The Giant - by Youssef Daoudi (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Long after his death in 1985, the shadow of Orson Welles still looms over Hollywood. By twenty-three, Welles had revolutionized theatre and radio with The War of the Worlds; by twenty-five, he had secured his place in history with his debut film, Citizen Kane. Yet four films and less than a decade later, his career suffered a spectacular collapse, and Welles, once the most promising director in America, was written off as a 'would-be genius' -- a bad bet in an increasingly money-conscious industry. In The Giant, Youssef Daoudi weaves together reality and mythology to create a radical new look at one of Hollywood's most legendary figures and poses a question as timeless as Orson Welles himself: What happens when a true artist comes up against the rest of the world?"

Book Synopsis

"Gloriously unruly...an incisive look at an artist who never recovered from the success of his youth." --Publishers Weekly

From graphic novelist Youssef Daoudi comes a radically new look at the director of Citizen Kane and Touch of Evil: legendary filmmaker Orson Welles.

Long after his death in 1985, the shadow of Orson Welles still looms over Hollywood. By twenty-three, Welles had revolutionized theatre and radio with The War of the Worlds; by twenty-five, he had secured his place in history with his debut film, Citizen Kane. Yet four films and less than a decade later, his career suffered a spectacular collapse, and Welles, once the most promising director in America, was written off as a "would-be genius"--a bad bet in an increasingly money-conscious industry.

In The Giant, Youssef Daoudi weaves together reality and mythology to create a radical new look at one of Hollywood's most legendary figures and poses a question as timeless as Orson Welles himself: What happens when a true artist comes up against the rest of the world?

Review Quotes

An American Library Association Best Graphic Novels for Adults Selection

"Gloriously unruly...an incisive look at an artist who never recovered from the success of his youth." --Publishers Weekly

"The Giant is a descent into the life and times of Orson Welles as he works within and outside of the Hollywood system as it, time and time again, stabs him in the back and breaks his heart." --The Beat, from "The Beat's Best Comics of 2025"

About the Author

Youssef Daoudi is a comic artist and illustrator living in France. He worked as an art director for multinational advertising firms for fifteen years before committing himself to writing and drawing graphic novels, including his graphic biographies of jazz musician Thelonious Monk (Monk!) and boxer Jack Johnson (Last On His Feet, with poetic verse by Adrian Matejka).