oh, god - poor goliath!



singled out because of his massive size, forced to wear ceremonial armor that crumbles around him and stand in the same place day after day, quoting the same prepared script after sleeping exposed to the elements all night, just to intimidate the enemy, and prevent them from attacking.



he's just a big sweet guy who took a promotion he didn't really want that turned out to be a pretty boring job.

until.

some punk kid comes on the scene.

and you know what happens next.

poor, p More...

We are soldiers you know.
Ok. Next time I'll kill somebody.
Really?
No.

I got lost in Goliath's giant figure slumped against nondescript rock formations. Peaceful in their in the middle of nowhere nondescriptness. Day, night, almost day, almost night and behind your back. His face hidden under a beard I didn't attach my feelings to puzzlement. A longing to sit at a desk and do admin work. Goliath was good at admin work. Days behind your back. I imagine days would be better if the day before was cer More...

A freakishly tall yet meek army admin clerk called Goliath is tricked into pretending to be his army’s “giant champion”, a symbol that one of the King’s advisors hopes will end the conflict if the opposing army’s champion fails to meet Goliath’s challenge. Alas, we all know how it ends…

Tom Gauld shows a different side to the famous David and Goliath story with Goliath portrayed as not the giant he was purported to be but an overly tall chap near 7 feet tall, who prefers working quietly at his de More...

Beautiful book, very strong with clean, bold lines and a dry wit and sad. The idea, to write the David and Goliath story in terms of a reluctant Goliath, reminds me of Grendel or The True Story of the Big Bad Wolf...

Goliath is not the monster we have always thought him to be. Sure he is big, but he was forced into the whole challenge the army of king Saul thing. At least, this is what the author would have us think in this retelling of the famous bible story. Goliath, is taken from his administrative tasks and forced to challenge the army of King Saul. Hoping that no-one will accept his challenge, he stays out in the field all day and all night. He enjoys the peacefulness, for he is not really a man of war More...

I read this mainly because I find Gauld's art so beautiful. I love the obsessive-looking hatching, and the tiny, expressive, dumpy stick-men figures. While this is a reworking of the David and Goliath story, it doesn't actually change the main text--it just adds a story around the edges. What's lovely about this is that Gauld actually keeps the Bible story within certain parts of the characters' speech balloons, but renders it in a totally different block font from the other dialogue, making the More...

With the deceptive simplicity of Gauld's signature style, you watch Goliath wandering away from his desk to get a drink of water and picking up a pebble out of idle curiosity. Another soldier spots him:

"Goliath, what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Patrol."

"I've got admin. Do you want to swap?"

"Yeah, definitely."

"Great."

For although he's a giant, he's the fifth-worst swordsman in his platoon, and he prefers paperwork. He even feels sorry for the wild animals who are captured to fight for the army's ent More...

short notes:

For such a short book, Tom Gauld paints a story that will give you pause for a short time and consider other stories that you've read and whether or not their ending is different than what's been relayed. We often here that history is written by the winner and in no place is that more evident that David vs. Goliath. David is painted as a hero and Goliath as a villain seeking to do evil. But what do we really know about Goliath? And that's the story that Tom explores in this book. I w More...

Read this and other reviews at EditorialEyes Book Reviews.

~*~
5 out 5

In this spare, moving graphic novel, Tom Gauld approaches the familiar tale of David and Goliath from an unfamiliar point of view: Goliath’s. Playing with the idea that we only know the victor’s side of history, Gauld creates a deeply human Goliath who is sweet, quiet, and unassuming. Goliath just happens to be quite a bit bigger than the average soldier. He’s not a monster, a warrior, or even an expert fighter. He’s the “fifth More...

This is Tom Gauld at his best - quiet, calm storytelling with wit and warmth and a dark undertone. The darkness is provided here by the ending we already know, and the almost backwards-structure of the book as the unknown elements - the big man behind the big myth, his backstory and character - are fleshed out over the course of the tale.

Gauld's artwork is elegant as ever, with not a line wasted and everything sitting in its right place on the page. It just looks *beautiful*. The writing is spa More...

