While the publisher Kodansha's claim on the introductory page that the Attack on Titan manga is “the biggest hit in a generation” may be debatable, there's no question that this franchise is one of the biggest crossover hits in at least the past decade and a massive new gateway title for Western fans. So it's no surprise that it has come to the attention of American comic book creators, nearly three dozen of which have joined in the effort to create this 256-page hardback anthology. The full group consists of a diverse mix of artists and writers, including several Eisner, Harvey, and other award-winners. Conspicuously, most of them are relatively young (only a handful have careers spanning more than 15 years), about a third are women, and a wide range of backgrounds and styles are represented, which suggests that the project was intended to draw from as wide an array of creators as possible.

In terms of diversity, the project is an overwhelming success, as the collection of gag strips, illustrations, and short stories present here couldn't be more different. Some of the tales are set in the world of AoT and at least roughly contemporary with the exploits of Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, though nothing outside of the gag strips actually features those characters. Others take place in alternate settings, including a near-future version of our world, an alternate version of the British coast, and far more bizarre interpretations, such as one tale about a bratty schoolgirl who uses her titan friend to dispose of teachers she doesn't like so the kids can have more recess. As the last example suggests, some of these tales are definitely not meant to be taken seriously; another excellent example is the story about a secret weapon to destroy the titans, which looks like it's going to be serious at first but then takes an odd left turn. One of the cleverer tales involves an encounter between cosplayers in opposing roles at an anime convention getting reimagined as an actual Titans vs. Survey-Corps battle scene.

Beyond those three stories, the humor is relegated to the pages of gag strips spaced evenly throughout the anthology, as most of the participants are more intent on taking their Titan material seriously. Some of the themes they delve into are quite heavy, such as an extrapolation that mass civil unrest will heavily affect the U.S. by 2030 or another story that implies (as the anime occasionally did) that living amongst the titans, while incredibly dangerous, still allowed a greater sense of freedom than the suffocating restrictions of life behind the walls. Two of the more poignant tales involve two women in love who try to build a flying contraption in secret and an old woman who has difficulty accepting the loss of her son to the titans, while another involves a man whose addiction disastrously gets in the way of his duty. The writing quality of these stories varies but remains generally pretty high, with the main problem being that each story's brevity holds them back in some cases.

The most interesting side features are the “Illustrated Guide to the Glorious Walled Cities” segments contributed by Genevieve Valentine and David Lopez, which evoke the look and feel of a late 19th-century travel guide (complete with advertisements!) and highlight various locales within the walls. (Later ones are unfinished, as if still in the editing process.) Rough black-and-white illustrations of main cast members serve as breaks between entries, and the project ends with a collection of variant covers and concept sketches, as well as brief biographical blurbs about each of the contributors. At the very end is a preview of the upcoming “APP Motion Book,” which will apparently only be available via the Attack on Titan manga app.

The artistic quality of these entries varies dramatically, with many experimental styles being used. The most spectacular piece is the cover art by Paolo Rivera, but beyond that the strongest entries visually are the last three, including the cosplay piece, the British addiction tale “Fee Fie Foh,” and the “Memory Maze” story about the old woman. The latter two in particular are striking in their use of color. All of the entries have decidedly Western visual styles, so no mimicking of manga panels will be found here. Graphic content is understandably high, but even the Attack on Titan anime seems tame by comparison to some gore here, and the language can also be very coarse, especially in the gag strips.

Overall, this anthology may not be strictly necessary for a dedicated fan's library, as it doesn't expand the core story in any way, but the book has enough good gags, serious stories, and interesting vignettes to be well worth a look by anyone who has at least a passing affection for the franchise.