This is incredibly raw and beautiful (and I mean that about the writing and the gorgeous artwork). My only complaint is that the story isn't longer, but I love that it exists.

"To survive you need to know what exactly you have to be scared about."

While this book fell short with stereotypical characters and plain world-building, it rose through the plot and the atmosphere it conveyed.

The post-apocalyptic ambiance is materialized by the incredible drawings. The dull colors made the desperation of the world even more tangible. The brighter colors were reserved for the mysterious Giants that fell from the sky. Are they saviors? Celestial beings? Killers? No one knows, but the vibrant colors they bear add to their mystery. The unraveling of this mystery is what drives the plot forward and keeps us guessing.

I understand graphic novels are a LOT of work, which is why they're usually not very long. With that in mind, I can say that I did enjoy the book. However, I can’t deny that I wish it would’ve been longer, to dig deeper. I’m still curious to see what other works these authors did.

I love this book for so ,many reasons: sassy and strong female protagonist, engaging story line, and the everlasting struggle for power. It's a fast read packed with so much discussion worthy drama on each page. The graphic art suits the story. I wouldn't change a thing about this book. It's my favorite graphic novel of 2024.

We Call Them Giants is a fun dystopian with an emotional twist. I was left with questions as many things were not explains but I still enjoyed it. The illustrations are so life-like. Thanks to for approving me.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel; the art is absolutely stunning and felt like each page brought another gorgeous painting. I am excited to see more from the illustrator.

Lori wakes up one day and everyone is gone- but that’s not surprising for Lori, because as a girl who has grown up in the system; everyone always leaves eventually. She finds herself in this dystopian world, food is scarce and the majority of other survivors are hostile. Lori struggles on surviving alongside fellow orphan Annette until one day, two ethereal alien giants appear- are they good? Evil? Did they cause this and what are their motives? Could they be trusted?

The characters were great and each their own individuals. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I feel like it could have benefited from being a little bit longer, but I also have no qualms about the plot points that were kept shrouded in mystery. I was definitely left wanting more!

Thank you to NetGalley & Image Comics for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fantastic. The art was beautiful and the plot made me feel things - desperation, loneliness, love. In a way, the relationship between the Red Giant and humans made me think of how my pets probably feel when trying to communicate to me. What a hauntingly beautiful story. Every page felt like looking at a masterpiece. The character relationships felt very realistic. I would recommend this to anyone.

This was a really interesting concept. I loved the art, especially of the giants and their homes. I think a little more time could have been spent pre-apocalypse to build on the characters more. I personally didn’t connect with them and would have liked to have known who they were before the Giants came.

Gillen’s skillful storytelling brings depth and humanity to characters who are both larger-than-life and achingly relatable, blurring the lines between heroism and hubris, reverence and rebellion. This is a story of love, power, and the eternal human drive to find meaning in the forces that shape our lives. The giants of the title are more than just powerful beings—they are symbols of the weight that past generations leave on the present, and each character’s journey speaks to the struggle of living up to, or breaking free from, these legacies.

Lori is used to everyone abandoning her, but even she isn't prepared when she wakes up to find almost all humans gone. She and her friend Annette scrape by, dodging gangs and scavenging for food. Then, the Giants arrive, bringing new resources but also new complications.

We Called Them Giants explores how we build relationships, particularly with those who communicate differently than us. It ultimately comes down on the side of love and care uniting us, regardless of our species. The illustration is gorgeous, with interesting uses of perspective to convey motion and the relative scale between the humans and the giants.

Excellent GN, loved it! Looking forward to more from this author! Apologies for the lateness of my review

'We Called Them Giants' is a stunning little graphic novel that has a fairly fulfilling standalone story, though I would have been pleased to see this extended into a duology to further explore the interesting world that Gillen, Cowles and Hans have created. The novel has solid pacing and really gorgeous, vibrant artwork, I only wish that the atmospheric beginning of the novel was extended into a wider exploration of this dystopian world. Ultimately, I don't necessarily think that this book NEEDS any more volumes (I actually think the ending itself was poignant, succinct and discourages any sort of sequel!), but I would have liked to see more of these characters and watch them really develop their relationships further, especially so with the giants.

Nevertheless this is a stunning novel and could appeal to a broad age-range.

As a library assistant, this book would fill a very good niche in our catalogue, and works perfectly as a standalone to encourage readers who are perhaps unused to long-form graphic novels.

We Called Them Giants by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans is a post-apocalyptic fantasy that explores the all-encompassing solitude and isolation of loss and grief through a dreamlike world full of unanswered questions. We are introduced to our young hero Lori immediately lamenting her lifelong sense of loss and betrayal. The first pages are a intense download of her hard-earned skepticism of love, community, or hope as a result of a childhood in the foster system. That fear of abandonment manifests literally as she explores a world suddenly emptied of nearly all signs of life.

