We Called Them Giants: But what do they represent?

A graphic novel presents an interesting premise but leaves me somewhat cold.

We Called Them Giants
Written by Kieron Gillen
Art by Stephanie Hans
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Published by Image Comics, 2024
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It seems like there are certain writers who people seem to like a lot but whom I struggle to connect with. That’s probably true for anyone; there are certain writers whose style just doesn’t push a certain person’s buttons, even if there’s nothing really wrong with what they do. I think Kieron Gillen might be one of those writers for me. I have nothing against him, and I can’t say I’ve ever read anything by him that I would consider to be bad, but I’ve also never read anything that really wowed me.

Gillen’s first major work was the comics series Phonogram, which was co-created with artist Jamie McKelvie. It had an interesting conceit, treating music as magic, but when it didn’t connect with me, I thought it might just have been that I was unfamiliar with the types of music Gillen was referencing, which seemed to mostly be British indie bands. Later, Gillen and McKelvie did another interesting comic called The Wicked + The Divine, which was about various gods from around the world entering human society and assuming roles similar to superheroes while also being well-known celebrities. That’s a cool setup, but what I read of it just didn’t grab me. The same could be said for another recent series, Die, which was created with artist Stephanie Hans. It had to do with some kids who got sucked into a fantasy world when playing a tabletop RPG, and it was well-done, but I still wasn’t especially taken with it.

I keep trying with Gillen though, because I’ve heard so many people praise his writing. I have enjoyed a few Marvel comics that he’s written, including the way he took some of the wilder concepts that writer Jonathan Hickman introduced when he was in charge of the X-Men comics and ran with them. I’ve also heard that his work on series like Eternals and Journey Into Mystery was good, so those might be something to try out at some point. I want to like his work, but I’m still looking for a comics series or graphic novel of his that I can get into.

That’s why I tried reading We Called Them Giants, a graphic novel in which Gillen reteamed with Stephanie Hans to create a sort of post-apocalyptic adventure. Unfortunately, I think my general reaction isn’t too different than it was for previous Gillen books, although in this case, it may be because I’m struggling to figure out the symbolism. Once again, there’s no real complaint with Gillen’s writing, but it’s just not especially compelling to me.

This story follows Lori, a teenage girl who wakes up one day to find that she’s going to have to survive on her own because almost everyone else in the world has disappeared. Gillen establishes right away that she’s an orphan who has been in and out of different foster homes throughout her whole life, so she’s used to people leaving her and being disappointed when promises made to her are inevitably broken. She’s all ready to try to make it on her own, but she quickly meets up with a classmate of hers, a girl named Annette who is almost her exact opposite, being bubbly and optimistic. However, the two of them quickly encounter struggles, and before long, they’re barely surviving as they wander through deserted cities and try to scavenge whatever supplies they find while avoiding the dangerous gangs that are starting to take over.

While the situation has echoes of the rapture (the concept that’s been popularized by American Christians but isn’t really based on the Bible), Lori doesn’t believe that’s what has happened. Things do get fantastical though, starting with the appearance of a couple of gigantic humanoid beings who land in what seem to be alien spaceships and wander around the landscape, barely noticing any humans they come across. Around the same time as the giants’ arrival, a bunch of large, ferocious wolf-like beasts also start roaming the area, creating a threat that Lori and Annette only barely manage to survive due to the help of another wasteland wanderer, an elderly woman named Beatrice.

So, this is a combination of a post-apocalyptic survival story and one in which humans encounter alien beings that they don’t really understand. Lori, Annette, and Beatrice eventually catch the attention of one of the giants, which starts treating them as if they are wild animals that could potentially become pets. While Annette and Beatrice seem more open to accepting help from a benevolent, seemingly-omnipotent being, Lori’s inherent distrust keeps her from believing that it has their best interests at heart. But as the landscape becomes increasingly hostile to their survival as winter arrives and temperatures drop, Lori might not be able to hold out for much longer. And there are other threats waiting in the wings, leading to some dramatic developments that will force Lori to rethink her approach to the world.

All of this is brought to life fairly well by Stephanie Hans’ art. She has a style that uses a lot of digital coloring effects without a lot of detailed linework. It creates a kind of airbrush effect that’s nicely moody, giving the post-apocalyptic world a gloomy atmosphere that seems appropriately harsh. She also does a good job of making the giants seem weird and otherworldly and turning the wolves into shadowy, monstrous beings that seem ready to rip people apart. However, she does struggle a bit to convey emotion through the characters’ facial expressions, although there are a few dramatic moments that work pretty well. It’s generally a nice-looking book, with Hans doing everything she can to bring Gillen’s bleak world to life.

And that’s where I get tripped up on this book as I try to figure out what message Gillen is trying to convey. The elements of his story seem to be obviously symbolic, but what they symbolize isn’t immediately evident. The rapture-related business initially made me wonder if there was something of a religious message here. Even if it’s not directly analogous to the Christian god, the story could be about learning to trust in a higher power and appreciate the miraculous gifts it has given.

But I don’t think that’s quite right. Instead, I think the story is more directly related to Lori’s non-trusting nature. She’s been let down by adults so many times that she can’t rely on anyone but herself, and any support offered by anyone else seems suspect. So when someone does seem ready to help her, and that person is also so vastly powerful that it could crush her instantly if it changes its mind, there’s no way she can believe that it has her best interests at heart. By the time she does finally come around to feeling that she can trust it, it’s too late, and all she can do is be thankful that it was there to provide what help it could.

All of this seems to symbolize the difficulty of accepting help from others. So many people say that they don’t want charity, and while some of that comes from a desire for self-reliance, it also comes from distrust about what strings may be attached. Being open to accepting help isn’t easy, and some people may end up pushing others away out of fear of being hurt. But when they do refuse to allow people close to them to build those important bonds and provide assistance where they can, they may only realize what they could have had after that person is gone.

I don’t know if that’s exactly what Gillen was going for with this story, but the book does seem like an acknowledgment that connections with others can be important, and it’s only through risking pain and heartbreak that we can actually accept the help we need. That’s a pretty solid message, but I just didn’t find the story that delivered it to work incredibly well. Again, it’s generally fine, but it’s missing some intangible element that could have made it really hit home. Or perhaps I have some sort of mental block that’s keeping me from appreciating Gillen’s writing. I’ll probably keep trying to get into his work though, and maybe the next book of his that I read is the one that will finally sell me on him.