Giant Monster

Giant Monster by Steve Niles
Adult Paperbacks-Main Level LEWIS


As a kid, the idea of giant monsters or creatures of any type in horror movies was always good for entertainment. I was a massive fan of the Godzilla movies as a child and enjoyed both Cloverfield and the King Kong remake as an adult. While many of these movies seem cheesy today, giant monster movies such as ones from the 1950’swere used as a cautionary tale against mankind’s unchecked technological daring. Steve Niles of 30 Days of Night fame tries to replicate the spectacle of these giant monster horror movies with the graphic novel Giant Monster. The format of a graphic novel seems ideal for this type of story. Movies are limited by their special effects budgets while graphic novels are only held back by the imagination of an artist.

The storyline is light and easy to follow. Space shuttle pilot Don Maggert is infected with a space parasite which turns him into a massive brainless red monstrosity which grows larger as it devours everything in sight. Normal human military methods never work in these situations so of course the only real solution is to unleash a giant killer robot built by a former Nazi scientist. As you might have guessed by that last sentence, the plot takes several bizarre twists. This graphic novel is intended for mature audiences as several scenes of monster destruction and the aftermath can be gruesome in their depiction. The artwork manages to convey the proper scale for two giant creatures fighting although the colors are dark and dreary. Niles gets the spectacle right but Giant Monster is not for those who are looking for the social commentary of the previously mentioned monster works. The characters are nothing more than archetypes of the figures seen in other stories such as the men in black government figures, a couple of kids who get stuck in the mix, and a general who wants to shoot first and ask questions later. But with a title as simple as Giant Monster, readers should already not expect much in-depth storytelling. What they should expect is a carnage filled scare fest perfect for any horror fan.