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orangerful's review
4.0
My only knowledge of Andre is from the movie The Princess Bride. This was a fascinating look at the world of wrestling in it's early form as an entertainment and the examination of a man who was unlike any other. Box Brown does not pull any punches (unlike the wrestlers) so you get a very balanced look at Andre, his life, his work, and his legacy.
maweets's review
3.0
I'm not entirely sure how this read made me feel. I don't know much about professional wrestling and I know less about Andre the Giant and I was hoping that this might give me some more insight on either subject, but it didn't really do that. It was a decent (albeit short) synopsis of his life and the challenges he faced, but it wasn't terribly in depth nor did it seem to articulate if Andre was an especially good or bad guy. Anatomically, he was a marvel and, I'm sure, professionally he was fun to watch, but he also drank a lot (and not just for his size, apparently) and wasn't around for his family. Maybe there is more to his story, but with this being my main source of knowledge about his life, this is all I have to go on. I felt this story could have gone into more depth with personal accounts (I enjoyed the introduction with Hulk Hogan and I wish there had been more of those intermittent in this story) as well as his legacy after his passing (they discussed the success in his life, but very little about the legend aspect following his passing).
toddtyrtle's review
3.0
Nicely illustrated and interesting but I feel as if I would have enjoyed it much more had I been a fan of WWF back in the day.
ksd1441's review
3.0
I can honestly say that I have never watched a Professional Wrestling match in my entire life. Simply not a fan, whether it's all a show or otherwise. My interest in Andre the Giant comes from a great love of the movie The Princess Bride, as I am sure it is for many other readers out there. I was able to learn some interesting life tid-bits about Andre through Cary Elwes memoir on the making of The Princess Bride; the two seemed genuinely close and spent a lot of time together. But I knew little else of his career, and this graphic novel was brought to my attention recently through a friend (and fellow fan). Thought it would definitely be worth the read.
And it was, for the most part. I learned quite a bit about the behind-the-scenes of Pro Wrestling. Brown did a great job making the stage of everything very understandable to even the non-fans like myself. I never felt lost in the minutiae of a sport to which I pay little to no attention. That greatly helped in the overall enjoyment and reception of this book, because normally anything with wrestling turns me off. Thanks, Brown, for making it approachable.
You are presented with a hodgepodge of life events for Andre. There is very little to no flow in this memoir. Its graphic format does help it along, because I do not think Brown's information would work it were simply written out. I was hoping for a smoother story and a more pronounced narration. Many times, our only cue of a scene change is small print in the upper corner, and many of those changes do not seem to have an important order. It's a scrap book of Andre's career, with a tiny bit of insight towards his condition and feelings. I realize we cannot get any information from the source, unfortunately. Andre was a quiet man. He was also a hard drinker, a bit of a brute, an absent friend and father, and a dedicated sportsman. Due to his condition, he was often surrounded by cruelty and insensitivity. In many ways, he did the best with what he had. Brown chooses to highlight his wrestling career, and that may be why my enjoyment of the overall product was not through the roof. However, it provided another interesting glimpse at a very rare man.
Still, he will always be Fezik, the kind giant, to me.
And it was, for the most part. I learned quite a bit about the behind-the-scenes of Pro Wrestling. Brown did a great job making the stage of everything very understandable to even the non-fans like myself. I never felt lost in the minutiae of a sport to which I pay little to no attention. That greatly helped in the overall enjoyment and reception of this book, because normally anything with wrestling turns me off. Thanks, Brown, for making it approachable.
You are presented with a hodgepodge of life events for Andre. There is very little to no flow in this memoir. Its graphic format does help it along, because I do not think Brown's information would work it were simply written out. I was hoping for a smoother story and a more pronounced narration. Many times, our only cue of a scene change is small print in the upper corner, and many of those changes do not seem to have an important order. It's a scrap book of Andre's career, with a tiny bit of insight towards his condition and feelings. I realize we cannot get any information from the source, unfortunately. Andre was a quiet man. He was also a hard drinker, a bit of a brute, an absent friend and father, and a dedicated sportsman. Due to his condition, he was often surrounded by cruelty and insensitivity. In many ways, he did the best with what he had. Brown chooses to highlight his wrestling career, and that may be why my enjoyment of the overall product was not through the roof. However, it provided another interesting glimpse at a very rare man.
Still, he will always be Fezik, the kind giant, to me.
theybedax's review
3.0
This was surprisingly hard to read. Any time you find out your heroes have a sordid past it's like having someone shatter a hopeful part of you, you didn't know you had. When I see Andre the Giant he is Fezzik from Princess Bride. Learning more about his life was deeply saddening and just doesn't compute with the man I had built up in my mind.
alexlcriddle's review
3.0
Like so many, I only know Andre the Giant from The Princess Bride, but I vaguely remember learning that he was a professional wrestler. This biographical graphic novel gave insights into his life simply and effectively. I do wish there had been more depth to some of the stories, but as the author points out, it’s difficult to know what was true. A sadness seemed to permeate the pages, and I can’t imagine what it would have been like knowing you were going to age quickly and die young, and to have so many look at you and just see your size—those had to have been almost unbearable notions to handle. I learned quite a lot about professional wrestling while reading and found it fascinating. I especially liked the fights the author depicted and dissected. I am now even more intrigued about Andre’s life, and think this is a great starting point for anyone who is interested in his life and career. As a caution, there was some language and crude humor.
elturko64's review
4.0
Box Brown has created a wonderful book on one of wrestling’s greatest figures, Andre the Giant. This is well written and Browns art is as always wonderful. The book is informative, entertaining, real and it doesn't shy away from the darkness that surrounded Andre. Even if your not a wrestling fan I highly recommend this.
lonecayt's review
3.0
I'm not sure how to feel about this book. The author seemed to spend a lot of time idolizing Andre the Giant as the "greatest of the greats," but also a lot of time pointing out his follies and foibles. Additionally, the matter-of-fact presentation and the simple art style made this seem like a book geared towards a younger audience, but there was enough swearing and drinking and etc. to make that very much not the case. It was an oddly contradictory book.
carroq's review
4.0
I'll admit that I picked this up because I love The Princess Bride. Sure, I watched Andre wrestle when I was younger too. And the book came with some pretty high recommendations. Those were just bonus reasons for me to read this book though.
This is an excellent biography. Given the format, some information is going to have to be cut. Box Brown does a wonderful job of creating a narrative from Andre's life. It shows the hardships he had to deal with beginning at a very young age. This is reinforced throughout the book. I don't think it was overused. There was just enough to make sure the reader doesn't forget about it. The book gives a fair portrayal of Andre. Brown isn't trying to show him as anything other than a real person with good and bad moments mixed in.
I have some mixed feelings on the art. The style fits in with the other books I've read from First Second. It tends to be more cartoonish, which I don't always like. Brown uses the art to portray Andre as this larger than life person. This may not have been possible with a different drawing style. All in all, this is a great book. I learned a lot from it.
This is an excellent biography. Given the format, some information is going to have to be cut. Box Brown does a wonderful job of creating a narrative from Andre's life. It shows the hardships he had to deal with beginning at a very young age. This is reinforced throughout the book. I don't think it was overused. There was just enough to make sure the reader doesn't forget about it. The book gives a fair portrayal of Andre. Brown isn't trying to show him as anything other than a real person with good and bad moments mixed in.
I have some mixed feelings on the art. The style fits in with the other books I've read from First Second. It tends to be more cartoonish, which I don't always like. Brown uses the art to portray Andre as this larger than life person. This may not have been possible with a different drawing style. All in all, this is a great book. I learned a lot from it.