Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans’ New Graphic Novel, We Called Them Giants, is a Poignant and Devastating Tale of Communication Across a Chasm at the End of the World
In their follow-up to the critically acclaimed RPG-horror series Die, Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans have teamed up once again for We Called Them Giants, a new standalone original graphic novel that promises to be just as captivating and subversive as its predecessor. This time around, the creative duo has crafted a poignant and devastating tale of communication across a chasm at the end of the world, featuring beautiful, painterly artwork from Hans and an emotionally charged story from Gillen.
According to Gillen, We Called Them Giants was born out of a desire to do something completely different after the success of Die. “So, in the middle of the covid lockdowns, I was left alone with my cats, staring at them, and staring at me, and thinking about the miracle of relationships between beings of completely different kinds of intelligences, and the wonder of the jump across that gap,” he explained to io9 in a statement over email. “The image of the feral girl in the devastation and the giants came quickly after that, and we were away.”
The story follows a young girl named Lori, who wakes up one day to find the world suddenly a lot more empty than it should be. With all that remains of humanity scraping for survival and fighting among itself, Lori’s life is transformed all over again when horrifying, beautiful creatures suddenly enter the picture. As she navigates this new, post-apocalyptic world, Lori will fall in love, have her heart broken, and experience the full range of emotions that only a Hans/Gillen collaboration can provide.
“People will fall in love and have their hearts broken—the full Hans/Gillen experience,” Gillen continued. “Despite the post-apocalypse setting, the story has an almost weird-fable kind of vibe, and ends up basically as a conversation between The Walking Dead and The Iron Giant. Basically, We Called Them Giants is the story of communication across a chasm at the end of the world.”
Hans added that working on We Called Them Giants was a joy, especially given the opportunity to luxuriate in creating a single long story with a poignant, romantic, and devastating tone. “It’s nothing like we did before,” she said. “In all the best ways.”
We Called Them Giants is set to hit shelves on November 12, and fans of Gillen and Hans’ previous work can expect a beautiful, heart-wrenching tale that explores the human condition in the face of unimaginable devastation. The artwork from Hans is sure to be breathtaking, as always, and the story from Gillen promises to be an emotional rollercoaster that will leave readers both devastated and uplifted.
Don’t miss out on this incredible new graphic novel from two of the most talented creators in the industry today. Check back soon for more updates on We Called Them Giants, and be sure to click through to see some teases of Hans’ gorgeous artwork from inside the book.