Goliath - by Tom Gauld (Paperback)

About the Book

"Since the 2011 release of Goliath, Tom Gauld has solidified himself as one of the world's most revered and critically-acclaimed cartoonists working today. From his weekly strips in the Guardian and New Scientist, to his lauded graphic novels You're All Just Jealous of My Jetpack and Mooncop, Gauld's fascination with the intersection between history, literary criticism, and pop culture has become the crux of his work. Now in paperback, with a new cover and smaller size, Goliath is a retelling of the classic myth, this time from Goliath's side of the Valley of Elah. Goliath of Gath isn't much of a fighter. 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." Quiet moments in Goliath's life as an isolated soldier are accentuated by Gauld's trademark drawing style: minimalist scenery, geometric humans, and densely crosshatched detail. Simultaneously tragic and bleakly funny, Goliath displays a sensitive wit and a bold line--a traditional narrative reworked, remade, and revolutionized into a classic tale of Gauld's very own."--

Book Synopsis

Tom Gauld's debut graphic novel retelling of a classic myth, now in paperback

Since the 2011 release of Goliath, Tom Gauld has solidified himself as one of the world's most revered and critically-acclaimed cartoonists working today. From his weekly strips in The Guardian and New Scientist, to his lauded graphic novels You're All Just Jealous of My Jetpack and Mooncop, Gauld's fascination with the intersection between history, literary criticism, and pop culture has become the crux of his work.

Now in paperback, with a new cover and smaller size, Goliath is a retelling of the classic myth, this time from Goliath's side of the Valley of Elah. Goliath of Gath isn't much of a fighter. 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."

Quiet moments in Goliath's life as an isolated soldier are accentuated by Gauld's trademark drawing style: minimalist scenery, geometric humans, and densely crosshatched detail. Simultaneously tragic and bleakly funny, Goliath displays a sensitive wit and a bold line--a traditional narrative reworked, remade, and revolutionized into a classic tale of Gauld's very own.

Review Quotes

A 2013 YALSA Great Graphic Novel for Teens
Nominated for the Eisner Award and the British Comic Award

"Gauld [uses] simple, clever visuals to explore the larger, more complicated issues of war and heroism."--New York Times

"Gauld's Goliath is a master class in reduction...a celebration of the Christian underdog becomes a subtle meditation on the power of spin and the absurdity of war."--The Times

"Gauld's sparse style captures the encroaching ennui of Goliath beautifully...Gauld infuses a parable with new meaning for a modern world, with a helping of melancholy but sweet humour to boot."--National Post

"Quick to read but easy to consider and reconsider, the humor and pathos in Goliath's worldview requires longer thought... An eminently discussable graphic novel."--School Library Journal

"Tom Gauld's tragic, darkly funny retelling of David and Goliath from Goliath's perspective. Gauld's work is always quietly powerful and emotionally grabbing."--Boing Boing

"Working with cartoony figures, silhouettes, and finely cross-hatched close-ups, Gauld captures the bleakness of the landscape, and how what looks like an insignificant pebble from far away can become hugely important when it's landing right between the hero's eyes."--AV Club

"Gauld's stripped-down drawings, all boulders and blank faces, are perfect for his bittersweet tale, and the book itself is a lovely addition to any shelf."--Flavorwire

"Tom Gauld's new comic-book, starring Goliath as an unassuming army admin clerk pushed into a situation he neither wants nor understands is a work of depth, pathos and beauty, with the sublime craftsmanship anyone who knows Gauld's work would expect."--It's Nice That

EditCopy to TI

Email me

About the Author

Tom Gauld is a cartoonist and illustrator. He has weekly comic strips in The Guardian and New Scientist and his comics have been published in The New York Times, The Believer, and on the cover of the The New Yorker. In addition to his graphic novels Baking with Kafka, Goliath, Mooncop, and You're All Just Jealous of My Jetpack, he has designed a number of book covers. Gauld lives and works in London.