Thanks to NetGalley for providing a review copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

We Called Them Giants by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans sees the creative superteam behind the critically acclaimed DIE comic series reunite for a new standalone graphic novel.

This ambitious story detailing the fallout of a rapture-like event on Earth struggles to deploy the kind of narrative or character-based hook that tends to be a trademark of GIllen’s work. Equally, this very human-scale story with minimal fantastical elements (giant robots aside) doesn’t seem to play to the strengths of Hans’ gorgeous art. Any potential scope for a sweeping grand narrative is curtailed by the storyline’s very brief page count. It sadly feels overall like a missed opportunity.

For fans of this concept who’d like to see it pushed further, I recommend August Kitko and the Mechas from Space by Alex White.

We Called Them Giants has a super cool concept, and some beautiful panels in its 96 pages. However, for me personally, it was nothing more than that. The story of found family wasn't nearly enough thought out, and it didn't help nothing else was either. There is no explanation for anything and most of time I wouldn't care but this is one of those stories that needed it. Even if just a little bit. Once the story picked up pace it was over.

I feel like if it had another 100ish pages to fully flush everything out I could truly love it.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this. The cover is what drew me in but the art style was spot on!! It was a short interesting read. I liked the story but would've loved more to it. I will definitely be looking into more reads from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me with the ARC!

We Called Them Giants is an apocalyptic story that focuses on the emotional introspective of protagonist Lori, with watercolour illustrations introducing a dreamlike state, matching the sci-fi nature of the plot. While the illustrations were excellent, I felt that the story moved too fast and missed opportunities to explore the intriguing concepts it introduced. So, the story would have benefited from being longer.

So I really enjoyed this short graphic novel. I thought the illustrations were beautiful and I enjoyed the concept that not everything is as it seems. The red giant was so lovely and I loved watching our main female character slowly warm up to them, unfortunately it was a little too late.

I wish that this story was longer so there was more sustenance because it felt like it was rushed. I feel like it could have benefitted from being another 100 pages to thicken the plot and world building. It left me wanting more

Sure, the plot might feel a little eerie and the story too short compared to any SFF/post-apocalyptic comic, but this reads more like a parable, and a wonderful one, with that hurt kid that is Lori at its centre.
Stephanie Hans's art is stunning. 100 out of 5 stars. The colours complimented the atmosphere perfectly, this definitely was a pure work of art, and it was extremely hard not to be drawn into the book like some kind of magic.

We Called Them Giants is a beautiful story with each page giving a rich atmosphere and is immediately engaging. A mere 6 pages in and I was hooked, I loved the character of Lori (being cynical and logical) paired with Annette (being hopeful and optimistic) and how both ended up impacting the other.

I thank NetGalley and Image Comics for the eArc and definitely recommend checking this graphic novel out!

Very good artwork, development of character and world, and story of those left alone on a world where (no reason given) most people disappear, Survival, trust and avoidance of others is thrown into focus by the giants.

I get that other reviewers say they would have like more (possibly to come), though for me as a stand-along portrayal of people in those circumstances and how they deal with it, further exposition can be unncessary.

Thank you to NetGalley and Image comics for the advance reader copy..

This was a quick read and drawn really nicely,
I would have liked a little more from it in terms of story and development but I feel like this would be good for those wanting to get into comics/graphic novels due to the length.

This YA post-apocalyptic comic book is beautifully coloured and a fast read.
I think I had expected a little more from it, especially after watching the full Attack on Titan - but that might have been pilling unfair expectations on a younger comic's first volume.
The story is pretty similar to other typical post-apocalyptic teen works - making it less grim than most adult fiction touching that genre, and could have been much more powerful if it didn't entirely rely on narration.
Narration, unless the voice is extraordinary and manages to pull new meaning out of the images than what most people would see, is redundant and annoying in comics just as much as in movies.
I would have enjoyed this a lot more if most of the words had been stripped out.

We Called Them Giants is a gorgeous and odd story about a girl who has to survive after of a majority of the human population vanishes without a trace. Our main character is prickly and standoffish to begin with, but we slowly see her attach herself to others and learn to trust and carve out a life worth defending. Without dipping too far into spoilers, I will say that the supernatural aspects of this comic are very well done, odd and unique, and kept me thoroughly engaged. there is plenty here to keep a reader entertained to the last page.

The art in We Called Them Giants is fantastic; several scenes are print-worthy.

My initial impression was similar to other readers. The story seemed slight, character development could've been expanded. After a reread and some reflection, I mostly changed my mind. There is just enough here to get the point across.

The mystery surrounding the giants - what they are, where they're from - was a good choice.

The initial "weird-ass rapture" (in Lori's words) seems to connect with some later narration, suggesting this is a deliberate reference to... I'd rather not say. Maybe I'm imagining it.

Overall, a warm, enjoyable tale.

Early access courtesy of Image & NetGalley.

