So I know we have an insider on this one and I think a few other readers BUT Giant Days heard good things but only today saw that it's set in Sheffield University... is this actual University of Sheffield as in Yorkshire and does it reference the city much?
Can't really say myself. Never been to Sheffield. That aside, it's well worth your time. Consistently funny and witty. Never thought my comic buying highlight of every month would be about three girls going to college but there you go. You should check it out.
Giant Days is unmistakably British and John's scripts provide extensive links to photo reference of various locations. Although I worked in Sheffield for a couple of years, I never really got to know more of the city than the walk from the train station to my office in a block opposite Cole Brothers, and a handful of city centre pubs, so I can't speak to how Sheffield-specific it is.
I can confirm that I've defended the script from well-meaning editorial changes that mistook local idiom for errors (including sending a memorable email on the correct usage of duck/me duck that runs from Northamptonshire, up through Nottinghamshire into South Yorkshire) and there's quite a good joke when the girls are house-hunting about a flat being in "South Sheffield" when Chesterfield cathedral is clearly visible from the window...
...And to echo blackmocco's sentiments — yes, it's very good. Easily the favourite thing to pass across my desk in any given month. That we're now coming up on #42 of a monthly comic about three young women going to university gives me constant hope for the medium.
Above all, the thing I really love about the book is not that it's funny (and it's often very funny — a recent issue had a Star Trek gag that was so spectacularly awful in both set-up and pay-off that I wanted to stand up and applaud) but that it's also wise and kind.
A little delight. Every month. Plus, check out John's new (very different) book, By Night, which is also great.
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 30 July, 2018, 07:29:25 AM
... walk from the train station to my office in a block opposite Cole Brothers...
Showing your age there Jim its been John Lewis for agrees now... though we still call it Cole's!
Thanks both of you - I will be defo trying this out... hopefully Boom! will have a sale soon!
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 30 July, 2018, 05:51:49 PM
Showing your age there Jim its been John Lewis for agrees now... though we still call it Cole's!
Thinking about it, this probably was about twenty years ago. Jesus. I can't now remember whether it had John Lewis signage, only that my colleagues called it Cole Brothers...
Changed in 2002 fact fans.
God I feel old!
To put that into perspective this wee squaxx was just 7 at the time.
Keep up old timers!
But back to Giant Days...it is indeed fabulous, heartfelt and wonderfully entertaining stuff. One of the highlights of my pull list every month.
Quote from: Hawkmumbler on 01 August, 2018, 10:12:24 AM
To put that into perspective this wee squaxx was just 7 at the time.
Nothing to crow about, just means your tender nutritious flesh will be in higher demand in the post-apocalyptic wasteland. Only reason they'd butcher me at this point is to use my leathery hide for replacement assless chaps.
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 30 July, 2018, 07:29:25 AM
I can confirm that I've defended the script from well-meaning editorial changes
I forgot to mention that I even have an uncredited art contribution! I forget which issue, but I re-drew a power socket to change it from a two-prong US style to a the three-prong UK version. Saved the day again! :-)
(Max is from Finland, so I suppose we can forgive her.)
Quote from: Hawkmumbler on 01 August, 2018, 10:12:24 AM
To put that into perspective this wee squaxx was just 7 at the time.
Keep up old timers!
In 2002...?!
+1 for the Giant Days love. Heard about it on the House To Astonish podcast when they reviewed the first issue.
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 30 July, 2018, 05:51:49 PM
Thanks both of you - I will be defo trying this out... hopefully Boom! will have a sale soon!
You mean like this one (https://www.comixology.co.uk/comics-sale?list_id=25300).
Quote from: I, Cosh on 01 August, 2018, 07:23:53 PM
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 30 July, 2018, 05:51:49 PM
hopefully Boom! will have a sale soon!
You mean like this one (https://www.comixology.co.uk/comics-sale?list_id=25300).
Cheers. Anything else in that sale worth a punt, Cosh?
Quote from: I, Cosh on 01 August, 2018, 07:23:53 PM
Thanks both of you - I will be defo trying this out... hopefully Boom! will have a sale soon!
You mean like this one (https://www.comixology.co.uk/comics-sale?list_id=25300).
[/quote]
Blimey. £1.49 for the first TPB? Do it. You couldn't buy half a pint round my way for that!
Quote from: I, Cosh on 01 August, 2018, 07:23:53 PM
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 30 July, 2018, 05:51:49 PM
Thanks both of you - I will be defo trying this out... hopefully Boom! will have a sale soon!
