Daisy Enters The Matrix To Catch A Prankster In Giant Days #53

Esther, Daisy, and Susan are preparing for their final days as students. Each has different challenges ahead of them.  For Daisy, she has to juggle a rowdy first year resident intent on pulling the prank to end all pranks.  This anticipation consumes Daisy, turning her into a leather-clad extra from The Matrix. Everything will come to head at the Last Smash Dance and she is ready for anything the prankster may throw her way.

Whatever you’re expecting when it comes to practical jokes are nothing compared to the lengths this student goes to get some revenge on Daisy. They are as absurd as they are impressive. They start subtle, with a number of chickens released over the course of a few days, building to the insane and then downright cruel.  I don’t know how writer John Allison thinks of this stuff.
My personal favorite is the paper kitchen. The prankster somehow replaced the cabinets and appliances with paper replicas. I don’t even know where to begin to understand how this was done. The reveal for this is absolutely hilarious. Artist Max Sarin captures the perfect look of surprise on Daisy’s face as she leans on the counter only to fall straight through it. I’m laughing just thinking about it again.

In hindsight, I should have seen something like this coming as the kitchen is rather wavy in texture.  There are no straight lines in the room, giving it an unnatural appearance.  I was so focused on the characters that I missed this.  It’s clear Sarin had this covered from the beginning.
The real tragedy of Daisy’s final days as a student is that she misses key items, including a new love interest that are right in front of her in favor of seeking justice.  I’m not saying the prankster was right.  I just wonder if a compromise could have been struck somewhere along the way that would have been beneficial for both parties.

We get a glimpse into the inner workings of the prankster, fueled by a lack of sleep.  This causes her to see the world through a distorted lens.  Remember the wavy kitchen?  Well, this is like that on steroids.  Colorist Whitney Cogar brings this fever dream version of reality to life in an alarming fashion.  We slip into a horror story for a brief moment with a crazy mash-up of colors that serve as a startling contrast to the rest of the book.
Everything works together in Giant Days to make a consistently hilarious comic.  Letterer Jim Campbell gets in on the action with some choice sound effect placement along with some nice use of bold text to emphasize certain words.  This last bit helps to deliver punchlines in just the right context.

Giant Days is a laugh-out-loud comic that is filled with heart.  This issue is fascinating to look at knowing what these three young women have gone through to get to the point where they’re about to graduate.  It’s rather bittersweet in this regard as I’m so invested in these characters.  I’m so happy for them and how far they’ve grown as individuals and as friends, but I don’t want this story to end.  I still haven’t totally accepted that Giant Days is ending soon.  I’m going to live in this denial cloud for a bit longer.
Giant Days #53 from Boom! Studios is currently available at your local comic shop and digitally through ComiXology and Amazon Kindle.