André the Giant: Life and Legend
Writer/Artist: Box Brown
Publisher: First Second
The diversity of graphic novels never ceases to amaze me. Growing up I knew about superhero and manga serializations, but now seeing how much further the medium has stretched in the years since I was a kid is truly amazing. With titles ranging from Casanova to The Fifth Beatle, anything and everything is possible in terms of narrative and depth. So, where does that leave André the Giant: Life and Legend? Two words: utterly fantastic.
Many biographical works feel the need to polarize viewer opinions on the topical figure; or so it seems to me. “Steve Jobs was a dick,” “Gandhi was hero,” and so on and so forth – this isn’t to be controversial or say there isn’t some truth to these views, just that we seem to unwilling to believe that a good man could’ve done some wrong, or that a visionary could’ve been a half-descent guy. Heck, everyone’s human and no man is perfect. I bring up all this because it’s clear from the get go that Brown idolizes pro-wresting and The Giant in a big way. Heck, you’d know this if you bother reading the foreword (which admittedly I skip past in most reads) preluding the actual novel. But yeah, the author/artist LOVES Andre and clearly grew up with him and pro-wrestling, and it’s clearly impacted his life and work. But the thing is? He doesn’t allow himself to wear blinders or be hindered by his love of his hero – he still sees Andre as human.
As we are taken through a crash course on the history of the man who would become Andre the Giant, we get to see him at his best and worst, in glorious monochrome! We see the nitty gritty details of his life and affairs, from his bar room shenanigans to his highlights in the ring, but more than that we get to see him being just “another guy.” He gets tired, he likes enjoying a drink or two (or 16), and yes he can get rowdy. But at the end of the day he was a hero and role model to many, and Brown does nothing to oversell or diminish this fact.
I will admit though, I almost cried during my read through – there’s an incredible beauty to how simplistically Brown navigates us through the apexes and nadirs of one of the men who forever shaped professional wrestling, as well as who many know through The Princess Bride and several other obscure roles here and there. But it’s this simplicity that makes this book so grand and captivating, as it just wants to tell a story of who the author believes was one of the best men who ever lived; even if that entails showing all the dirt and details that he might himself be conflicted over. It’s a truly beautiful tale that is further empowered through minimalistic yet dynamic art and detailing, further concreting it as an ode to The Giant through its lack of color as well, which make it seem more of a relic and even swan song from an era past. I can’t speak for Andre and I don’t wish to offend the man or his legacy in any ways, but I’ll damned if this isn’t one of the most heartfelt and earnest books I’ve ever read, as both a biography AND a graphic novel.
Publisher: First Second
The diversity of graphic novels never ceases to amaze me. Growing up I knew about superhero and manga serializations, but now seeing how much further the medium has stretched in the years since I was a kid is truly amazing. With titles ranging from Casanova to The Fifth Beatle, anything and everything is possible in terms of narrative and depth. So, where does that leave André the Giant: Life and Legend? Two words: utterly fantastic.
Many biographical works feel the need to polarize viewer opinions on the topical figure; or so it seems to me. “Steve Jobs was a dick,” “Gandhi was hero,” and so on and so forth – this isn’t to be controversial or say there isn’t some truth to these views, just that we seem to unwilling to believe that a good man could’ve done some wrong, or that a visionary could’ve been a half-descent guy. Heck, everyone’s human and no man is perfect. I bring up all this because it’s clear from the get go that Brown idolizes pro-wresting and The Giant in a big way. Heck, you’d know this if you bother reading the foreword (which admittedly I skip past in most reads) preluding the actual novel. But yeah, the author/artist LOVES Andre and clearly grew up with him and pro-wrestling, and it’s clearly impacted his life and work. But the thing is? He doesn’t allow himself to wear blinders or be hindered by his love of his hero – he still sees Andre as human.
As we are taken through a crash course on the history of the man who would become Andre the Giant, we get to see him at his best and worst, in glorious monochrome! We see the nitty gritty details of his life and affairs, from his bar room shenanigans to his highlights in the ring, but more than that we get to see him being just “another guy.” He gets tired, he likes enjoying a drink or two (or 16), and yes he can get rowdy. But at the end of the day he was a hero and role model to many, and Brown does nothing to oversell or diminish this fact.
I will admit though, I almost cried during my read through – there’s an incredible beauty to how simplistically Brown navigates us through the apexes and nadirs of one of the men who forever shaped professional wrestling, as well as who many know through The Princess Bride and several other obscure roles here and there. But it’s this simplicity that makes this book so grand and captivating, as it just wants to tell a story of who the author believes was one of the best men who ever lived; even if that entails showing all the dirt and details that he might himself be conflicted over. It’s a truly beautiful tale that is further empowered through minimalistic yet dynamic art and detailing, further concreting it as an ode to The Giant through its lack of color as well, which make it seem more of a relic and even swan song from an era past. I can’t speak for Andre and I don’t wish to offend the man or his legacy in any ways, but I’ll damned if this isn’t one of the most heartfelt and earnest books I’ve ever read, as both a biography AND a graphic novel.
A Look Inside
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