You mean like this one (https://www.comixology.co.uk/comics-sale?list_id=25300).
Nice one! First seven volumes bought ... and I might give them a bunk up my too read list too!
Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 01 August, 2018, 10:39:13 AM
Quote from: Hawkmumbler on 01 August, 2018, 10:12:24 AM
To put that into perspective this wee squaxx was just 7 at the time.
Keep up old timers!
In 2002...?!
Indeed. :lol: :lol:
Quote from: Frank on 01 August, 2018, 07:51:00 PM
Quote from: I, Cosh on 01 August, 2018, 07:23:53 PM
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 30 July, 2018, 05:51:49 PM
hopefully Boom! will have a sale soon!
You mean like this one (https://www.comixology.co.uk/comics-sale?list_id=25300).
Cheers. Anything else in that sale worth a punt, Cosh?
There's a couple of Spurrier mini-series: I'd rate
The Spire as one of his best. That Grant Morrison + Ian Gibson
New Avengers series. And both volumes of
Mezolith,which is outstanding.
Quote from: I, Cosh on 02 August, 2018, 09:28:44 PM
Quote from: Frank on 01 August, 2018, 07:51:00 PM
Quote from: I, Cosh on 01 August, 2018, 07:23:53 PM
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 30 July, 2018, 05:51:49 PM
hopefully Boom! will have a sale soon!
You mean like this one (https://www.comixology.co.uk/comics-sale?list_id=25300).
Cheers. Anything else in that sale worth a punt, Cosh?
There's a couple of Spurrier mini-series: I'd rate The Spire as one of his best. That Grant Morrison + Ian Gibson New Avengers series. And both volumes of Mezolith,which is outstanding.
Done. Thanks muchly.
While I admire The Cosh with a depth that frankly need not be shared on this forum I can't be blind to his error here. Please understand that it is only the feeling I have for him that make me say what I will. I want... no need him to be the very best he can be...
...therefore I find myself crushed over his recommendation of The Spire over Six Gun Gorilla. Oh sure The Spire is good, very good, but Six Gun Gorilla is simply magnificent and anyone who says otherwise must surely smell a little of wee*
*I have met The Cosh and he does NOT smell of wee in the slightiest, I said this merely for dramatic effect.
I've just bought the first seven volumes on that sale as well. Been eyeing this up for ages. There's a very nice daily twitter post that's been drawing me closer and closer in and with this sale I couldn't resist! Happy days!
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 28 July, 2018, 04:01:35 PM
So I know we have an insider on this one and I think a few other readers BUT Giant Days heard good things but only today saw that it's set in Sheffield University... is this actual University of Sheffield as in Yorkshire and does it reference the city much?
Well self question answer here but started reading this tonight and by gosh its fantastic - but more on that later. 5 issues in and by heck it does reference Sheffield, pretty subtly but the plays I recognise! Its only in the establishing shots but its so Sheffield - though I am of course projecting a bit here some are very specific and can confirm from on picture of the University its them 'Up the road' Uni Of (where I went to Uni) not Sheff Hallam - where I now work.
I love this comic.
I also love the fact that while the events are sent in 2010s it feels like my first term at Uni in ... well earlier... I mean very like that, laptops and internet - which was a bit of a treat in those days - aside. I wonder has Uni changed so little, did John Allison go in the 90s... or ermm earlier shall we say???
Anyway loving this already and will be back to blather more I can tells ya...
It's a joy. Honestly, up until I got The Call from Tharg, working on this book has been the high point of my career, simply because I was the first person to read it every month. As I've said elsewhere, it deserves every plaudit it received (including those two Eisners last year!) not because it's funny (which it is) but because it's wise and it's kind.
The fact that the comic industry is in a place where this book could run to 1200+ pages over four-and-a-bit years and reach a natural conclusion is one of the most positive things I can say about it.
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 26 May, 2020, 09:33:25 PM
As I've said elsewhere
Or, indeed, on the first page of this thread, if I'd bothered to check! What a numpty.
Thanks for the recommendation, folks. Another title added to my pile!
I'm going to repeat myself a bit here. But this is sooo Sheffield. Not just in its placing and my gosh as it goes on (I've now read the first 32 issues and will be picking up the rest) it does name check and make specific reference not only to Sheffield landmarks and places, but more specifcally to places I spent my Uni days (or shortly after as well). To the extent that my old local The Cobden View makes an appearance - though fair to say while it was my local in my second year of Uni I didn't really go there often until, I returned to live on Western Road 2 years after graduating. The thrll of seeing my youth splashed large on the page of an internationally recognised comic is a bit silly but very real!
