The OF Blog: Joe Kelly and JM Ken Nimura, I Kill Giants

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Joe Kelly and JM Ken Nimura, I Kill Giants



Ever read one of those stories, the ones that you know you can never explain fully to another, but that you just want for them to read it and feel it?  The type that is like a punch to the junk, but which also makes you want to reach out to the other poor crazies in this world and just give them a hug, just because...?

That is what I'm feeling now after reading Joe Kelly and JM Ken Nimura's I Kill Giants.  I thought of my childhood and early adulthood, dealing with three certain situations similar to the one that the main character, Barbara, confronts, sometimes with no success.  I also find myself thinking of those hundreds I've been around over the past 10 years who've been hurt, desperate in their attempts to cry out to others.  One of the support characters in this graphic novel reminds me of just how easy it is to feel futility when trying to help others.

The ending is just about perfect.  It is one that will stick with me for a long time and damn if I don't want to cry in shared understanding after reading it.  If that isn't the sign of a story touching emotional strings within its readers, I don't know what story could ever aspire to do so.  Just go out and read it, okay?  It certainly is one of the best 2009 graphic novels (or any type of fiction) that I've read this year.  And perhaps you'll find yourself thinking differently of those suffering people who have withdrawn from it all. 

2 comments:

Adele said...

I love this book. I was introduced by my partner in crime and we both reviewed it on Un:Bound.

Brody said...

Once again another top-notch book that I found thanks to you, Larry, thanks! This made my commute go by in a flash.

 
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