[Note: A version of this review, in German, was published in the Swiss comics journal STRAPAZIN.]

Some of the most memorable works of literature depend on a shift of perspective for a well-known tale. Composed centuries apart, Homer’s ILIAD and Virgil’s AENEID tell the story of the Trojan War from, respectively, the Greek and the Trojan sides. Milton flirted with heresy in daring to offer Lucifer’s view of the angelic rebellion and the Fall of Man. And John Gardner’s GRENDEL, perhaps the great Am More...

What do we know about Goliath of Gath? Not that much if you’d asked Scottish cartoonist Tom Gauld, and with his new graphic novel, Goliath, from Drawn & Quarterly, he attempts to expand a bit on the story of this giant. Those familiar with the Bible story of Goliath will know him as a ruthless pagan, hell bent on blood, conquer, and challenging one to meet him on the battle field. Well we all know how that story ended, but Gauld isn’t satisfied, and in this graphic novel he goes on a quest t More...

Gauld's retelling of the David and Goliath myth reimagines Goliath as quiet and introspective, pushed into war and role as the champion of the Philistines based solely on his size, without regard to the person.

The storytelling is straightforward, unromantic and rather quiet. We spend long moments waiting with Golaith to see what, if anything, will come of his provocations of the Israelites. Gauld conjures metaphors of the boredom of military life, the dehumanizing effect of bureaucratic reasoni More...

We all know who Goliath of Gath is right? That mythical warrior from the Old Testament, a crusher of the underdog, and feared by all, a literal giant amongst men?

Goliath by Tom Gauld [Review]But do we know him, really? Tom Gauld’s wonderful graphic novel switches the tale around a little. The Goliath here is the underdog, a slightly bewildered, gentle giant of a man, far happier getting on with the administrative work a large army creates, than doing any fighting…

Then the poor bloke suddenly fin More...

In the tradition of works like "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead", "Lo's Diary" and "The Wind Done Gone", Scottish artist and cartoonist Tom Gauld offers an alternative version of a familiar tale. In the case of "Goliath" readers are presented with the biblical story of David and Goliath retold from the perspective of the vanquished warrior. Unlike the the Old Testament account, the giant protagonist of Gauld's version is gentle and guileless; more at home with administrative tasks than com More...

For a book whose ending is foreordained and predictable, Goliath still packs a wallop, due to Gauld's deep sympathy, graphic elegance, formal calm, and beautiful, spare drawings. The book's premise is pretty obvious: the Biblical Goliath (David's nemesis) turns out to be a sensitive soul, a good guy, caught up in an absurd military scenario over which he has no control; in essence he is sacrificed to the inevitability of the old story. I got this premise right away, but still found the book comp More...

Goliath of Gath isn’t much of a fighter. Given half a choice, he would pick admin work over patrolling in a heartbeat, to say nothing of his distaste for engaging in combat. Nonetheless, at the behest of the king he finds himself issuing a twice-daily challenge to the Israelites: “Choose a man. Let him come to me that we may fight. If he be able to kill me then we shall be your servants. But if I kill him, then you shall be our servants.” Day after day he reluctantly repeats his speech, and the More...

I feel weird giving this four stars, when the story is so simple and the artwork is good but not remarkable. Still, everything works together to create an excellent reading experience with some deep significance. It's fair to say that the limited appearance of thematic elements (the bear, for example) actually accentuates the symbolism and story.

Gauld's art style definitely melds with the sparse terrain of the locale, and the straightforward lines match the direct manner of Goliath and his boy s More...

Tom Gauld's Goliath retells the biblical tale of "David and Goliath," as originally recounted in 1 Samuel 17, except that this version is told from the giant's point of view. And a very reluctant giant he is; hardly a warrior ("I mainly do admin"), Goliath of Gath is thrust into his position as the Philistines's representative champion though the machinations of a scheming captain. His confusion is palpable, and understandable, but -- being a good soldier -- he does as he's told, finding a sort More...

