This one isn’t easy for me to review, because I’m not sure how I thought about it. I found it difficult to read, at times. Maybe it was the story overall or the art or the mood. Something made it difficult for me to connect with the book.

The book centers around to fathers, but more heavily on one. There is remembered trauma, fear of becoming your parent, of being mean and violent and a drunk. But also a bit of what surviving war does to you.

I think this graphic novel has its audience and I really hope they will find it. Because the story is beautiful and close to the heart.

/ Denise

A moving story about a man who is determined to discover the truth about his father’s role in the Vietnam war. Pat struggles with parenting and the pressures on his family. He believes the root to the darkness in his life is caused by the violence in his father’s life as a soldier in Vietnam but he faces frustration when trying to discover the truth from his own parents. Together with his best friend the two men confront the intergenerational trauma in their lives, seeking healing and a hopeful future for their own children.

This is a story about recovery and healing, illustrated in some excellent artwork.

I gave this a few days to really sit with me before I wrote a review because it was weird finishing it? Like, I'm not sure if I just didn't like it or I was just the wrong audience. I think it's a decent book. I'm sure there are people out there that might connect with this book but for me, it was nothing special.

"Clay Footed Giants" is a graphic novel that addresses family trauma and its impact on parenting. Although the plot follows two fathers, Pat and Matthieu, the story focuses on the internal struggles of Pat, who, while caring for his children, faces the anger inherited from his own father. The play explores the debate between nature and nurture, suggesting that trauma can be inherited. The art style and narrative made it a little difficult for me to connect with, however the story offers a realistic and powerful depiction of parenthood and family relationships.

I feel that it was not a graphic novel for me, but that at the same time it shows us other realities and it is good to read and talk about them. Not all readings are going to be comfortable or allow us to continue in our comfort zone. Personally, I didn't connect with the story but I also think it could be an interesting read for many people.

Thank you Mad Cave Studios for the digital copy that I read through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review*

This graphic novel centers on intergenerational trauma, grief, and the protagonist's hyperfocus on getting answers when sometimes there aren't any (or aren't any satisfying ones, anyway). I really enjoyed the art, but at times found the story a little heavy-handed and repetitive. Still, I'd definitely be interested in McGuire's others works.

Clay Footed Giants offers a fascinating exploration of the intersection between mythology and modern life. I was captivated by the authors’ imaginative storytelling and the way they weave intricate narratives around their larger-than-life characters. The illustrations are stunning, adding a unique visual dimension that complements the text beautifully. However, I did find some sections a bit dense, which occasionally interrupted the flow of the story and made it challenging to maintain engagement. Additionally, while the central themes are compelling, I felt that some character arcs lacked depth, leaving me wanting to know more about their motivations. Despite these shortcomings, the book remains a thought-provoking and enjoyable read, sparking curiosity about the myths that shape our understanding of the world.

Thanks to Mark McGuire, Alain Chevarier, the publisher Mad Cave Studios, and NetGalley for this eARC. The subject was interesting, and the fuzzy illustrations were charming while different. However, it felt like it only scratched on the surface of the topic.

Clay footed giants was a lovely read. I appreciated the character study and the illustrations were well done

Clay-Footed Giants was one of the best graphic novels I have read in a long time. "A tragicomic meditation on masculinity, violence, and parenthood." (taken from the Goodreads description). During my undergrad years, I read a lot about toxic masculinity and feminism. Without going to deep into the subject, I think this is one of the best books I have ever read that addresses the dad-life struggle of dealing with trauma, toxic masculinity, and breaking the cycle. I highly recommend this book. The only downside to it is that some of the translations read a bit weird, but I was easily able to look past it.

This is such an important topic. Men's mental health is rarely discussed, and this was such a great way to express navigating being a parent with intergenerational trauma. We often see women speak on this topic and "breaking the cycle," but we need more men to share their stories so that other men know they're not alone. I felt connected to Pat being a parent myself who also deals with rage due to past experiences. It's hard at times, but you have to push through. Overall, I really enjoyed this story.