That fear of abandonment follows her throughout the story. Even as she discovers others to ally with, even as she comes face to face with the unexplainable and awe-inspiring. That anger that pushes people away persists. In the end, We Called them Giants explores the costs of our reflexive need to prove our own worldview correct at any cost. At the very outset of the story the world is gone—no explanation is given. It doesn’t matter. Lori lives the life she believes she is fated to. She cannot trust. By the end, it costs her everything.

Given the structure as a standalone original graphic novel as opposed to a serialized 

ongoing story, Gillen’s script relies heavily on narration to orient us to Lori and the world. It’s probably the book’s biggest weakness, adding to the way it at times reads like a miniseries condensed and pulled together into a single 100 or so page story. There are moments where the narrative jumps or pauses awkwardly that feel like issue breaks. The biggest disappointment is how we encounter this post apocalypse not through Lori’s lived experience of bonding with Annette, (her unlikely, vaguely religious and bubbly companion in the wasteland) or running from the deadly gang of thieves and pirates called the Dogs, but through her telling us about that experience. 

In some cases, this works fine. We do not need to spend 20 pages on Lori’s life before the world changes. We do not even need to see Lori and Annette clashing with and hiding from the Dogs and avoiding their mall fortress, though those things would make for potentially great visuals and could help us feel the losses and challenges we encounter throughout more deeply. But what this skipping around robs us of is the opportunity to see Lori’s worldview shift and change as a result of these various characters and adventures. Where she starts and where she ends emotionally are very different and the weight of those changes simply does not feel as powerful as it could. 

But the art from Stephanie Hans makes up for a lot of this. Because she sells so profoundly the emotions of every scene. Not just in the facial expressions —which are rendered with beautifully exaggerated fashion and leave no room for subtle misinterpretation—but through the full page. Color, brush stroke, panel size and framing, it all works together to communicate emotion and mood. There is a directness to her art that cuts through the distant nature of the heavy narration. It’s not simplicity, but by not chasing realism and instead relying on representation and expressionist techniques, Hans eliminates the complexities of interpretation. Gillen’s narration puts us in Lori’s head. Hans’s artwork reminds us that we are more than words on a page or thoughts in our heads.

The gorgeous artwork more than makes up for any larger narrative shortcomings. The lush and expressive painted artwork stuns on every page. The colors carry us through the mood of each scene and the arc of the larger story—from desolate gray to warm and welcoming reds to unsettling green. The soft touch of the painted aesthetic gives the story a humanist bent. You can see the artist behind the work. This is not a rigidly constructed grid, precise and measured using triangles and rulers but something personal that aims to touch on human experience. The softness of the style exudes accessibility and comfort, like the fairytales, legends, and religious stories Annette tells Lori. Throughout the book, Lori uses those stories to relate her experience to the world and make sense of what she sees.  You can feel Gillen and Hans attempting to do the same. The attempt overcomes most of the story’s shortcomings.

Ultimately, stories become a crutch and a cudgel that separates Lori from her small trusted circle. She finds passing comfort in those tales but none of it lasts. they do not bring her any true comfort. They cannot overcome the stories she has spent her life being told—stories told not through words but action; through rejection and loneliness.

All of the grand stories collapse once Lori and her compatriots encounter the giants. And how could they not? The Giants of this story—mysterious, glowing beings of unknown origin and intent—are stunning. Hans depicts them with an incredible grace. They are beautiful, radiating light in the cold dark. But they are frightening, as well. Towering figures, obscured in mist and claiming the horizon. Lori cannot make sense of them in her story. And because we experience this world through Lori, neither can we. We are challenged to find our own meaning in their presence and actions. Are they responsible for the disappearance of most of life on Earth? Or are they seeding and reorienting the planet for a better future? Is one an Angel of creation, another of death? Are they divine? Alien? Or forces of primal nature? We get no answer. 

But as we spend time with the one giant, and we begin to see Lori’s defenses fall, the initial perceptions fade. 

This is a difficult book to review or discuss without delving into the specifics of its plot, because its most meaningful moments rely on surprise and misdirection. The end result is a story that feels like it could have gone on for so much longer, cut short by both the character’s actions and the realities of production. There is a sadness inherent in the final pages—both because we did not get to spend enough time in this world and because the choices made by our protagonist cost us something beautiful. We yearn for more, just as Lori does. We yearn for the meaning to be laid bare. But we are left to live in the mystery, to long for the answers our stories have taught us to expect. 

The end of We Called Them Giants feels abrupt. But that abruptness and the incomplete feeling has sat with me in the few days between reading and writing this. Living in that mystery—what did it all mean?—is the challenge we are faced with throughout our lives. It is the challenge that religion and theology and the act of creating art exist to face. I am left wishing there was more to this story, more questions to find the answers to, but there is something more satisfying in the open ended nature of these giants. We live most of our lives in Lori’s lonely winter, unable to grasp the truth of the grandest mysteries. We Called Them Giants offers little warmth but endless grace to fumble and make mistakes in the pursuit of our own stories.

