divine) with lusciously painted pages by artist Stephanie Hans. The duo previously worked together on the "Goth Jumanji" comic book series (and tabletop roleplaying game) DIE, which is very much worth reading on its own.
But We Called Them Giants is another beast entirely, and one that's been haunting me since I first read it back in June (the book isn't out until November). Here's the official synopsis:
A poignant, romantic, and devastating story of a young girl who wakes up to find her world has turned upside down.
Lori wakes to find the streets empty. Everyone has gone. Or at least, nearly everyone. She's thrown into a world where she has to scrape by in the ruins of civilization, nearly starving, hiding from gangs when …
They arrive.
The award-winning team behind dark fantasy smash DIE release their first stand alone original graphic novel.
As you might guess, the "they" referred to in that blurb are the titular Giants, or whatever they are. Of course, what exactly they are is a mystery that carries through the story. That's part of the cleverness of We Called Them Giants—it starts with some simple characters and two huge mysteries to carry you through. But by the end of the book, you'll find yourself more invested in the people than the mystery and your own relationship with the giants that surround you—and that's truly the mark of a good story.
There's something almost stereotypical about the "Angsty Orphaned Teenager" as the entry point into a more fantastical world; I'll admit, it even made me roll my eyes when I first opened the book. However, Kieron Gillen has repeatedly proven himself to be a thoughtful and deliberate writer with a rich understanding of tropes and narrative subversions. And indeed, Lori proves herself to be the right character to carry this particular tale and one whose formative experiences deeply resonate with the world around with—whether it's empty or full of giants.
(Comparisons to The Iron Giant will be inevitable, thanks to the shared giants of their respective titles; and that's not inaccurate, but also doesn't encompass the scope of We Called Them Giants, which is both more teenage or more reflective adult.)
In that way—and many others—We Called Them Giants has all the trappings of a classic young adult fantasy film from the 80s or 90s. Unlike most of those movies, however, this one holds up into adulthood and might even become more impactful as you revisit it later in life.
That movie-like feel is helped by the fact that the book is being released as a completed graphic novel instead of being released in serialized installments to be later collected as a single edition, like most Western comic books. It's a weirdly radical publishing choice, but it pays off. Telling this story as 3 or 4 episodic issues might give it more marketing time on the shelves. Still, it would be difficult to pace the story's slow burn in a way that made each of those installments individually valuable—not without ruining the quiet (or maybe serenely creepy?) atmosphere that makes the story so powerful.
We Called Them Giants hits stores on November 12, 2024—but in the meantime, here's a sneak peek (with permission) of a few pages from later in the book. Juxtapose these pages with the quiet opening scene above, and you'll understand what I mean about the epic fantasy film scope of the story.
Mild spoiler alert: there will be giants.
We Called Them Giants [Kieron Gillen & Stephanie Hans / Image Comics]
