I haven't watched professional wrestling for years. However,
as a young boy I did and I remember watching when Andre the Giant became a bad
guy and ended up fighting Hulk Hogan for the championship in Wrestlemania III.
Besides, Hogan, Andre had always been a favorite and I couldn't believe he
"flipped" over. Later, he came back around and ended his career as
one of the good guys. Although there are a few kids book and WWE sponsored
books about Andre the Giant, there really has never been a decent biography
about Andre's life ( book was published several years ago, but is a terrible
biography). Box Brown has attempted to fill that deficit with ANDRE THE GIANT:
LIFE AND LEGEND.
ANDRE THE GIANT: LIFE AND LEGEND is a biography of Andre the
Giant told in graphic novel format. Although graphic novels are still viewed as
being "kid's books", ANDRE THE GIANT: LIFE AND LEGEND is not a
children's book. It respects the man, but doesn't shy away from some of the
less savory aspects of his life: drinking, swearing, sexual exploits, etc.
The book does an excellent job at illustrating Andre's
life-long struggle with acromegaly. In a regular novel form, this struggle
would be difficult to convey. However, a graphic novelization is a great format
to convey and illustrate this struggle.
Some of the events the book touches upon will be familiar
with diehard wrestling fans (e.g. Dick Murdock's birthday party). However, there
are other events that aren't as well known. There's also the occasional
interesting tidbit, for instance, the time Andre got a ride to school from
Samuel Beckett.
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