A mishap during the return of a space shuttle unleashes an unbelievable horror in Steve Niles and Nat Jones’ Giant Monster from Boom Studios. Niles and Jones, who previously worked together on “The Nailâ€Â? with Rob Zombie, bring the goods on the first part of this tale of non-stop disaster with no body count seeming too high. Niles uses a somewhat typical theme in monster movies (a tortured soul seeking revenge) and makes it his own by using a B-grade sci-fi horror monster as the instrument of destruction. Also, similar to some traditional horror movies, Niles imbibes the story with some deft touches of humor like showing a man and his mistress chatting about his infidelities on his boat then seeing the space shuttle lands right on top of them. Plus, the closing panel of this book that reminded me of a certain Gamma Ray Goliath was a nice bonus. As for the art, Jones’ lightly-inked style seems a perfect match. There’s a sketchy, almost kinetic quality to the panels that makes the entire look of the book seem dark but with a sense of energy ready to boil over at any minute complimented beautifully by colorist Jay Fotos’ muted color palate. If you’re into the classic monster movies and don’t mind some blood and guts, you can do no better than “Giant Monsterâ€Â?.
