An interesting and though provoking story with gorgeous art. I enjoyed my time reading and will be happy to order this for my library.

Title: We Called Them Giants
Author: Kieron Gillen
Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels | Sci Fi & Fantasy | Teens & YA
Pub Date: 12 Nov 2024
Pages: 104
ISBN: 9781534387072
Format Read: PDF
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars)

It was so hard to settle on a rating for this, but I think somewhere between 2-3 stars is fair.

The art is gorgeous, the colorwork beautiful, and there's something haunting lingering around the edges, like it desperately wants to be let through.

This doesn't feel at all complete - instead, it feels like a teaser for a larger series-to-be; an 'idea' or 'scene' rather than a self-contained plot.

Without going into spoilers, there is zero clarification (or even any speculation) for what transpired that caused the disappearances; no explanation for why (some? all? who knows) children were spared as well as (one? all??) elderly person.

There is zero insight into the giants, and zero closure after the protagonists experience what they experience. The protagonists themselves are given so little room to have personalities, though I guess within the survivalist context, that's... sort of passable.

This story really deserved to be fleshed out, and I'm very sad that it wasn't.

[POSSIBLE and VERY VAGUE spoiler below]

What's left is a rather bleak message: if you love something, it won't appreciate you, and then it'll get you killed? That's dark AF, and hey, dark is alright, but not when you have zero resolution of the very thin quasi-plot you've got going.

Thank you to Image Comics & NetGalley for providing access to this eARC for consideration of review.
All opinions are my own honest & unbiased feedback based on the copy provided.

#WeCalledThemGiants #NetGalley

A post apocalyptic graphic novel featuring two teenage girls and an older woman who are left behind when most of humanity disappears. But it's not until the giants show up that life gets truly strange. This was an interesting concept for a graphic novel, but it felt kind of underdeveloped. The idea of humans becoming almost pets to the aliens was barely explored. In the end I just didn't feel like the story did that much.

A really unique and engaging story but what sets this graphic novel apart is the absolutely stunning artwork. I can't wait to add a physical copy to my collection!

I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did, but I absolutely loved it.

I was expecting just a nice fun read but I was so emotionally invested and was so hooked on the story

The artwork was absolutely beautiful and I'd love to read more from this team

Thanks to Image Comics and NetGalley for providing me with this arc

I began and finished this graphic novel in one sitting. At about 100 pages this is easily digestible. The creators of this book also created the graphic novel series DIE. I’ve only read the first few volumes of that series but one thing I can say for it is that the art style is stunning and the storyline super inventive. Those same attributes were found in We Called Them Giants.

I believe this is a standalone story but it packs a punch. The story takes off at a breakneck speed and the reader is never really sure how the events in the world got the way they are but the focus is really on how the characters faced that adversity. I’ll warn you that the ending will HURT but the journey is totally worth it. If anything what this story lacks is meat- I wanted more but at the same time I think it stands well as it is. Highly recommend.

This was a beautifully drawn comic, but I found myself dragging a bit around the middle. The artwork was very cool, slightly abstract along the edges. The ending of the story was nice, but I thought it could have been earned more with some stronger character development of the protagonist.

This was a stunningly beautiful comic. It was harsh, unforgiving, and so much larger than life. All of a sudden, you wake up and everyone and everything you know has disappeared and only a few people are left. The world is harsh. Food at first is plentiful, but then more and more scarce. Giants and dangerous wolves appear and everyday is a fight for survival.

It felt like watching a movie. The artwork made it better and more stunning then any other medium could have made it out to be. The visualization of fear. The gorgeous coloring. The way the art showed scale. It makes you feel so small and out of control. A whole new world that is as dangerous as it is beautiful.

The girls cling to each other because they truly are all they have left. The group of humans that formed together became dangerous and fight for resources and the girls scavenge after them out of sight. It is a bitter world and yet they are truly there for each other.

Reading this comic is an experience. You get lost in it and it makes you feel the expanse of it all. You feel the fear of the unknown and how small you are in the world. It’s a masterpiece.

a lifetime in the foster system has taught lori one thing: people will leave you. then she wakes up one morning to find everyone—well, almost everyone—gone. she and a handful of others are left behind to attempt survival in a world filled with new threats: roaming gangs, starvation, the elements. then the giants arrive.

the illustrations here are so gorgeous and captivating, i just wish the story measured up. i quite liked the premise and i think the themes of communication, loss, and abandonment have a lot of potential, but the story itself is lacking somehow—it’s very bare bones compared to the lovely artwork, and the ending, while touching, is rather abrupt. i wanted more.

that said, if this was the first in a series, i would read the sequel without hesitation.

I didn't expect this to have the emotional impact that it did. The art was beautiful, and the concept was well thought out. The main character was a little annoying at times, but understandably so. The last few pages really made it for me.