It hits a peak when they give special mention (and pictural reference) to the very sadly missed Rare and Racey second hand book and record shop. I still own I bag from there I'd kept when I heard it was closing!
Anyway its Sheffield for reasons beyond that. Its laid back attitude, with a dark but good natured comic ear undercutting it. Its sharp honestly. Its lack of pretention - while comics like Saga with its pushy cut and thrust attention seeking drive are Manchester or Leeds. This book is Sheffield in its heart and soul. Its quietly brilliant, not fussed if you know it and cut through with good humour and humanity.
It couldn't be more Sheffield if it was written by Richard Hawley and drawn by Pete McKee and printed using Hendo's Relish.
When did you go to university in Sheffield, Colin? I was at Hallam between 1997 and 2001 and then at the Sheffield College until 2002. It's such an important place to me and I would move back there if we ever came back to live in the UK but not in some of the dives I lived in (opposite the Abbeydale, in Nether Edge and near Endfcliffe Park).
I've kind of fallen out with reading comics in the last couple of years (that's why I don't post anything) but you've inspired me to want to pick this up, principally for the city references you mention but also because of all the praise on this thread. Checking Wikipedia I see I have some catching up to do with 14 trades so far.
Quote from: Third Estate Ned on 01 June, 2020, 08:53:03 AM
Checking Wikipedia I see I have some catching up to do with 14 trades so far.
Fourteen is your lot — that's entire run, including (I think) the holiday specials. If you enjoy it, John is, as always, running his own webcomics, links to which you will find here. (http://www.scarygoround.com)
Be aware that the Steeple webcomic is a sequel to the five-issue Dark Horse mini-series of the same name, which is great, albeit rather different in subject matter — a new Church of England curate arrives in a small Cornish town where the CofE vies directly with the Church of Satan for the souls of the community and any number of monstrous beasties haul themselves out of the sea at regular intervals. All of which sounds terribly serious, but is approached with John's usual charm and wit.
Also, about to resume after a brief COVID-enforced hiatus, there's Wicked Things from BOOM, by the Giant Days team — not a sequel to Giant Days, but catches up with occasional supporting character Lottie Grote a few years down the line. It is, as you'd expect, great and has Max Sarin's best artwork to date, IMO.
Thanks for the recommendations, Jim. I like the look of the art in both the titles you mention. How come they don't credit the letterer in the Creator list when you're clearly credited on the front cover, though?
https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/3005-037/Steeple-1 (https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/3005-037/Steeple-1)
If that sounds quite taunting, I don't mean to be. It just seems odd.
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 01 June, 2020, 09:10:20 AM
... Max Sarin's best artwork to date, IMO.
Sorry forgot to mention in my love for Sheffield clouded wittering that Max Sarin's art just gets better and better and better as the series progresses and by the end is just superb.
Quote from: Third Estate Ned on 01 June, 2020, 08:53:03 AM
When did you go to university in Sheffield, Colin? I was at Hallam between 1997 and 2001 and then at the Sheffield College until 2002. It's such an important place to me and I would move back there if we ever came back to live in the UK but not in some of the dives I lived in (opposite the Abbeydale, in Nether Edge and near Endfcliffe Park).
I was 'Up the Road' 1993 - 1996 and again in 1998/9 for a Masters. I too have lived in Nether Edge - both in a shared house - that was as near to a squat as i have lived in and in my first owned Flat on Sheldon Road.
And yeah have lived on (or just off) Sharrowvale Road in both rented and our first family house. My Crookes (and Crookesmoor) days fill the rest of my time in Sheff. Well until we have now of course moved away from the riff raff students and retreated up the hill to proper suburban middle class Sheffield!...
... not that all the places mentioned aren't pretty middle class!
Quote from: Third Estate Ned on 01 June, 2020, 09:34:46 AM
If that sounds quite taunting, I don't mean to be. It just seems odd.
It doesn't sound that way, and it is odd, but I'm used to it! John specifically asked that I get a cover credit, bless 'em.
To Jim: being used to it doesn't make it right, I guess, considering the mind-boggling amount of work and creative decisions that go into it (having popped into the lettering thread occasionally).
To Colin: The chances are we crossed paths in Pop's "supermarket", Jacksons or in the Byron at some point in the distant past as I lived in a shared dump on Briar Road, a street adjoining Sheldon Road.