We Called Them Giants is available through Image Comics on November 12. This review made possible through early access via NetGalley in exchange for honest thoughts and reviews.

Really beautiful Illustration and the story matched, but wished there was a little more to the story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader’s copy.

The illustrations in this graphic novel are incredible and intense; they support and enhance the story beautifully. Unfortunately, the story itself seems unfinished. It begins with an apocalyptic events; the vast majority of the world's inhabitants simply vanish, along with most of the world's stored food - at least in the city where Lori lives. Electricity stops flowing. If there are other people left somewhere else, they never come to where Lori and her classmate Annette are; what does come is a pair of giants, one green and one red. The giants can't communicate with people, so their motives, and role, if any, in the changes in the world, remain a mystery. Lori's exploration of her new world, her interactions with Annette and later with Beatrice, are beautifully done. The illustrations enhance the emotions evoked by the text beautifully. I enjoyed this volume enormously until it just... stopped. It seemed more like the end of a chapter than the end of a book, and left me feeling as if part of the volume had simply been omitted at publication. I do hope that there's a sequel, and that it completes the story begun in this volume.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

тιтℓє: We Called Them Giants
αυтнσя(ѕ): Kieron Gillen | Stephanie Hans | Clayton Cowles
яєℓєαѕє ∂αтє: November 12, 2024
яαтιηg: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

му тнσυgнтѕ:
I was so intrigued by this one!
But, unfortunately, I was left wanting a whole lot more…

The artistry is unique.
Very colorful and detailed, but I’m not the biggest fan of whatever style it’s in.

The story had SO MUCH potential.
But it was too short and too choppy.
The plot was rushed, we got ZERO answers or explanations for anything, and the ending was both sad and just…an ending.
Zero conclusion.

Now, if we’re getting more, then my reviews may change and update.
So stay tuned because while I wasn’t a fan of how it is now, I AM willing to continue the story if we get more.

𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣. 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙗𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣.

Seeing who was behind the creative direction of the graphic novel, I was so intrigued because I have loved The Wicked and The Divine series in the past. The art in this was phenomenal; it was so beautiful, especially when it came to the style of the Giants... gorgeous. However, I think this novel was really lacking in its worldbuilding, which was so surprising to me! The point of the novel is definitely not to know what is going on, but it makes for a really convoluted beginning and we don't really get to focus and/or care about our main characters. I would have liked a bit longer of a novel to really develop on the relationships between characters (and their relationship to the Giant) so that the ending could have felt a bit more impactful.

An interesting and beautifully drawn story about living in a horrible dystopia. I think possibly the complete lack of explanation of either origin or resolution was the point of this story—it drops you in the middle of a weird apocalypse, and never gives you a beginning or an end, or satisfactorily answers basically any question—but I guess I can recognize something is being done purposefully and still find it frustrating.

We Called Them Giants is a post-apocalyptic tale of survival. And, there are giants. And, a ruthless gang.

Two of them to be precise. It seems like most of humanity has disappeared with those left behind just struggling to survive. A ruthless gang terrorizes the streets. Lori and Annette just want to live. But what do the mysterious giants want?

Nothing? They’re just here to exist? Did this go way over my head?

I think I would have rated this story a lot higher without my preconceived notion that the story was building to something “huge” from author Kieron Gillen which it never found. It was a big bummer to me, and for me, it felt like the story just ended.

My previous experience with Gillen was through his Star Wars work. I really had a great time with all off his stuff over there, so I was excited for this book.

The artwork from Stephanie Hans was incredible. I loved everything about it from the characters to the world to the giants. I loved the design of the human characters, and the giants were really unique and cool looking.

There’s a lot to love in this book, but it just didn’t really come together for me in the end. I’m sure it lands perfectly for others.

Thank you Netgalley and Image Comics for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

In this story, we encounter a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has largely disappeared, leaving a small band of survivors who must rely on themselves and each other to survive. The book presents a vibrant, reimagined landscape filled with mysterious, otherworldly beings and a more unforgiving climate.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE BOOK
The visuals are absolutely stunning, capturing the setting beautifully.

WHAT I DISLIKE
While the plot is straightforward—a quality that can work well—it lacks much suspense, giving the sense that it serves as more of a prologue than a fully developed narrative.

WHO IS THIS FOR?
Fans of YA fantasy might want to have a look at this one.

Many thanks to Image Comics for providing a review copy.

We Called Them Giants by Kieron Gillen is a captivating story of survival and resilience. This novel skillfully portrays the lasting impact of kindness and friendship in a world torn apart.