Giant Days - John Allison
Vols. 1-6 - Three girls (goth Esther, tough Susan, and naive introvert Daisy) go through the drama of jobs, housing, classes, love, lusts, parents, death, and fighting at university. It sounds plain when you write it out, but so does Hamlet. John Allison's enviable wit and gift for unending erudite banter, plus the perfect cartoonish art, makes it a joy to read. Utterly brilliant. [5]
- Vol. 7
- Susan goes home for Christmas and struggles with her parents'
estrangement (he's living in a caravan in the garden). The girls,
albeit understanding of Daisy's nascent sexual identity, have trouble
putting up with Daisy's terrible German girlfriend Ingrid, who turns out
to be the worst roommate ever. Going through some sleepless nights,
they hear mysterious things in the forbidden garage. Susan has
mysterious nocturnal assignations. Esther learns a thing or two about
capitalism and decides to go in for protests. Ed and Graham's terrible
roommate Dean meets a girl in a MMORPG and soon there will be wedding
bells, maybe? [5]
- Vol. 8 - Esther turns her rivalry with McGraw's perfect girlfriend, Emilia into friendship. Ed wants to date, but can't stop pining for somebody. Ingrid, ever more annoying to the others, pressures Daisy to live with her. Susan's secret paramour is revealed. The girls look into a new housing situation. [5]
- Vol. 9 - The end of Year Two! The girls finally leave their black moldy, woodwormy house to live... apart? Daisy breaks up with Ingrid, which leaves her in a state of fugue. Esther has nowhere to live, and Ed blurts out his feelings for her on a drunken pub crawl. Susan leaves for a summer in a student village. I continue to be amazed that a marriage of brilliant, witty words and outstanding art can be this good. [5]
- Vol. 10 - Susan is reluctantly dragged into the grown-up world by living in a flat with McGraw. Daisy's grandmother finds out about Ingrid, and Daisy looks for a place to live. Esther and Ingrid try their hand at a career fair. And Ed deals with the fallout of his drunken reveal. Absolutely pitch-perfect writing, with pop-culture references and erudite allusions, as always. I am not a big fan of the art not done by Max Sarin; it just doesn't pop the way his does. [5]
- Vol. 11 - Daisy and Ed are swindled by their shifty boss at the Christmas village. Esther briefly dates a nerdy tech bro. Daisy makes a good residence hall advisor, until she meets her match in a karaoke-loving sweet-talker. Ed starts dating an athletic Australian, and visits her family in Sydney, where the ex, with his gang of massive criminal-minded oafs, cause trouble. [5]
- Vol. 12 - Susan gets the old crime-solving bug again and solves the case of the comic book store shoplifter. Dean gets an illicit emotional support dog. Daisy gets her driving license, prematurely aging every driving instructor in town. McGraw's brother comes and gets married; Esther and Daisy attend as a friend couple. Esther decides to... go home for Easter to work on her dissertation!! Dun dun dun. Will there be... non-goth attire?! [5]