To not irreparably derail the thread with dewy-eyed old man's musings, I just ordered Giant Days: Not on the Test Edition I - Fall Semester for a very reasonable price.
Just ordered the first three paperbacks from that there amazon.
I'm hoping it will be as good as I want it to be.
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 01 June, 2020, 09:10:20 AM
Quote from: Third Estate Ned on 01 June, 2020, 08:53:03 AM
Checking Wikipedia I see I have some catching up to do with 14 trades so far.
Fourteen is your lot — that's entire run, including (I think) the holiday specials. If you enjoy it, John is, as always, running his own webcomics, links to which you will find here. (http://www.scarygoround.com)
Be aware that the Steeple webcomic is a sequel to the five-issue Dark Horse mini-series of the same name, which is great, albeit rather different in subject matter — a new Church of England curate arrives in a small Cornish town where the CofE vies directly with the Church of Satan for the souls of the community and any number of monstrous beasties haul themselves out of the sea at regular intervals. All of which sounds terribly serious, but is approached with John's usual charm and wit.
Serious? Sounds like a cross between Mr Pye and original run Doctor Who to me*.
* I don't need to specify that's a good thing, do I?
Quote from: sheridan on 01 June, 2020, 01:39:27 PM
Serious? Sounds like a cross between Mr Pye and original run Doctor Who to me*.
TBH, in places it reads more like someone hired Alan Bennet to rewrite The Wicker Man as a gentle comedy. I mean that in a
very good way.
Quote from: Third Estate Ned on 01 June, 2020, 10:35:50 AM
To Colin: The chances are we crossed paths in Pop's "supermarket", Jacksons or in the Byron at some point in the distant past as I lived in a shared dump on Briar Road, a street adjoining Sheldon Road.
Oh if you lived on Briar Road its very possible we crossed paths and I had friend who lived there for about 3 years - it was my favourite haunt (this is when I lived in Crookes so 98 and 99) and then when I moved into my flat in 2000.
Great Pop's reference - I live in the block of flat next door to the three shops there!
This is all very strange to me. Are you saying the very short Briar Road, where I lived from '97 to '98, was your favourite haunt or just that area? I can't believe Pop's is still Pop's and now you live thereabouts. On a 2000AD related note, I lived on Fulwood Road for a bit and I distinctly remember the barman in The Ranmoor Inn trying to entertain a girl by enthusiastically telling her about fatties and belly wheels. No chance that was you?
Just in case, you're wondering, I don't know why I remember another person's conversation from 20 years ago but not what I did the previous afternoon. Sorry, I'm derailing the thread. I'll add something useful when the book arrives.
No the house my friends lived in, not Briar Road itseld! Basically most of my best friends lived there for a couple of years, number 22, I think it was - could check - So spent many a happy day, night weekend around there. In fact it was a house party there that I saw in The Millenium and oh man that was quite the night!
I can honestly say, while I've been to the Ranmoor Inn, I've never tried to thrill someone with tales of fatties and belly wheels. Every one knows you use Otto Stump and Uglies for that.
Yeah I blame myself for the thread derailing but Giant Days is so, so evocative of not just Sheffield but that time in my life. Not simply Uni days but those of bumming around house sharing with the friends you will have for life. I still consider all this talk as reviewing the material!
In the interests of in-depth reviewing, then, I would say there's no need to check the house number. I lived on the other side of the road to that. Couldn't wait to leave that particular house though, it was an awful dump. Such a small world.
OK, that's enough, I could reminisce all day.
Google Street View (https://goo.gl/maps/Ugnut1JYYKJxCV497) is your friend. Had a look at some of the old places I'd lived the other day - they've changed considerably more than that area of Sheffield has!
Yeah, that's it. Amazing how evocative a simple photo of a house can be. Looks like I lived at no. 15, even the colours of the bay windows remain the same. But residential streets don't change much. A while ago someone posted a video of Sheffield city centre how it is now and I hardly recognised the place.
Quote from: Third Estate Ned on 02 June, 2020, 08:30:43 AM
Yeah, that's it. Amazing how evocative a simple photo of a house can be. Looks like I lived at no. 15, even the colours of the bay windows remain the same. But residential streets don't change much. A while ago someone posted a video of Sheffield city centre how it is now and I hardly recognised the place.
You may think that but the former residences I looked at had changed a
lot - one had been knocked down and replaced by a block of flats (and a soulless place it looked too), while the area around another had been pedestrianised and (pedestrian) alleyways had been closed off.