An interesting character study on inherited familial trauma, and modern fatherhood. The book has some lofty goals, but doesn't seem quite willing to push the bar far enough to reach them, content rather to wade in the shallow end of analyzing the lives, families, and traumas of the one main character in particular, while feeling like it thinks it's saying more than it is. The thought is there, but the result, isn't quite.

The art is a soft and stylistic use of heavy pencils in a loose cartoonist style that works well to juxtapose the heaviness the material tries to contain.

ARC provided by NetGalley & Mad Cave Studios

I want to begin with saying that there might have been pages missing from my e-arc and I can normally look past that, but I was unable to determine if those missing pages were meant to be missing or if it was just a mistake. A couple of them happened at what I would say were pivotal moments in the book.

How far back does trauma go and is it built into your dna or a product of the human condition. Clay Footed Giants follows two dads as they take care of their family, take on traditionally female roles, and try to understand how their past has molded their present. While the story follows two friends Pat and Matthieu, most of the book is dedicated to Pat's struggles with parenthood. He's a researcher on sabbatical, but finds out that taking care of his kids is more difficult than he imagined, especially when his wife starts going on more and more business trips. He also struggles with a deep rage inside him that he fears might bubble over and hurt his children just like his dad's drunken anger harmed Pat and his brother Rand as children. Pat thinks maybe finding out why his father is the way he is might be the key to unlocking everything. Meanwhile Matthieu is dealing with the realization that his dreams might be forever on the back burner, sacrificed let his wife's career succeed and to be a stay at home dad.

Clay Footed Giants asks that important questions: What is generational trauma? How does it change our perceptions on gender roles, parenthood, sobriety, and just living? How hard is it to break the chain? How do we navigate the anger within ourselves when you don't know it's starting place? I think is probably an important introspective look on all of those things.

A story about a couple of men who are helping their spouses with the kids and feeling the pressures of raising their kids while having a working spouse. They're also finding out if their parent's trauma was passed down to them, and struggle with this info and their own issues.

I enjoyed this creative approach to comics and I hope to see a wide range of books being published by Mad Cave. The art is solid and there is an indie feel to this book — I’m excited about what this publisher is offering and recommend this book for comics enthusiasts.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the advanced e-copy.

3.75 stars

This is a story about fatherhood, generational trauma and the journey of self-exploration.
It's about Pat, a father of two, currently on a sabbatical leave for a year. His wife is often travelling for work, so Pat is trying to balance being a stay at home dad while researching. At the beginning of the novel Pat receives a box from his estranged father, a Vietnam veteran, with a bunch of slides from his time in the army. This starts an almost obsession for Pat.
His father is an alcoholic who never gave Pat the time of day. He is aggressive, and resentful, and a mystery to Pat. Especially because Pat is starting to see the same anger in himself. Sometimes he loses his patience and yells at his kids. Sometimes he starts to resent his wife's career and success. So Pat is afraid, because he thinks his anger might be inherited from his father. From his time at war. He wants answers for the dark times, so he starts to pursue his dad's past to get the answers for the present and a solution for the future. However, life is not that simple.

I really liked this graphic novel. You never know if something will escalate, if Pat's anger will really take a hold of him.
Pat has a friend, Mathieu, who is Pat's confidant and support when things at home get hard. They both bond over fatherhood, and Mathieu offers a new perspective which often feels refreshing.
They are the self insert of both authors, and their scenes are a highlight in this book.

This book has interesting conversations about trauma, and what one inherits from our parents, and grandparents. But it doesn't deliver many answers. Mostly, because that's not really how real life works.

There are some things I wish Clay Footed Giants would have explored more. Like Pat's relationship with his wife. There are more than a few scenes between them arguing because of Pat neglecting his family, even messing with her work, yet there's never a big scene of reconciliation or of Pat even apologising. I also wish we could have gotten more of Pat's mother. I think she offered a very important perspective in Pat's journey for answers. And though there is a pretty good scene with them, I wish she had more to say overall.

