Tom Gauld

Goliath

Goliath is a graphic novel written and illustrated by Tom Gauld. It tells the biblical tale of how David killed Goliath, but not in the traditional sense. The roles and charcters of those in this story are altered greatly from how they are presented in the bible, with David being shown as an overly inquisitive and often annoying character, and Goliath as a calm pacifist.

But beyond that verse, the bible doesn’t reveal a lot about Goliath the man–or giant. What motivated him? What was his childhood like? Was he taunted himself in grade school for being so big? What did he find so enjoyable about bullying soldiers much smaller than his own size?

"The brilliance of Guardian cartoonist Tom Gauld‘s new graphic novel, Goliath, is the artistic license it takes with the story of David and Goliath. Instead of being a punk rocker or a particularly scary looking man–as Goliath has invariably been portrayed throughout the ages–Gauld’s Goliath is a gentle giant, who is more pacifist than aggressor. He’s also the fifth worst swordsman in his platoon."- Menachem Wecker, Goliath review

I like the simple monochromatic drawing style Gauld uses in his work, as it evokes a certain simplicity to the story, which is far less flamboyant than the classic biblical epic. I also like the layout of the panels. They are all simple squares and rectangles, making the story flow smoothly and simply. The speech, especially Goliath's, is very short and direct, breaking away even further from the stereotype that this story was an epic tale and Goliath was a fearsome giant.
It is the way that Goliath breaks away from the stereotype that I am drawn to. With Native Americans, people often genralise and stereotype them as the ones shown incorrectly in cinema, and this lack of insight seriously harms us learning from their culture. The same can be said of Goliath. No one ever asks what Goliath's motives were, or how pure-hearted David really was, and perhaps the true story behind this tale was lost and obscured through the stereotyping of the characters, just as a lot of Native American culture and tradition is not known to us for the same reasons. Gauld tells the story directly and alternatively in order to give readers an alternate view on something they already know, and I seek to do the same.