Posted in: Comics, IDW | Tagged: Bart Sears, giantkillers, HRL, idw publishing, ron marz, Tom Raney

Giantkillers #0 Review: An Ambitious but Impenetrable Story

There is a girl named Auoro. She has a great destiny ahead of her that will allow her to defeat the Dread Lord Omin. She is watched over by Arkon and, later, Tulat. She has jumped between times and worlds with these two. They have attempted to protect her and teach her what she needs to defeat Omin and save the world.

However, the forces of evil are never far behind, and her protectors may not be enough to save her.

Giantkillers #0 sets up for an ambitious saga marrying high fantasy and science fiction in a world-jumping, time-hopping adventure about Auoro and her protectors.

Unfortunately, that ambition may be the killer of this story or, at least, this first issue.

There is so much going on in this zero issue, and Giantkillers tries to convey all of the information about these characters, this world, and the threat facing it. Its success is dubious, as the story still comes out really confusing. There are all these characters and histories that are presented as if we should already know all about it. I actually looked up Giantkiller just in case this was a pre-existing franchise because the first issue hurls you into the very deep end.

There's not much reason to feel invested, either. Arkon is a stoic and cold warrior-type. Tulat is a mysterious and humorless wizard in the class of Gandalf sans the charm. Auoro is almost fleshed out, but the plot is so concerned with explaining her importance and power that we don't really get to the crux of this character.

It really does feel like a plot explosion where you found yourself covered in plot details, character traits, and confusion.

I am aware that there are intended to be three sections to this story, and they were written by two different authors. That may explain some of the obfuscation, but it doesn't excuse it.

The artists, Bart Sears (who is also the writer in his sections) and Tom Raney, do a solid job of creating a distinct world and character designs. The monsters and villains especially look quite cool. There are also a couple of spreads depicting the gods and higher beings of this universe, which are almost reminiscent of some Jim Starlin layouts. The overall style is reminiscent of some of the better work in the late '90s and early 2000s of Marvel and DC. The aesthetic does look good overall.

Nanjan Jamberi and Neeraj Menon do the color work, and they keep the comic bright and lively, as well.

Despite the solid artwork, I can't recommend Giantkillers #0. The plot is incredibly dense and disorganized. The characters aren't interesting. Despite having a unique world, the plot isn't especially fresh either. Give this one a pass.

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