A graphic novel that made me cry several times. It follows the story of a father who, in his doubts about parenthood, finds himself trying to investigate the past of his father, a former soldier in the Vietnam War.
It was a difficult read because of the heavy themes it deals with, primarily generational trauma. The thought of violence being passed from father to son is indeed very frightening, especially if you want to be a better parent than the person who raised you. A parent, however, who is a victim of war trauma, buried under layers and layers of lies in order not to feel worse and not to hurt his family. Parents who have generally made mistakes as much as their children, as people who are by definition imperfect.
One feels all the incommunicability between generations, the difficulties in relating when there is so much one would or would not want to talk about. One feels the sexism even in couples that are considered healthy, and how difficult it is to get out of one's own view of things.
I found the ending bittersweet and realistic: we cannot always change other people, and changing ourselves is very difficult. It is not easy to recognise that you need help and accept it, while continuing with your life as best you can.
The drawing style expresses the emotions of the characters very well, the way their moods influence their environments, you can feel the soothing silences but also full of anticipation and tension.

Clay Footed Giants is an interesting graphic novel that delves into inherited trauma, and its effects on the descendants of war veterans. I felt like it explored this topic really well, & I loved how much it made me think about trauma and how influencing that can be throughout generations.

Personally, I was less in love with the illustration style than many graphic novels, but that is just a personal preference. Thanks to NetGalley, Alain Chevarier, and Mad Cave Studios for the chance to read and review.

A graphic novel discussing the clasic debate of nature vs nurture, but on the topics of trauma and fatherhood. Of course, trauma is inherited. In the children of Holocaust survivors and their offspring their brains resembled the brain chemistry and makeup of a person who underwent trauma, despite not being directly exposed to it.

Trauma alters your brain, behaviors, DNA etc. So of course, offspring of slaves, Holocaust survivors, domestic violence survivors etc are more susceptible. One could argue nature vs nature, in which it's more of a matter of nature, but in Pat's case it could be nature too. If trauma remains unaddressed, it can be harmful, but even if it is addressed, there's nothing you can do to prevent on an onset of mental illness if the gene is present.

Also in Pat's case, this seems to be the issue hence, when put in an environment (nature) with a stressful situation (raising his kids most of the time while Ester was gone). Therefore, the trauma responses from his dad, (and if he does have an illness), is almost given permission to become present according to the diathesis stress model. In this case, the behaviors from his dad (which I'm sure is a trauma response) are the same behaviors Pat is sometimes tempted to follow through on.

This book made me think a lot. A bit too pretentious at some times, but mainly underwhelming. Thank God he didn't turn this into a film. I also had trouble getting into the book until about 55% in. I also struggled to pay attention a lot because the art, which I felt could of been more engaging. It was so smoky and lacking detail a lot of the time. I had trouble figuring out what was going on in some panels.

2.5 rounded up.
Clay Footed Giants is about two dads who assume a more prominent parenting role in their child’s life’s due to their wife’s working. Both men have past trauma that they are trying to work through, and are struggling taking care of their kids.

I have a few thoughts on this book. I did not like the many different stereotypes being thrown into the book. I also did not like the main character pat, as I found his complaining about taking care of his kids and then going on to neglect them, insufferable. I also thought the story had drastic jumps in setting that could become a little confusing. Overall this book was pretty good and I really liked the illustrations.

Thank you netgalley and MadCave Studios for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you netgalley and MadCave Studios for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

This graphic novel is so intense, insightful and thematically strong that I almost found myself taking notes, trying to figure it all out. The structure is a bit chaotic and hard to follow, but I guess it’s in line with the complexity of the story itself, mixing trauma, history, family issues, masculinity and fatherhood. Did I like all the conclusions it drew? No, but since it’s autobiographical, I take the experience as it is.

It may be the right pick for you if you liked Maus by Art Spiegelman, for its recollection of the horrors of the war from a generational point of view. However, it lacks Spiegelman's ability to be clear and concise despite the layers and complexity of the events. It makes sense: as I mentioned earlier, the focus in Clay Footed Giants is trauma while Maus deals mostly with memory.