If you’re looking for a bold new series that’ll sink its teeth into you from the start, Big Girls is a book that commands your attention. To me, it feels like Voltron meets Gulliver’s Travels packed with a bunch of other great pop culture influences. But more importantly, it establishes a solid plot early on and does an amazing job of pulling the reader into some of the internal struggles the main protagonist Ember faces daily, like killer, giant, grotesque creatures looking to destroy everything and everyone in sight.
The first issue introduces us to Ember, a 300-foot tall monster killer who’s into poetry. She, along with a bunch of other incredibly tall women who haven’t been introduced yet, are the first line of defense against writer Jason Howard’s version of kaiju called Jacks. Most of the issue is narrated by Ember, and through her dialogue, we learn how the government reformed against the creatures and why she was recruited to be a living wall or a force to combat the threat.
During the first couple of pages, there’s an event that happens between a father and son that sets the tone to let you know that there’s some serious conflict and drama that will happen throughout this series. As far as the writing is concerned, the story never goes off track or feels confusing. It’s a fully focused journey that knows where it’s headed. The captions and cleverly placed dialogue make you want to turn the page to see what happens next.
Pulling double duty, Howard also provides the artwork for this book. When you make a story about larger-than-life characters, you need to go big or go home, and that’s just what Howard does. Every page has an epic feel to them — Howard’s choice of panel sizes and layout help the book feel like we’re in a Christopher Nolan movie. He’s spot on with character design, facial emotion, and the stakes feel real.
Big Girls #1 is a fantastic start to a series with BIG potential (see what I did there?). I can’t wait to continue to dive into this world and learn more about Ember, the creatures, and whatever conflict Jason Howard has in store for us. Pick up this book and read it twice, because it’s worth a second read to explore the detailed art. There’s a great variant cover by artist Peach Momoko if you can get your hands on it as well.
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