marpesea's review against another edition
2.0
The simple art and clean lines work well, but there's not much of a narrative. It's more a series of anecdotes about Andre. It feels as though the author included everything they could find about him. Ultimately, I think I like him less after reading this.
lucysreading's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
misstessamaye's review against another edition
2.0
This was actually a sad experience, heavily focused on Andre's alcoholism and hardship. I'm curious how realistic this portrayal of his life is, if he would have told it this way. Not to say there can't be a negative slant to his story, but I wish it was more delicately handled, maybe.
pagesofpins's review against another edition
3.0
The author is very even handed with Andre: he faithfully portrayed his struggles, mistakes, triumphs and daily life, making his subject a human being we can sympathize with without leaving out the parts of life he didn't do so well. Especially poinant is Andre The Giant's continual attempts to forget that he will die very young and with a great deal of pain.
There was more here about wrestling than any other aspect of Andre's life, and the author does a nice job making sure non-wrestling fans can keep up. I did hope for more stories about Andre than were present, especially his childhood in France, where he was too large to ride the school bus and had to ride to school with playwright Samuel Beckett. The section on The Princess Bride was also very thin. Lots of celebrities (Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Rock, ect) have stories about him, but few are present here.
There was more here about wrestling than any other aspect of Andre's life, and the author does a nice job making sure non-wrestling fans can keep up. I did hope for more stories about Andre than were present, especially his childhood in France, where he was too large to ride the school bus and had to ride to school with playwright Samuel Beckett. The section on The Princess Bride was also very thin. Lots of celebrities (Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Rock, ect) have stories about him, but few are present here.
novelholiday's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting biography about Andre the Giant, though the comic format doesn't really work well with it. At the beginning of the book the author says that he had to take some creative liberties due to not having exact the details on certain events, which is understandable for a comic but not ideal for a biography. It mostly left me second guessing a lot of things that happened in the book like "oh did Andre really cry there?" or "was that really what was said or is it just the author doing his best to recreate dialogue?" There are source notes in the back but I think I would have preferred them as footnotes or numbered citations. Overall I learned more about Andre the Giant which is great, though I think I'd prefer an actual book with sources referenced in the text.
canadianoranges's review against another edition
3.0
Reads like a 'Cliff notes' biography for one of pro wrestling's biggest stars. I feels like there's much that's left out, but still a relatively enjoyable read. The cartoony-style is serviceable, but is strange when it gets to the more adult topics.
haia_929's review against another edition
5.0
This is a trimmed down version of my review, to view the full review visit The Book Ramble.
I have waited and waited to read this graphic novel for months ever since I first heard about it. I was very excited for this and I am so glad I read it.
Brown tried, and succeeded, to show the complexities of Andre as a person and as a character within his wrestling career. I was impressed with the research that Brown did for this book. There are source notes, bibliography, and index of terms at the end of the book.
I really liked the art in this book as well. I thought Brown's style really matched well with the content and was really great to look at. I was impressed how well Brown depicted even the subtle changes in Andre's appearance as he grew older and sicker and how he captured Andre's character and spirit in his drawings.
I found this really enjoyable, and sometimes touching, graphic novel to read. If you're a fan of this style of graphic novel, wrestling, Andre the Giant, or biographies this is a must read.
I have waited and waited to read this graphic novel for months ever since I first heard about it. I was very excited for this and I am so glad I read it.
Brown tried, and succeeded, to show the complexities of Andre as a person and as a character within his wrestling career. I was impressed with the research that Brown did for this book. There are source notes, bibliography, and index of terms at the end of the book.
I really liked the art in this book as well. I thought Brown's style really matched well with the content and was really great to look at. I was impressed how well Brown depicted even the subtle changes in Andre's appearance as he grew older and sicker and how he captured Andre's character and spirit in his drawings.
I found this really enjoyable, and sometimes touching, graphic novel to read. If you're a fan of this style of graphic novel, wrestling, Andre the Giant, or biographies this is a must read.