Diamond in the Rough – An Intro

A few months ago I gave Damian a hard time about not covering titles from smaller publishers on his “Issues” segment of RadNerd.  (To his credit, he did review one of my suggestions on the following week.)  So, when he called me a few days ago asking if I’d like to contribute to his site as a guest columnist, I thought, “Hey, this might be a good chance for people to hear about some excellent titles that normally wouldn’t get noticed.”

I’m a fan of some off-the-beaten-path titles.  Not that they’re unpopular or unknown – they’re just not the typical run-of-the-mill cape and cowl stories.  What I’m hoping to do is bring some of these more eclectic books here  for your attention and, hopefully, your interest.

That being said, let’s get right into it – shall we?

I Kill Giants

Writer: Joe Kelly
Artist: J M Ken Niimura
Publisher: Image Comics

[Amazon]

This title was one I’d heard of in passing through the grapevine and it sounded like it was worth the time for a read.  It was a co-worker that ultimately encouraged me to read it by plopping it onto my desk from a not-so-short distance (common for many things I read, actually).  I greatly enjoyed both the story and art.  The rabbit-ears on the main character are a terrific medium for conveying extra emotion into the panels.  A few parts of the action sequences were a little difficult to follow.  The starkness of the drawings sometimes left you guessing at “was that a leg, a fang or a 16-ton hammer?”

The story, while not remarkably original, is a well imagined retelling of a not uncommon tale seldom found in the world of graphic novels.  While I hesitate to call it a “coming of age” story, the plot does deal strongly with how the main character comes to grips with aspects of her life that are beyond her control.  Rife with psychological metaphor, it’s pacing and well controlled reveals will keep a reader happily flipping pages well past any sane notion of a bedtime regardless of whether or not staying up that late will make them late for work the next day.

Hell, it’s their fault.  They gave it to me …

Final Recommendations:  Must Read | Should Buy