Giant Days: As Time Goes By #1

Giant Days (Single Issues) #55

by John Allison, Max Sarin (Cover Art)

One year after their graduation from university, Esther De Groot and Daisy Wooten are back in Sheffield for a reunion with Susan and McGraw.The year apart has not been easy for all of them, and this reunion will only draw out the secrets they have all been keeping for too long! The series finale of one of the most acclaimed comics series of the decade reveals the future of everyone's favorite best friends!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Contemporary, Young Adult, Humor, Queer

43 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 30, 2019

About the author

John Allison is the author and artist of the British webcomics Scary Go Round and Bad Machinery.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.

Reviews

[Artemy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been putting off reading this issue for two months now, just because I felt too sentimental. Giant Days has consistently been one of the most positive and happy things in my life for years ever since I randomly picked up the very first issue, and I still haven’t fully processed that it’s now over. Anyway, this issue is not even really the finale — that happened in #54. This is a sort of coda that reunites Esther, Daisy and Susan about a year after they graduated, now all grown up and tangled each in their own struggles with adulthood. I loved the chance to catch up with some of my all-time favorite people one more time, and I loved how the story called back to the very first self-published issue of Giant Days with a bit of a surreal action set piece towards the end, and the very final page of the issue mirrored a lot of my own struggles with trying to adult — being so completely relatable was always one of the greatest strengths of Giant Days. Oh, Giant Days. How I will miss you. I’m infinitely grateful to John Allison, Max Sarin, Lisa Treiman and all the amazing people who made it the absolute best comic book. It feels like saying goodbye to a friend.

[solène · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you feel really bad, you don't want to see your friends. It feels like a burden to bum them out.

I've been reading Giant Days for years (since 2013 I think?) and I'm going to miss these characters (and this artwork) so much...

Somebody wrote on readcomiconline: "It's a John Allison story about friends growing up and moving in their own directions while trying to maintain their connections, so of course there's going to be vampiric co-workers and the haunted tomb of a football legend."

That's my kind of jam and I'm pretty sure no other comic can ever replace Giant Days in my heart. Farewell you beautiful trio, I'll never forget you.

"I laid goth!Esther to rest by mutual agreement-" "No." "-after a stern word from HR about how I accessorized."

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

After so many issues of Giant Days, it’s a bit of a shock to return to the paranormal / bizarre antics of Bad Machinery / the Giant Days prequel, but this finale was a nice nod to when the trio first met and defended Esther from the Head Girls.

I’m sad to see a series end and it does feel like things sped up in their final year. Seeing the trio reunite and deal with new difficulties was heartwarming but it didn’t blow me away in terms of pacing. The open-ended aspect was nice, but I have a feeling that they might make cameos in future John Allison works.

Now, to investigate Steeple...

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 3 out of 5]

That devolved into nonsense towards the end.

2.5 stars

[Elizabeth (Miss Eliza) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. That was a totally unsatisfactory ending that focused too much on Esther and had this bizarre videogame-esque denouement that was supposed to be I don't know metaphorical but just was shit. For a series that has always been a roller-coaster of quality I wished it had ended on an upswing...

[Josh Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

The series finale really happened in the main line, and this feels like more of a fun epilogue. Either way, this ends one of my favorite comics of the decade. I'm sure I'll revisit these ladies again before too long.

[penta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just because I had fun it doesn't mean it was in any way good epilogue to the series. Moreover, it felt like a bizarro episode, not a conclusion.

[Reading with Cats · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved getting to visit with these awesome characters again. But that ending was just too odd.
2.5 stars

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one! I’m excited to read the next one!

[Jo ♡ˎ´✨ ☕︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful ride.
So long and farewell you beautiful trio. I will never forget you.
Thank you.

[Ksenia]

Oh how I will miss this series!!!!!

[Colton · Rating 5 out of 5]

"When you feel like this, the last thing you want to do is tell your friends."

[tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn’t the end of the previous series, I’m assuming this is the beginning of a new one. It doesn’t feel the same as the previous series because it is a whole year jump in time from the last one, and when I first started the last one I wasn’t too impressed either. Because there’s a time jump and we are plopped into a story, you don’t have any connections to the new relationships, whether good or bad, which is the best part of this series. I’m sure in a few issues it will be back to the level I’m used to

[Clint · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very wistful to know this series is properly finished now. As a supersized final issue, it’s a bit scattered and not especially bookending, but I’m still glad to have one last visit with these wonderful characters, and hope to maybe see them cameo in future work from Allison.

So yeah, this probably isn’t the strongest issue to act as an epilogue for the series, but what an all-time great these 50ish issues are overall!

[Tandava Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seemed a bit of an odd storyline to have as the finale to the whole series, but oh well. I’m gonna miss all these guys.

[Nahia · Rating 3 out of 5]

2'5 en realidad.

Simplemente fingiré no haber leído este issue porque me ha gustado más bien poco.

[M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rip off.

Not that great and entirely too short for the price.
I regret the purchase. A rip off. Save your money, or wait for it to go on sale for 99 cents.

[Larakaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look at my three favourite derps, all grown up! Well...almost.

[Nara · Rating 4 out of 5]

✧.* ¡Esta novela gráfica fue algo inesperado y me dejó con un gustito amargo, no obstante fue lindo volver a saber de Suan, Esther y Daisy

Es triste cuando una novela gráfico o un libro termina y sabes que no volverás a saber más de esos personajes, no obstante esta novela no me gustó, creo que hubiese sido feliz sin saber haberla leído porque me dio pena saber que no todas lo estaban pasando bien y aún más que Esther se había alejado tanto de sus amigas. Claro, el final fue lindo, porque volvieron a estar juntas, pero algunas cosas igual me dejaron con más dudas, por ejemplo QUÉ PASÓ CON ED?!! porque solo apareció una página y eso fue todo 💔

[Kaitlyn Whitten · Rating 3 out of 5]

3🌟

Accidentally read this one first not knowing any better🤦🏻‍♀️ Made it a bit confusing but that was my fault ha. going to go back and start from the beginning now though as it was good for the jumbled piece that it was ha.

[meklit · Rating 3 out of 5]

daisy's girlfriend is so cute, note those fantastic eyebrows! solid series

[erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful finish

[Caytie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uh.......... good, weird but good. Its kind of nice to see the girls again. But it was missing something.

[Tim Nowotny · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

I am always surprised how easy these stories seem from the outside. I am simply spoilt by them. This one focused a bit too much on Esther for such an important issue for me

[Spencer Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to revisit these characters after college.

[Brujaxa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Estuvo bien, pero no aporta demasiado a la historia.

[Claire (find me on Storygraph) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awwh, it's the end. I'll miss these characters.

[madison✿ · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.75

[kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you hated this special ending issue you hate FUN

[Nia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a little lost in the middle but I really liked this one, it was a bit more cohesive and felt more like a final chapter than #54.