Poor Goliath. The dry humor of his daily life as a low level army bureaucrat somehow endears you to him, instead of making you numb to the final act. I did not realize how much of a douche David may have been. Totally did not occur to me.

I've meant to read some of the other stuff Tom Gauld has been putting out in years past (like Giant Robot) but was always scared away by the price-to-content ratio. Well my loss. Turns out he's got a great sense of pacing and really beautiful, simple art. Remin More...

A short book in a lot of different ways - short in number of pages, short on impact, and short on originality. Obviously any kind of suspense about how it turns out isn't the point - this is a story we all know the end of, after all. Here Goliath is presented as a reluctant champion for the Philistines who is hoping that nobody will show up to fight him. But presenting the story in this way doesn't really constitute originality. The ideas are just about as surprising as how the story turns out - More...

A retelling of the story of David and Goliath from Goliath's point of view. Goliath of Gath was the 5th worst swordsman and a gentle giant but was picked out by his captain as a champion to fight against the Israelites and to end the war. However, Goliath finds that he likes the solitude that he finds in the wilderness and away from the crowded Philistine encampment. His only company is the 9 year old boy shield-bearer.

Until David comes.

I love the illustration which reminds me a lot of Ed Emberl More...

We all know the story of David and Goliath, but did you ever stop and wonder what Goliath thought of the whole thing? What if he was really a sweet and bumbling giant that much preferred administrative work over battle? Sparse text coupled with simple yet illuminating graphics set the stage for deadpan humor, wit and reflection that will make you reconsider Goliath and that smartass punk, David.

There is a playlist: http://bit.ly/GMtpor and the best song representation of the book from said play More...

This may be a story you know from the bible but Gauld tells it from Goliath's point of view. Turns out he is big and tough looking but really not much of a fighter. Sure, he goes out and offers to fight twice a day but he is hoping nobody accepts. He is out in the Valley of Elah with his shield carrier (a 9 year old boy) and that is about it. He would rather be attending to his administrative tasks. You probably know how the story ends. Gauld's drawings are fantastic and he does a great job of s More...

This giant's point-of-view telling of the David and Goliath myth is funny and touching and, ultimately, very sad. Poor big old Goliath of Gath only wants to do some administrative work. But because he's enormous, some careerist middle manager cooks up a plan to make him the Philistines' champion. Goliath goes along and gets dead for his troubles. Impossible to not feel for the guy.

The simple, minimalistic art works beautifully with the gentle giant's tale, and contributes to the general mood of More...

David and Goliath is such a well known story that Gauld could not depend on plot to captivate his readers. Instead, the characterization of Goliath as a timid and non-violent large man who is too passive to stand up to his superiors, or the bureaucracy that contains them all, is what makes this book worth the reading. The simple line work and the slow pacing create a calm atmosphere to the story, which constantly stands in tension to the ending which looms ahead in the imagination of the reader. More...

Nothing really happens in this book; it's a character piece, a story of waiting for an inevitable conclusion. Tom Gauld's amazing etched cartoon line style really works well here, showing the passage of time and setting the mood of the piece perfectly; Goliath's personality is expressed through his physical characteristics as much as his words.

This is quite a short book - you'll probably read it in about 15 minutes - but it has a lingering sense of sadness which will stick with you for days. More...

"Whatever gravity one assigns to the book’s meaning, Goliath is an outstanding introduction to Gauld’s work and a graphic novel that will linger in the imagination well after its conclusion." - Rob Vollmar, University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma

This book was reviewed in the September/October 2012 issue of World Literature Today. The full review can be read at the WLT website: http://www.worldliteraturetoday.com/2...

Minimalist and brilliant. I would use this to teach two things specifically: allusion (a very difficult concept for a 15-year-old, trust me) & point-of-view. I could also teach foreshadowing and dramatic irony - the reader, knowing the Biblical reference, knows what happens to Goliath, which actually increases suspense as we care to know how his ultimate demise occurs. Awesome.

Now give me a damned iPad for myself and my honors kids, dammit.