- Writer and Artist: Jason Howard
- Letterer: Fonografiks
Thanks to Image Comics for the review copy!
Issue 1 of BIG GIRLS was a pleasant surprise, as I went in knowing nothing about the title. A book called BIG GIRLS could be about many things, and in this case it is indeed about girls who are big … like taller than a building big. In a future world where men who are infected turn into huge monsters (called Jacks), the Big Girls defend the Preserve, a city where the remaining humans congregate. Adding a wrinkle to the story, a faction of people oppose the Preserve government. The first issue established Ember (one of the Big Girls) and a grieving father who lost his son as the two focuses of the series.
In issue 2, we get an awesome Godzilla style smackdown between the giant monsters and giant women. We also learn more about the human opposition movement. While I originally thought this series might be a pretty straightforward giant monster story, there is apparently more intrigue in store, adding depth to the series. I do think there is room for Ember to be fleshed out as a character in future issues, but until then, I’ll gladly accept more panels of cool monster fighting.
In addition to the story, the art is a strong point for this series. The fight scenes are well choreographed. The character designs for the new Big Girls we meet are excellent and each has its distinct appearance. The coloring is appropriate for a smashed up future, with a gray, bleak color palate that makes Ember’s red hair stand out. The monsters are suitably gross and menacing, and look sort of like distant cousins to the the frog monsters that populate Mike Mignola books.
I suppose knowing that this series is about Big Girls who fight big monsters might be enough to drop in for issue 2, but I recommend starting with issue 1 if possible, as it will provide useful information about the world and the characters. This series has a lot of room to grow and I’m glad I got in on the ground floor.
BIG GIRLS #2 is available now. is available now.
Check back soon for my thoughts on issue 3 of this series.
Have you read the issue? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter.
