Our girls are mostly recovered from the last issue, and things are getting back to normal- or, their version of normal. Daisy’s made friends with a pigeon while Susan and Esther dance their troubles away at a med students’ mixer, despite not being med students themselves. Later, Ed discovers “Bantserve,” a website made for the casual misogynist. It features a “fresh meat” list of the top 25 fittest firsties, and our Esther is number three. In the last issue we saw Esther dress full Gothic when she went out on a mission (said mission ended rather badly but that’s largely the flu’s fault). This time, she goes full professional, with a tie and all. The mission still doesn’t end as planned, but this time it’s age-old sexism and ignorance at fault.
After the attempt to “go through the proper channels” fails to work, Susan takes it upon herself to settle this. The boys behind Bantserve have started a pledge drive, where the biggest donors will receive the phone numbers of the top ten “fresh meat” girls, so things are getting pretty desparate. Susan goes stealth-mode, first going through the “Bantserve” boys’ garbage, then later lending a sympathetic ear to their punching bag. It’s really all she needs to set the ultimate punishment on these fellas: informing their mothers.
I found myself really looking forward to reading #3, and once again, Giant Days delivers. The witty dialogue and the quick one-liners had me grinning from start to finish. The characters are engaging and entertaining; Susan, Esther, and Daisy each have such distinct personalities, but they mesh so well, and all share that same sense of melodrama that we’ve come to love and expect from this series. It’s difficult to choose a favorite character, as each one is important and utterly darling. They work well both individually and as a unit, which is a mark of how well-written and well thought-out these characters and their relationships are. Kudos, John Allison.
Then there are the guys on the side: Ed, who’s a friend, and McGraw, who’s a nemesis. My favorite line in this issue comes from McGraw: “My blood… is beginning to boil…” McGraw is such a poised and reserved character compared to Susan and the others, and that line from a serious and deliberate character was inordinately hilarious to me. It’s hard to choose a single favorite moment or quote from this series, but McGraw managed to clinch it this time.
This comic is absolutely delightful, the stories are both amusing and realistic, the characters relatable and endearing. I hope the last couple pages of this issue mean we get more of Daisy in #4; she was a bit sidelined in this one. If you’re looking for a light, funny read, pick this up. Giant Days doesn’t disappoint.
Score: 4/5
Giant Days #3 Writer: John Allison Artist: Lissa Treiman Colorist: Whitney Cogar Publisher: BOOM!/Boom Box Price: $3.99 Release Date: 5/13/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital