Clay Footed Giants by Alain Chevarier (co-writer, artist) and Marc McGuire (co-writer). Mad Cave, 2024.9781545808412. Publisher’s Rating: Teen +.
Right at the beginning, a character in Clay Footed Giants asks, “What’s with men these days?” And for a second it feels like it’s going to be about guys trying to reclaim their old-school manliness, but it’s not. It’s about Pat trying to figure out how to be a better dad than he had. His wife is the breadwinner of their family, and Pat is trying to balance his creative work with her need for him to pick up the slack at home, particularly when she’s out of town. His friend Mathieu seems more at ease in his role as a stay-at-home dad and isn’t given to angry outbursts like Pat is.
Pat ends up exploring his relationship with his father, a Vietnam vet who clearly hasn’t dealt with his own trauma, and trying to figure out not only how many of his problems he inherited but how to deal with them. His father’s story seems to hinge on a medal he received for service in Vietnam and doesn’t want to talk about. Pat investigates. It’s all tough to read (my father and father figures were of Pat’s father’s generation) and it’s an incredibly good book. Chevarier uses pencils/graphite, along with the few photos in the book, to evoke emotions and alter the level of detail in the scenes to great effect.
This is an amazing, oversized graphic novel with a lot of shelf appeal. I wish the title indicated a little more of what it’s about, but this is exactly the kind of excellent, under-the-radar graphic novel I always loved handing to folks when I worked at the reference desk.
