Kaiju are big business these days, and with the Valderrama Bros.’ Giants #1, there couldn’t be a more applicable term than kaiju. On the surface of the Earth, giant-sized mysterious beasts have taken over the planet since a cataclysm occurred: A comet fell. Since then, humanity has been forced into subterranean living, and different factions fight over what little territory they have in what are called Rumbles.
Two brothers, Gogi and Zedo, want nothing more than to prove their worth to one side of this battle, the Bloodwolves. They want to be seen as giants themselves. They set out to steal a piece of Ambernoir from the opposing side of this territorial fight. Ambernoir is a strange rock that emits energy and can be very, very combustible. Impressing the Bloodwolves with their bravery, they are sent to the surface to obtain more Ambernoir.
The story moves quickly in the first issue from underground to the surface; the Valderrama Bros. waste no time pushing their fictional brothers immediately way in over their heads. We hardly get to know the brothers before things go horribly awry. That being said, I got to know them just enough to be affected by the final couple of pages – a really nice cliffhanger!
What we have here is an adventure coming-of-age story, and one with some real heart. You can tell that the Valderrama Bros. have a real fondness for anime like Evangelion and Akira, and that finds its way onto the pages, but it doesn’t overwhelm or distract. It isn’t the references, but the brothers that are the heart of the story, and, hopefully, the next several issues will capitalize on that in spite of the cliffhanger and what it suggests. I love a fast-paced story, but I also like a story that takes a little time to build to its emotional beats.
The art is really lovely, the colors are crisp, and it’s a beautiful book to look at. They do a great job, when needed, of stopping the action to focus on the emotions of their characters’ faces. The adventure elements are super fun, Gogi and Zedo are great characters, and young adults especially will love this first issue.
