Giant Monster
Grade 7 Up An over-the-top valentine to pulps and B-movies, this comic is intended to be a gruesome romp through a number of classic horror and action tropes. Originally published as two 48-page issues, it is rounded out with a reproduction of the script for the first half of the story. Astronaut Don Maggart is infected with a mysterious substance on his reentry to Earth and transforms into a hungry monstrosity, increasing in size and strength as he consumes first rescuers, then his wife, then civilians by the handful. A retired Nazi scientist reveals his Super-Attack-Bot project to stop Maggart's rampage, and massive carnage ensues. The artwork has a lumpy, organic quality that lends itself to the blood-and-guts violence that becomes the prime focus of the comic as it largely abandons story and even suspense over time. It can't quite abandon the characters, though, as they were never properly established in the first place, instead filling roles with functional efficiency. Still, the book provides a quick, wicked dose of pulpy ultra-violence with just enough self-awareness for those looking for a veneer of higher-order thinking or critical commentary.Benjamin Russell, Belmont High School, NHCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.