This is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel about disconnection, communication, power, trust, and found family.

It surprised me in so many ways, i loved the atmosphere and story telling - it is very much for me a hidden gem

I will look forward to the next in the series

4 stars

Initially, I confused this work with I Kill Giants by Kelley, but these are completely different works. This is more like The BFG mixed with Attack on Titan. The artwork was gorgeous! However, Gillen's choice of narrative could be stronger. It's 1st person POV, but it seems like the narrator is looking back on what happened from a future date. Too much was read to readers as if we couldn't understand the graphics. For example, the main character says, "I made a mistake. I grabbed my stick..." and there's literally a drawing of the character holding the hockey stick (page 32, e-book). I think more faith should be attributed to the reader's intelligence. Overall, it was an entertaining read, so give it a try. Thanks, NetGalley and Image Comics, for the chance to read this.

Beautifully illustrated and with such a rich story too. I adored this, i love a story that drops you right into the center of its crazy world. Had an absolute blast here.

I liked this a lot! The art style is beautiful, breathtaking and the story was really interesting, especially the premise.
I recommend for fans of dystopian stories and found family!

Thank you Image Comics for a copy of We Called Them Giants!

"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..."

We Called Them Giants is for anyone looking for:
- Post-apocalyptic setting
- Isolation and survival
- Gorgeous artwork!

At 100ish pages, We Called Them Giants packs a punch! I do wish this had another volume or it was a little bit longer to explore the setting and the main characters a bit more. It did remind me a bit of The Iron Giant (or maybe I need to watch the movie again?) -- either way, this graphic novel reminded me of an endearing, nostalgic cartoon/movie about unlikely heroes. Overall, I highly recommend for fans of post-apocalyptic, dystopian reads.

First of all a big thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publishers for sending me a copy of this book.

The artwork in this graphic novel is absolutely beautiful. I do feel like this could have been made into a series or the novel itself needed to be a little longer. The blurb was fantastic and I was super excited to get to it. However while reading it just felt like it was missing something.

Visually We Called Them Giants is absolutely stunning. The ‘giants’ have such cool designs and I loved the colour palette. Unfortunately I didn’t find the story as interesting. I don’t know if this is a set up for further volumes or not because the abruptness of the ending would make more sense if that were the case. But I don’t think it is. I did read it across two sittings that were pretty far apart so my ability to understand what was going on was definitely affected by that.

Although saying that, the theme of trust was incredibly moving. Having the humans start out apprehensive around the ‘giants’ to then having them take care of each other was so lovely. I would still love to know what the ‘giants’ were and why they had come to Earth.

The character designs were one of my favourite parts, especially Lori. She gave off badass vibes from the get go and she didn’t disappoint. All of the characters had a lot of personality in their designs so I’m definitely going to check out more work by this team. I love unique art styles.

I’d definitely recommend checking out We Called Them Giants if you’re looking for a visually stunning graphic novel that has a moving story.

We Called Them Giants by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans offers hauntingly beautiful artwork that pulls you into a post-rapture world filled with mystery. The story follows Lori, Annette, and Beatrice as they navigate survival amid Giants and a roving gang. While the premise is intriguing, the narrative feels under-developed, leaving key elements like character backstories and world-building unexplored. The metaphor of finding home and family is compelling but delivered in a heavy-handed manner. Ultimately, the emotional depth falls flat, making it hard to fully connect with the characters. This graphic novel is visually stunning but may leave readers wanting more substance.

what a sweet little story with a pleasant art style for such an unpleasant setting and situation. a nice way to spend 20-30 mins if you have nothing else to do

I absolutely enjoyed this from start to finish.

The art was truly just so beautiful, I don't even really have the words in detail to explain how stunning it is - each panel is heavily detailed, and the wash of colours really set the scene in the most magical way. I'm really tempted now to slowly start picking up the other graphic novels produced by this team (this includes wicked+Devine, and DIE which they mention at the end of the comic).

Lori was the hesitant protagonist in this apocalyptic feature, hesitant to believe that the giant could truly be trusted. I loved her thought process, really showing the elements of fear and love for her friend Annette. For Lori, I think Annette showed qualities that Lori wished she had in herself - Annette was fearless, trusting, determined, brave, and proactive where as Lori fell into the cynical almost apathetic elements that often bubble in apocalyptic stories. These emotions and qualities became things that Lori had to grow into, and we see this towards the end. I really liked meeting Beatrice, but wish we got to know more about her.

I do feel like this could've been longer though, that we could've maybe developed more to learn about the giants. We jump straight into the story, and maybe it could've been longer if it was paced out more. It is only a little over 100 pages.

Whilst it does feel complete, I wonder whether we will hear other stories from them about their continued journey in the near future.