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Giant Days #1

Story: John Allison

Art: Lissa Treiman

Colors: Whitney Cogar

Letters: Jim Campbell

Publisher: Boom! Box

1. Unless you religiously follow web comics, you’ve probably never heard of John Allison.
a. True, but you should be reading Bad Machinery. 
b. False

2. Giant Days is a book about____
a. Three girls beginning their first year of university in England.
b. The angst that comes along with wanting to reinvent yourself in a new place.
c. A bet settled by a cafeteria blunder.
d. All of the above.

3. Susan Ptolemy’s problems begin____
a. At the beginning of page one.
b. When a mysterious boy from her past named McGraw transfers to her school.
c. She catches her friend in a compromising moment.
d. She doesn’t have any problems (No that would be an awful story).

4. Esther De Groot is_____
a. The trio’s drama magnet.
b. A raven haired goth with horrible luck when it comes to boys.
c. A former member of a Black Metal Society with a weird mystical tattoo.
d. All of the above.

5. Daisy Wooton is______
a. Home schooled and naive.
b. Not a pervert, just enjoys watching napkin folding videos.
c. Both A&C
d. None of the above.

6. Lissa Treiman’s art in the book is______
a. Quirky, a mix of newspaper comic strip with the emotional grandiose of Scott Pilgrim.
b. Dark
c. Stick figures
d. Gory

7. What’s happening in the page above
a. An example of Whitney Cogar’s subtle yet distinct color work with the characters.
b. A funny visual gag you’ll see throughout the story.
c. Susan asserting herself as the group’s leader.
d. All of the above.

8. Does Giant Days have any flaws?
a. Yes, it’s too perfect.
b. No.
c. Yes, for a book set against the background of higher education they never entered a classroom.
d. Yes, a slice of life story needs a little more emotional stakes.

9. Should you buy Giant Days?
a. No, you should only read books with capes and tights where nothing relevant happens.
b. Yes, because you’re a well rounded person who can appreciate comical stories with down to earth characters.

10. Extra credit essay:
Giant Days is a book with the feminine voice of HBO’s GIRLS and the charm of the Sunday comics in the newspaper. John Allison crafts characters with genuine yearnings who blend together nicely. Lissa Treiman’s art is the best compliment a cleaver and whimsical story like this could get. Though first issue felt like it needed a bit more build in the tension, the series is worth getting on board for. I can’t wait to see these chicks get into more problems.

Score: 98% 

You’ll need to repeat the course – @bouncingsoul217

By: Lindsey Morris

Lesson #1 : Appearances can be deceiving. 

Help Us! Great Warrior is the latest effort from cartoonist Madeleine Flores, who took the strip from humble beginnings on Tumblr to the eight-issue limited series it now has with BOOM! Box. The comic found a strong following quickly when it was introduced online, so it’s no surprise that this new iteration has already seen acclaim and success. Who wouldn’t be able to relate to a lumpy warrior whose main concerns are looking cute, eating junk food, and defeating evil?

Lesson #2 :  The sooner you beat the baddies, the sooner you can have dessert.

Flores and colorist Trillian Gunn create a landscape of pastel imperfection where monsters roam freely, sleepy time is mercilessly interrupted, and there is just never enough cake to go around. A cruel world, indeed. The titular Great Warrior is constantly called upon to help fight demons, but sometimes she just has better things to do, you know? All work and no play never worked out for anyone.

Lesson #3 : Honesty is the best policy. 

From lamenting her lack of deodorant, to trying to pawn off heroic missions on her friends, Great Warrior is a charming goofball of a lead character. Her supporting cast of ladies, Hadiyah and Leo, bring personalities that help balance the levity of the book, offering more serious tones to the mix. Between the three of them, and Great Warrior’s new companion Buckets, they make a ragtag group of champions that will surely dominate the day in the issues to come.

Help Us! Great Warrior #1 is an excellent introduction to a great all-ages comic steeped in fantasy, snacks, and friendship.

