In Giant Days #4, our girl Daisy has just turned 18 and can now legally drink! It’s well worth celebrating, but things go a little too far, as they tend to do when these three are involved. Also, Esther’s got some new boots that deserve a shout-out. Daisy’s been hanging out with her new lady friend, and Esther and Susan aren’t really sure what to think of her. They’re pretty parental toward Daisy, and it particularly shows in this issue. Esther fusses over her more than Susan, but they both show protectiveness over her, and it’s completely charming.
I don’t think I’ve brought this up yet, so I’ll highlight it now- there’s a decently diverse cast of background characters, which is both appreciated and important. Plus, all the people dress like real people, which is something I’m personally picky about.
So. Daisy and her lady friend celebrate, and Daisy ends up incredibly high. I would say “high as a kite” but she’s higher than that. Nadia- the lady friend- leaves her in Esther and Susan’s care just in time for a surprise visit from Granny. The solution? “Get her under a freezing cold shower like in… the movies.” Esther is brilliant and that line was hilarious. (Esther has a lot of great lines in this one, actually.)
Susan and McGraw’s rivalry comes to a head due to Susan’s “femmist” zine, which depicted McGraw as a misogynist. He’s getting a lot of flak from it, thanks to a couple of thirteen-year-old girls. Esther pesters Susan enough that she finally reveals (via flashback) the reason for her hatred of McGraw. It’s so perfectly Susan and its kind of endearing-- she doesn’t know how to deal with her feelings like a normal person (these three being the most melodramatic ever) so she channels them into hatred toward McGraw. But it looks like they may be working toward patching things up, or at least getting on speaking terms rather than angry-punchy terms. I’m loving Susan and McGraw, and watching the weirdness progress has been truly entertaining.
More than anything else, seeing these three interact-- whether as a trio or in one-on-ones-- is thoroughly enjoyable. It’s clear that they all really care for each other and have a fast though strong friendship. They balance each other well, but they also tend to egg each other on with their similar, larger-than-life personalities. Even the stoic McGraw is revealing himself to be just as dramatic as our leads.
There’s so much I love about this comic. The friendship, the diverse characters, the dialogue, the humor and one-liners, the ordinary situations that turn absurd all too quickly… it’s just all-around wonderful, and above all else, it’s plain fun.
Score: 4/5
Giant Days #4 Writer: John Allison Artist: Lissa Treiman Colorist: Whitney Cogar Publisher: BOOM!/Boom Box Price: $3.99 Release Date: 6/17/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital