The art in this book is perfect for the post-apocalyptic/gritty feel of the story. It added to the overall atmosphere of the storytelling.

The story was very good. As a person who just adopted a cat that we found in our garage, this story especially hit home for me. The biggest issue with the story is that it didn't feel fully realized. The story needed to be at least twice as long to give us a better feel for the post-apocalyptic environment pre-giant as well as to flesh out more what the giants were/did. I would have liked to have known Red better before the story ended. The story had some tiny bit of hope at the end, which I liked, but also it felt forced, like we didn't get to mourn the changing circumstance enough. Despite these short comings with the storyline, the overall experience is still well worth the read.

I would highly recommend this to readers who enjoy post-apocalyptic stories with grumpy/sunshine character mixes.

Need. More. This was just a *taste* and I want the whole thing! Loved the post-apocalypse, loved the aliens/creatures/what-have-you.

I gave this 3 stars because of the art work. The art was absolutely breathtaking and was almost able to carry the entire graphic novel, despite having a storyline that was lacking. If you read graphic novels more so for the art than the story, then this is still worth looking into, but for me personally the story didn't keep up with the beautiful artwork. There was a bit of a disconnect with the seriousness of the tone and the actual plot, it felt bizarrely disjointed and strange. Not my favorite but it was still a feast for my eyes so I felt generous and gave it a 3 star rating.

Right out of the gate, I was floored by the art in this book. It is vivid, vibrant, and strangely ethereal. I enjoyed following Lori's journey and seeing her grow through the trials she encounters as she navigates a new world where the old one once stood.

I think my only qualm with this book is that I wanted to know more. I wanted to have some hint of what happened to the world. I wanted some idea of what the giants were or where they came from. If we ever get to read more of this world, I will do so happily, but if this is ultimately all we get, I'm still glad I had the opportunity to read it.

I would read this story for the illustrations alone. The art work is beautiful, the story itself feels like it's missing something, but when the artwork is as gorgeous as this, I can forgive the plot.

Want to thank NetGalley for the arc and also image comics
The art for this graphic was amazing. Loved the way characters were drawn and colored. They really stood out and popped. I did wish we got more out of the story like I wanted to know more about the “giants” and more about what happened to most of the humans. Just expect a bit more.

We Called Them Giants is a story of communication across a chasm at the end of the world. Lori wakes to find the streets empty—everyone has gone. Or at least, nearly everyone. She’s thrown into a world where she must scrape by in the ruins of civilization, nearly starving, hiding from gangs when… they arrive. The art, masterfully crafted by Stephanie Hans, captures the eerie beauty of this shattered world.

Pros:
Emotional Depth: Gillen weaves a poignant tale of survival and resilience, emphasizing the enduring power of kindness and friendship.
Unique Premise: The post-apocalyptic setting takes an unexpected turn, blending elements of fable and contemplation.

Cons:
Sparse World-Building: While the emotional core shines, the world itself lacks detailed exploration, leaving some questions unanswered.
Narrative Ambiguity: The giant creatures’ arrival remains mysterious, and readers seeking concrete answers may feel unsatisfied.

Despite its evocative moments, We Called Them Giants falls short of greatness due to these limitations.

As always, I have to start with Stephanie Hans' art. Truly no one is doing it like her - the beautiful colour palette, the dynamics on the page, the smudged, watercolour-esque style that seems to flow from one panel to the next. I could stare at individual panels for hours.

On to the writing: yes, Gillen's arcs are always incredibly chaotic, borderline messy, and rely a lot on the reader to go with the vibe and draw their own conclusions. Guess what!! That's my favourite style of writing, though I understand why it misses for other folks. But if you love character-driven, and especially empathy driven, storytelling, this graphic novel is for you.

A story about a cynical teenage girl who doesn't know how to believe in the good of other people; about the end of the world, and alien giants, and learning the meaning of love and how far people will go for it - I adored this book, and would have loved it to be longer.

An incredible journey into a post-apocalyptic world with stunning visuals and a small, developed cast.

I really enjoyed this, and how tightly it kept within the bounds of its theme. Easy and quick to read, and the Giants were beautifully illustrated and lettered.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for the ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for my honest review.

We Called Them Giants is a graphic novel that beautifully explores the life of a teenage girl that wakes up and finds herself alone in the world…and surrounded by dangers. Ultimately a book about trust, finding your home, and the love of others, combined with wonderful art, makes this gorgeous graphic novel worth the read.

We Called Them Giants comes out November 12.

✨️ Graphic Novel Review ✨️ We Called Them Giants by Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans, and Clayton Cowles

☆☆☆½

Thank you to @Netgalley and @imagecomics for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lori is a young girk who has bounced around the foster system, and just as things might have settled (tho she doesnt trust it), most everyone in the world dissapears suddenly. She meets up with a friend from school, and an elderly women, as they try to make it in the streets against gangs and wolves. And then the truly bizaare happens; they are visited by two unimagknably large beings, those they call Giants.

As a metaphor for Lori's journey in the foster system, We Called Them Giants succeeds wildly. Roaming the streets, meeting people and finding safety, but not trusting it, all of these are parallels for Lori's life. She trusts no one, especially not the kindness of strangers, and for sure not from their new extra-terrestrial visitors. Even when this Giant looks after her and keeps her safe, she is never settled. She is waiting for the other shoe to drop, for things to go sideways, to reinforce her view on the world. The Giant serves as a comparison for every adult in her life that has ended up leaving her or discarding her.

