ADVANCED REVIEW: Andre the Giant: Life and Legend


The “8th Wonder of the World,” Andre the Giant, is one of the most well-known wrestlers in the history of sports entertainment.  He was the first dude inducted into the WWE (then WWF) Hall Of Fame, had a battle royal named after him at Wrestlemania 30 and is probably Vince McMahon’s favorite wrestler, ever.  Back in the day, people would come from all over to see the 7’4’’, 500 pound behemoth.  And the stories of his antics behind the scenes are legendary- a known lover of the booze, he supposedly could drink 156 beers in one sitting.  As you can imagine, The Giant was a hefty eater; he has been reported to have eaten twelve steaks and fifteen lobsters as a single meal.  The Giant even once allegedly flipped a car with four people in it.  Andre the Giant was such a unique character, he is custom made for comic books.  Luckily, First Second is releasing a graphic novel about Andre by Box Brown titled Andre the Giant: Life and Legend.  Having a graphic novel biography of Andre is the perfect combination of wrestling and comics, two art forms that often share the same fanbase.

Here is the description from First Second:

Andre Roussimoff is known as both the lovable giant in The Princess Bride and a heroic pro-wrestling figure. He was a normal guy who’d been dealt an extraordinary hand in life. At his peak, he weighed 500 pounds and stood nearly seven and a half feet tall. But the huge stature that made his fame also signed his death warrant.

Box Brown brings his great talents as a cartoonist and biographer to this phenomenal new graphic novel. Drawing from historical records about Andre’s life as well as a wealth of anecdotes from his colleagues in the wrestling world, including Hulk Hogan, and his film co-stars (Billy Crystal, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, etc), Brown has created in Andre the Giant, the first substantive biography of one of the twentieth century’s most recognizable figures. 

It was a pleasure to relive these amazing moments in wrestling history through Box Brown’s simple artwork.  andre posterAndre is portrayed perfectly as the massive giant he was.  Brown captures the spectacle of pro-wrestling perfectly, encompassing the period of Andre’s reign over the entire world.  The art exudes the energy of classic matches, the closeness of Andre’s friendships and the seediness of grimy bars.  Comics are a medium where characters rarely age, but Brown does a wonderful job showing Andre doing the opposite- he is aging way too fast.  Brown shows every detail as the Acromegaly overtakes Andre, his body breaking down from the sheer mass.

Andre is an empathetic character.  The disease that brings The Giant his success also causes him great pain throughout his life.  Even when he is one of the top wrestlers in the world, he is ostracized and laughed at.  Brown never romanticizes Andre; he portrays him as a round character who can be caring and sensitive but can also seem heartless and mean.  This biography pulls no punches.  Andre is a guy who loves playing cards with friends and would do most anything to help others in the business.  Then, Brown hits you over the head with a chairshot when he shows Andre’s broken relationship with his daughter and some of the hurtful pranks he played on others.

Andre art

Sadly, as entertaining as the read is, it does little to explore any new information about Andre.  The entire book is graphic versions of stories that most wrestling loyalists have heard many times.  Box Brown does a great job researching previous interviews and biographies referencing Andre, but nothing is new for fanboys and fangirls well-versed in pro wrestling history.  The book comes off as a book about a wrestler made to appease non-wrestling fans.  Much of the book seems like a pro wrestling for dummies tutorial.  Brown spends many pages dedicated to explaining the terminology and eccentricities of the art form.  Even though I would have appreciated more new Andre tales, it was a fun read I could not put down.

OUR RATING
7.5
+ Strong Characterization   +Shows Andre's highs and lows + Artwork perfectly encompasses energy of classic matches and road tales - Caters too much to non-wrestling fans - All the stories have been told before

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