A review by theresidentbookworm
The Stars of History: Marilyn Monroe by Bernard Swysen

1.0

There are books and graphic novels I like in concept that absolutely fail in execution. The Stars of History: Marilyn Monroe is absolutely one of those books. I love Old Hollywood, and I've always been fascinated with Marilyn Monroe so a graphic novel exploring Monroe's life should be amazing. This, however, is just insulting. Bernard Swysen pretends to be interested in the nuance of Monroe's life, but he gives a plot synopsis of her life instead of diving deep on anything. You get no depth of Monroe, no insight into her psychology, nothing about her interests or ambitions or pain. This graphic novel is just like reading her Wikipedia page, and that page is probably better sourced! (The version I read did not include a bibliography.) And the artwork! Frankly, if I were Marilyn Monroe, I would be insulted by a creative team who pretends to be interested in me as a person but illustrates me as the stereotype I hated. Every biography I've read about Marilyn Monroe makes a distinction about Norma Jean the person and Marilyn Monroe the star. It was a character she could play, turning it off and on and being able to pass as a normal person on the street if she wanted to. Bernard Swysen and his team have no concept of this, and it shows. Marilyn Monroe deserves a hell of a lot better than this effort.