By Davey Nieves

Munchkin #1

Writers: Jim Zub, Tom Siddell, John Kovalic

Illustrators: Mike Holmes, Rian Sygh, John Kovalic

Colors: Fred Stresing

Letters: Jim Campbell

Publisher: BOOM! Box

The world of table top card games is a universe in and of itself. Much like exploring space you have to be willing to come into contact with any life forms you discover. My sea crab nature prevents me from doing so but I can appreciate the cunning and strategy involved in crafting a game like D&D, Magic The Gathering, or Cards Against Humanity. Apparently I’m not the only one; BOOM! Studios BOOM! Box imprint decided to do a comic book series based on the popular card game Munchkin.

Originally a satire of fantasy roleplaying, the game has since taken on non-fantasy and non-gaming elements, and the new comic series is a direct reflection of that. For anyone that’s never played Munchkin; the game is more of a parody take on card gaming, only with a purpose. Kick open the door. Kill the monster. Steal the treasure. Screw over everybody you come in contact with. Welcome to the quirky world of Munchkin. The book features four stories set in and around the world of the game, featuring Spyke, Flower, and all the other characters, monsters, and settings players have come to love.

Let’s just talk about the best and worst of the stories found in this first issue, because there’s a fit for each. Jim Zub writes a great six page story dealing with one of the game’s most prominent themes, betrayal. One experienced character seemingly guides a noob through a dungeon as he’s simply trying to level up. The jokes in the story are sharp enough that you’ll ignore the “saw that one coming” ending. Tom Siddell’s “Humans Got No Class” story definitely lacks the punch that the others in the book capture. The story is about a group of players trying to lure their friend into joining the game only for the rug to be pulled out from under them. While it has its own charm, the punchline of the story just doesn’t make you laugh as much as the other tales did. Tom also writes a three page opening called “What is a Munchkin?” that’s hilarious.

For a book that has three different artist; the style feels universal and not one bit out of place in this cover to cover satire on gaming tropes. Mike Holmes, Rian Sygh, and John Kovalic each illustrate a story (sometimes two) and each capture necessary whimsy the sight gags need to keep the readers attention. While Rian’s work is probably the smoothest of the three none ever feel foreign compared to the others.

Overall Munchkin is a fun read for fans and non-fans alike, but any lasting appeal will only land with hardcore fans. Bonus, there’s even an exclusive Up A Level card for players that ships with the first print of every issue. BOOM! Box knows who they’re selling this book to and have designed it that way. If you already know and enjoy the world of Munchkin go pick this up.

If you remember the word munchkin as something uncle Jesse called Michelle on Full House then follow Dave on twitter@bouncingsoul217

Boom!’s creator-driven Boom ox line is expanding next month with Help Us! Great Warrior from Madeline Flores. It’s based on her webcomic and follows a Great Warrior who keeps her village safe., and the appeal to the crowd that likes Lumberjanes is obvious.

Covers and variants:

Help Us! Great Warrior #1 Main Cover by Madeleine Flores

Help Us! Great Warrior 10 Years Incentive Cover by Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb

(Full wraparound image shown)

Help Us! Great Warrior #1 Retailer Incentive Cover by MAiS2

Boom is expanding its indie-focused BOOM! Box imprint in April with Lumberjanes, by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis, with art by Brooke Allen. It’s the story of five campers who spend the summer having adventures with yetis, three-eyed wolves, and giant falcons. Its described as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Gravity Falls,” which is a slick way of saying…spooky camping out mysteries! Stevenson (Nimona) is a well-known creator, Ellis is a newcomer and Allen was the cartoonist on A Home for Mr. Easter, a quirky book that I enjoyed but didn’t get too much attention when it came out.

BOOM! Box is set up to feature original comics in the same vein as Boom hugely popular Cartoon Network titles. The first was THE MIDAS FLESH by Ryan North, Braden Lamb and Shelli Paroline. There is a surplus of insanely talented people to work on this kind of material and Boom! it seems to us, is wise to take advantage of this pool.

Here are the three covers for the first issue — this looks delightful!

LUMBERJANES Cover A by Noelle Stevenson


LUMBERJANES Cover B by Madeleine Flores



LUMBERJANES Cover C by Lauren Zukauskas