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Summary
Summary
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
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.
Author Notes
Box Brown is an Ignatz Award-winning American cartoonist best known for the comic Bellen! and the winner of a Xeric Grant for the comic Love Is a Peculiar Type of Thing. A passionate proponent of the serial comics format, Brown runs the micropress Retrofit, dedicated to supporting independent serial comics' work. His recent books include Andre the Giant: Life and Legend . He is also a life-long professional wrestling fan.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-A compilation of moments and anecdotes from the life of professional wrestler Andre Roussimoff paints a picture of an amiable young man whose physical power allowed him to casually offend and dominate colleagues, fans, and strangers, and whose giant stature brought him both fame and premature ill health. Swearing and crude references abound, complicating the sympathetic portrayal. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Cartoonist Brown (The Survivalist) uses professional wrestling's complex narrative devices in this biography, which pulls back the curtain on Andre the Giant (Andre Rousimoff), one of the industry's most well-known figures. Brown tells Andre's life story using both narrative and recollections by Andre's contemporaries, blurring the line between what's real and what's just part of the show, mirroring the tradition of professional wrestling. Although he enjoyed worldwide fame, Andre's life was hardly glamorous: he was on the road for long stretches, boozing and fighting at local dives; he suffered an array of health issues due to his immense size (he was 7'4" and weighed over 500 pounds); and he frequently felt isolated due to his enormity. Brown's simple, blocky art keeps the story front and center, and the down-to-earth tone allows him to avoid demonizing or lionizing his subject. An engaging biography of a literally larger-than-life character. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Larger-than-average Andre the Giant had a larger-than-life personality to match, and award-winning cartoonist Brown manages to capture the legendary wrestler's career in charming, heartfelt black-and-white panels. After a few snippets of an interview with Andre's fellow wrestler Hulk Hogan, Brown starts off with a doozy of an anecdote: 12-year-old Andre, too big to fit in the school bus, gets a ride to school in the back of Samuel Beckett's pickup truck in exchange for a bottle of Beaujolais. From there, Brown covers Andre's storied career in wrestling, his movie roles, his insatiable drinking (reportedly once running up a $40,000 bar tab), and the many health problems he faced owing to his acromegaly. Throughout, Andre comes across as a good-natured, gentle giant with a playful sense of humor and love for showmanship. He was, of course, no stranger to controversy, but Brown only lightly touches on those moments, choosing instead to keep the tone laudatory. Given Andre the Giant's long-standing popularity among a wide audience, fans of professional wrestling aren't the only ones who will line up to read this one.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Few professional wrestlers transcended their field like "The Eighth Wonder of the World," Andre Roussimoff (1946-93). Ignatz Award-winning artist Brown (Everything Dies) brings readers Roussimoff's story from the French farm of his boyhood through worldwide wrestling stardom and his fondly remembered movie role as the giant Fezzik in the 1987 classic The Princess Bride. Brown's expressive, stylized illustrations serve the story well, doing justice to both the larger-than-life personae of his subjects and their massive physiques. The layouts and pacing also bring layers of nuance to the narrative. In particular, the use of frequent time skips effectively and subtly highlights the stagnant nature of life on the road as the years pass. This work will satisfy Roussimoff's longtime fans and, one hopes, introduce a new generation to one of the true legends of the squared circle. Verdict A compassionate and entertaining picture of a one-of-a-kind man and the unique world he inhabited. Highly recommended for pro wrestling fans, pop culture historians, and readers who enjoy outsider biographies.-Neil Derksen, Pierce Cty. Lib. Syst., Tacoma (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.