As a graphic novel, I wish there was so much more. Events fly by, and we dont really get to spend time with Lori and her feelings as much as I wish. It all needed time to breathe and develop. I was able to finish this is ~20 minutes. The art is absolutely incredible, and Stephanie Hans and Clayton Cowles knocked it out of the park.

Ultimately though, this is a story about finding home and safety, and being able to trust it. And as that, I really enjoyed this.

Set in a post apocalyptic style setting, our main character wakes up one day to find *almost* everyone has disappeared. Was it the rapture? Who knows? But what they do know it that *they* are here.

We Called Them Giants is a heartwarming story about communication between worlds and languages.
The illustrations are stunning, with beautiful colours and breathtaking images.
I loved the air of mystery surrounding the 'giants', how they arrived and where they came from.
The story is well written, whilst also being an easy read.

Thank you to Image Comics via NetGalley for the reading copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Overall: 4/5 because the artwork is breathtaking and the story was refreshingly endearing despite its apocalyptic setting.

Story: 3.5/5
Cataclysmic, survive-or-perish stories are usually some of my favorites, so I was super hopeful for this story. However, I felt like I was left with too many questions because the story moved far too fast. Despite this being a graphic novel, I felt like I was being <i>told</i> rather than <i>showed</i> in many instances. I wish this was about double the page length so we could get a solid grasp on the world and be able to fall in love with the characters more.

Artwork: 5/5
Woah, this was one of the most beautiful uses of color and imagery I've seen. Absolutely gorgeous from start to finish. The stunning artwork really immerses you into the brutal, yet beautiful apocalyptic world that Gillen created.

Thank you to Image Comics and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this graphic novel.

Lori wakes up one morning in her latest foster care home to discover that no one exists anymore. All the people on her street are gone, and there are no signs of what happened to them. She runs into Annette on the streets and they team up together to battle in the apocalyptic world. One day they discover these strange ginormous creatures who seem to keep the wolves at bay. Annette gets captured by the red giant and Lori becomes set on going forward alone, only to get captured too. This becomes a struggle for Lori who at a young age knew she would have to fend for herself, but this strange red giant took care of her in a way she didn't expect. The plot of the story is convoluted and doesn't have a clear explanation which creates a feeling of emptiness in the end where nothing is explained, everything is broken, but there's still hope. I wanted more, but I've come to realize that Gillen is often like this with their stories. The artwork was gorgeous, there's a trend with broken women and white-blonde hair and I like it. A challenging post-apocalypse graphic novel, but still worth the read.

Having read DIE by the same author and illustrator, I am familiar with their particular approach to art and storytelling. This is a standalone story easily consumed in an hour or less, but provides a sufficient look into the mind and emotions of our lead, Lori. The colors and art are beautiful and each page is it's own composition, just all around a joy to look at. A short and slightly bittersweet story and message, it's a wonderful take on the themes of trust and love. My only wish is for it to have been longer, but it delivers its message perfectly as it stands.

Intriguing concept, but not quite enough detail to have me fully invested. This is a quick read and not a story for answering all the questions it presents, more of a snapshot into a bizarre situation. A few things took me out of the story at times, like the giant’s language/sound being written as “blah blah blah”. I think a little more background on the characters, or interaction between them, would have been helpful in connecting to the story more. The art for the giants and their bases was made up of vibrant colors and arcing shapes, a good contrast to the rest of the now harsh and empty world.

Great graphic novel with beautiful art and a very Beautiful story. With most stories like this I always find myself wishing it was just a tad bit longer. With it only being around 100 pages it can make it hard to fully Connect with the characters and the plot. Other than that very happy to have picked this one up!

3.5 stars, rounding up.

This graphic novel covers the moments when a young girl wakes up to find everything she has known has disappeared, and the story of survival that follows as she and those she travels with encounter strange beings and dangerous groups in a recent post-apocalyptic setting. The artwork is beautiful and striking and features many expressive moments. With respect to the story, the overall beats will be familiar to any readers who have read stories within this genre, but should appeal to those looking to read more. The ending of the story leaves the readers with more questions than answers, so fans of ambiguous conclusions will likely appreciate the conclusion.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for sharing an ARC for review.

Thanks to NetGalley, the Publisher and Author for an ARC of this work for my review.

This stunning graphic is a one-off novel told primarily through narration from a mistrustful seemingly unfazed main character. There are other characters but the cast is small. It has a fantastic setting, some great emotional storytelling, and the art was beautiful beyond words bringing a
muted palette with pops of neon brightness and a painted artistic style.

For a short fiction, there are so many questions many without answers. What caused the event? Who are the Giants? What do they want? There is also some action, but it is mostly quiet moments and panels of beautiful art. Overall, the ending didn't feel satisfying, beautiful as it was, because there just wasn't a conclusion, but that could be a choice made by the author.

I would definitely love a prequel and even sequel to this work that left me wanting more.

This is a hard review.
I liked the art, and the story kept me interested to the last page.
But. I feel like it was lacking in a few more pages? I'm unsure if there is plans for more volumes, or if this is it.
I'd say it's worth the read but also don't expect a ton of answers?