The Giant Detective, Volume 1
Author: Adam Rose
Artist: Magenta King and Dalts Dalton
Colorists: Magenta King and Mini Man
Letter: DC Hopkins
Publisher: Titan Comic
Publication date: October 2025
Something huge is coming. Decades after the giant Omega event, when a giant giant awakens from sleep, a giant detective named Gant must work with Tamaki, a highly human detective. When the pair tries to grasp the perpetrator, both can catch up with something bigger than they imagined. Fantasy mystery from newcomers Adam Rose and the Magenta King, a giant detective, is a book with many big and great ideas, and while its execution is flawed, it still remains a great reading experience.
Detective Tamaki investigates Manny, a young man with a mental disorder who believes he is one of the giants, and a humanitarian detective is stuck stealing drugs. Detective Gant is a guilty, traumatic giant with as many shoulder tips as Tamaki’s. Once their cases collide and the links between them become impossible to ignore, the two have to put the differences aside and work together. Rose and King use this buddycop format to explore the enormous differences with humanity in both physicality and psychology, giving an interesting twist on one of the dynamics of crime fiction’s most popular character. Together, the two need to investigate Manny’s pointless ramblings, deal with his tyrannical and mystical Mrs. Mother Stubbs, and how it returns to Dollsville, a human zoo deep in Brobdingnag, a huge sanctuary nation, all made from the remains of Australia. There are lots of great and fascinating ideas here. This book is packed with additional materials that will help you to embody the world. Mileage can vary, but the setting and world building for this comic proved to be absolutely top notch, and that became the main way I invested in the story. I wanted to learn more about this world and the people who live there.
Art by Magenta King
The plot and actual story of this book are very well structured and fascinating. It understands pacing very well, and all the issues make tensions well built and difficult to defeat them in the best way. Especially towards the end, things get out of hand, and are a huge, organic escalation of the story, and really well done. It requires many clues not only from classic hard-hitting detective stories, but also from urban fantasy, reminding me of other fantasy crime stories like the Dresden Files and the Rivers in London, but has a slightly off-putting, whimsical world-class building that relies on absurdity, fantasy and big ideas. Don’t be afraid to leave there a little. And I really respect and appreciate it because it gives the story its own identity.
Thematically, the book focuses on cultural divisions and divisions. Now, the way to handle this topic may be a bit clunky considering its history of eating humans and causing massive violence, but they are also portrayed in a light of almost sympathy. Both Gyant and Tamaki are traumatized, leading to early tensions with each other, but slowly unraveling over the course of the series, and of course, they become deeply caring for each other in a genuine way. It’s a bit of a nasty phor and I don’t blame anyone who hugs it. Another main focus is mental health and illness, with almost all the main characters suffering from certain mental health issues that they have to unleash and deal with, especially Manny. He initially appears to be an outdated and problematic presentation of mental health, but the overall direction in which his story enters is warm and sympathetic, and it reaches a truly sweet and healthy conclusion that gives you a sense of all the ambiguity in your mind. Generally, this is a story focused on telling an exciting and fun story, so questions are sometimes asked and never answered or explained in detail. I would rather be asked than completely ignore these ideas and questions, but it would have been good to have explained a little more detail about certain things, such as the ethics of evacuating the entire continent, or what happened to evacuated people who quickly fade from focus after the first couple’s issue.
Art by Magenta King
While reading the book, I was consistently impressed by Adam Rose’s writing. He gives Tamaki and Gantto a very distinctive narrative voice that allows both to have long narration without the book feeling repetitive or dull. His dialogue is sharp and resourceful, with great tips for conversation. Some of the one-liners are a bit cheesy, but they’re consistently entertaining anyway, so it works in book favors. His world building is top notch, he doesn’t allow him to infiltrate the story too much, and he maintains it whenever he needs to be at the forefront of the book.
There are so many unique and fun ideas here, but I found it fascinating to read, especially about the history of the Giants and their human zoo country. The story has some real explosive moments that really work well, creating a grand, exciting fantasy magnificent story of fantasy magnificent that blends both genres in truly fun and unique ways. It’s a great show from Rose, a relatively newcomer in the comics field, and the conclusion of the story opens more doors if there’s a story to tell. There is a short epilogue that draws conclusions to our main character, but there are so many fascinating things in this world to read, so stories focusing on other characters work just as well.
I have mixed feelings about Magenta King artwork. At the biggest and greatest moments of the series, it’s amazing and has an impressive and stunning splash page that absolutely shines in the best way. Most of the action and moments of tension, including huge things, are amazing, and he gives them a sense of scale that makes them feel like they are truly living in the space you are looking at.
But many of the books don’t look right at all. Often limited by the hard character representation work and the lack of strange details that can be extremely frustrating. King coloured the book himself with Miniman, and I think that might be part of the problem. I don’t think a simple block-like color palette would work perfectly for the series. It may undoubtedly benefited from a more complex and ambitious color palette. Perhaps it leans even further towards the contrast between high fantasy and hard-boiled crime fiction. Anyway, the art is still good, and gets better as the series progresses, and there’s no limit to the book being a good read.
If the creative team chooses to do more with this concept, we want to know how King’s artwork will evolve and improve. His cover of the series is also beautiful overall.
Art by Magenta King
Overall, the giant Detective Volume 1 is a very powerful show from two promising comic creators, featuring exciting and interesting world buildings and great artwork that often come together to convey the mystery of engaging and compelling genre blending. It’s an easy investment book and your investment will be rewarded with lots of unique and fun ideas and a compelling and exciting story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Although a bit limited by the lack of experience of the creator, it is an incredible display of talent from both, and a truly fun and enjoyable read for those who enjoy reading strange, unconventional stories that only comics can truly convey.
The Giant Detective Vol. 1 will be released in October via Titan Comics
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