Before I get into the review, a quick thanks to NetGalley and the publishers over at Image Comics for giving me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. We Called Them Giants is a comic following Lori after a rapture of sorts . She woke up one day to find nearly everyone in the world gone. She teams up with a classmate who is also left behind and they attempt to scavenge for food, to fight against a local gang for resources, and to stay warm enough to survive. Suddenly, a huge blast of light from the sky has them wondering what’s going on? And how will they survive this new challenge? We Called Them Giants comes out on November 12th and is available for preorder now.

I found the characters in this one so relatable despite the fact that this is intensely focused on plot. I didn’t love how little time we had for world building and character development but I acknowledge that this is just how it works in comics and some graphic novels. I loved the art style for this one as well. I really want to look up this illustrator to see if there’s anything else of theirs I might want to read. It was so beautiful and so well done. I would have loved an answer for the questions that are brought to the front in this comic, but we do get a conclusion of sorts that I can live with.

Overall, I think this is great for Sci-Fi and Fantasy fans. Maybe people like me who sort of miss the dystopian novels of the past as well. Also, if you like well drawn comics, you’ll enjoy this one so much.

Beautiful art work. Comic design great story and enjoyable. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Ugh this tugged at my heart strings like I wasn't expecting. This is a fun and interesting scifi story about, seemingly the end of the world, and these two teenage girls who find themselves in survival mode together when two giants descend upon their world.

The giants were so interesting to learn about and the realization at the end with the red giant only wanting to protect what it loved absolutely gutted me. This is a great story about communication, community and found family, and love. I highly recommend.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

WHAT THE HELL. THAT MADE ME SO SAD. I LOVED RED. AHHH HE DIDNT' DESERVE THAT. I hope this isn't the end of the story because the concept is really cool. I enjoyed the almost rapture like nature of everyone disappearing and how Lori was able to find two really good people to spend her time with. The Giants were interesting as well. I was curious as to what they were doing and why and hoped the girls would find out but they didn't... Then Red and Green died and it was EVEN SADDER. I didn't expect that for this story. It seemed like Lori was also jsut recounting everything to us after it had happened. I truly hope there more of this in the future!

So the reason I applied for this ARC is genuinely because the cover looked GORGEOUS and I've really been enjoying reading graphic novels. Friends this one did not disappoint. Just like the cover, the artwork throughout this story was absolutely beautiful and made all of the little moments throughout the story amazing to read. I read this in one sitting as it was such a short story (the ARC was 106 pages long) and it just captivated me from the start. This story truly is one of hope and is full of character growth, especially with our main character Lori, considering there's such a small cast of characters. The story genuinely left me on the edge of myself and left me wanting more. That, however, was also the only downside I really had with this comic book and is the only reason it has not received a 5 star from me. I want to know more, and as it's been advertised as a "standalone" story I don't think I'm going to get the answers I want. Overall, other than wanting a bit more I adored this story, and will definitely be picking it up when it comes out!

(If you'd like to see more of my reviews please go to my blog:
https://doesden.blogspot.com/)

Quality Rating: Three Stars
Enjoyment: Four Stars

We Called Them Giants is a cool little stand-alone graphic novel, straddling dystopian, science fiction and fantasy to tell a mostly dialogue-less tale about connections. The artwork is gorgeous and the tone and concepts are pretty neat. Most of the story is told through 'voice-over' narration which I was less of a fan of - I felt distant from the characters and world as a side effect, though it did help tie up the themes and arcs of the story within its 100 pages. The moral of the story was a bit heavy-handed for me to fully connect, but nonetheless it was an enjoyable read.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was interesting. The story was a little lacking. The art style was a bit strange in my opinion. Lori is a foster kid who’s long been disillusioned with the system. Then one day she wakes to find everyone in the world seemingly…gone. All except her bubbly neighbor Annette. Over time, Lori and Annette have to scavenge for food, and hide from a vicious gang called the Dogs. Then a strange light washes over the town, and two huge beings appear. They are Giants. The question is, are they friend or foe? I wish the story had been further explained. It was a quick read and I finished in one sitting.

*ARC received from Netgalley - all opinions are my own*

3.75* rounded up to 4 for review.

TLDR: This comic is massively propped up by the amazing art. Some panels will honestly have you stopping and staring! The story is a bit of a let down, and the end leaves you feeling like someone’s missing. Worth the read but would likely be a borrow and not a buy for me.

The illustrations are really what makes We Called Them Giants great and it’s unsurprising, given the team worked on W+D which is one of my favourite comics. There were several panels that I just fully stopped reading to just look and appreciate the imagery.

The concept is a very interesting one and puts a spin on the “rapture” storyline which I feel is really unique and not one that I’ve seen executed in this way. The biggest let down for me though is the ending, I didn’t feel attached enough at the end to have many feelings about how things were left, but I was intrigued enough where I was left wanting to know more.

It’s not a comic that I think I will find myself purchasing or going to reread unfortunately. I’d be interested to see where and what this team does next, it’s just a shame that We Called Them Giants wasn’t my cup of tea.