Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven

This is a great journey through the life and career of the man known best as Andre the Giant. The touching foreword is written by his daughter. The illustrations capture how I remember Andre through his years in the spotlight. At times despairing, sometimes joyous, and at times accepting of his fate. They capture a sense of his hugeness.

I was hesitant to see how he would be portrayed. In the end, I feel that his life and personality were not sugarcoated, and showed both positive and negative sides. As an unapologetic Andre lover, this was an emotional read.

I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did. The author gives a humanizing perspective into someone most people my age grew up knowing about but never really knowing. The art is really engaging as well, but the piece that really made this a stand out book for me was the introduction by Andre's estranged daughter, for whom I hope this book was a chance to reconnect with a father she didn't know.

I have been a wrestling fan for a long time and remember the feud between Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan. I also know how much respect many of the wrestlers have for Andre the Giant. This graphic novel was relatively short but with a lot of information. I did not really know the story of Andre and was actually a little teary during a couple of sections in this story. Andre Roussimoff made the best of a bad situation. He was a huge boy and man who tried to make a living the best way he could. I enjoyed reading about his journey, his daughter, his struggles and his triumphs. The forward from his daughter was very touching. I would recommend this book to any wrestling fan and to those who like biographies. Younger readers might need a little background information before reading this story, but I think they would enjoy it as well.

So sweet. This is a great graphic novel showcasing the life of Andre the Giant.

A graphic novel depiction of the life of Andre the Giant. It is told from a first person perspective, which is a little odd, but makes the story emotionally compelling. I liked that his estranged daughter did the forward and her personal letter to him was incorporated into the storyline. The story is age appropriate for teens even though Andre was an alcoholic and he made some less than stellar life decisions. The story made it clear that Andre had a lot of difficulties in life and with his health. Sad, but true -- overall a very good read with pretty decent and impactful artwork. Recommended for teens. Adults with an interest in the history of wrestling that shows the McMahon family business dealings with the WWE will enjoy this as well. Very intriguing.

I really liked this and would recommend it to fans of graphic memoirs, professional wrestling, and sports stories in general. I thought that they did a fantastic job.

Read more on my link or my goodreads...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1439810440

I started this book with no clue about Andre the Giant, except from his famous role in The Princess Bride. Thankfully, this book gives an interesting visual overview of his early life, and his career in wrestling, and hollywood. Not only did this book sum up his life, it makes you think about the situation he was in, as he was one of the biggest men in the world. The artist did a really great job in this book, and I'm definitely interested in his other work. If you're a fan of Andre, or are just interested in the story behind the man, pick this up.

This graphic novel is an incredible and touching portrayal of André Roussimoff, better known as André the Giant. The book focuses largely on André's wrestling career from start to finish and covers several aspects of pro-wrestling history in general.

The author and illustrator work together to pull the reader into André's mind with the use of earthy, muted tones and bold, simple monologue. The end result is a gorgeous piece of work which paints the legend in a humanizing light. His mistakes, fears, and pains are shown through his point of view without demonizing him. His gentleness and goodwill is presented without glamorizing him.

I believe the book's intentions was to show us André Roussimoff was a human just like us - except larger and a little more fragile.

More of my thoughts as I went through the graphic novel can be read here - https://storify.com/WriterCMLloyd/and...

***e-ARC provided by NetGalley***

There are few pop culture figures as consistently larger-than-life as professional wrestlers. These men and women are asked to play unbelievable characters and perform impossible physical feats; dressed brightly and tightly, they must create a compelling narrative largely through physicality.

Perhaps the most fascinating figure in the history of pro wrestling is Andre the Giant. Over the course of decades, he worked rings all over the globe. As wrestling expanded beyond its regional nature and became a truly global phenomenon, Andre was right at the epicenter, growing the sport not just through his own exploits, but by helping to elevate the exploits of others.

“Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven” tells the story of Andre Roussimoff in a way that befits one who is in many ways more myth than man – as a graphic novel. Written by Brandon Easton and illustrated by Denis Medri, this is a biography truly befitting a giant.

On a farm in the French countryside, Andre Roussimoff grew farther and faster than any crop. His growth accelerated to such a degree that he was already larger than most full-grown men by the age of 12. Thanks to a fortuitous run-in with a wrestling promoter, Andre’s fate was sealed – he would enter the ring to make his fortune.

But no one could have expected just how far he would rise.

When he went to Japan, he became an instant success; his combination of size and athleticism was like nothing anyone had ever seen before. He toured the numerous regional circuits in the United States and Canada, his reputation gradually growing into legend. Whether he went by Jean Ferre or Monster Eiffel Tower or any other name, it didn’t matter – he was a star.

And it wasn’t just his work in the ring. Andre’s reputation outside the ring was that of a man with prodigious appetites, a man who needed cases of beer and liters of booze to even approach drunkenness. However, that party animal façade was covering a tremendous amount of pain. Andre was suffering from the agony that came with his gigantism; his physiology simply wasn’t up to the strain put upon it by his enormous size.

Yet he toughed it out – through the birth and subsequent explosion of the WWF (now the WWE), through pop culture landmarks such as his role in “The Princess Bride”…and through a strained and distant relationship with a daughter he barely knew. Through it all, Andre Roussimoff maintained an outlook that celebrated what he had rather than lamented what he did not.

One of the more compelling aspects of “Closer to Heaven” is the involvement of Robin Roussimoff – that same daughter who never knew her father in the way that she wished. Far from being bitter, however, Robin chooses to celebrate the memory of her father and the vast joy he gave to millions of people. Her stories are what give this book its very large heart.

That heart is captured in Easton’s story. This is a tale that has been told before, but never in this way. This story strives to paint a portrait of the man; this isn’t just about an illustrious wrestling career, but rather about a person whose differences separate him from the rest of the world. How Andre Roussimoff decides to deal with those differences – to embrace them instead of reject them – is what makes him such a compelling subject.

The title – “Closer to Heaven” – comes from a story early in the book, about an encounter Andre had with an old woman when he was 12. This woman told him that his size was nothing to be ashamed of, that it merely meant that he was “closer to heaven.” For better or worse, those words seem to have resonated for the rest of his life.

The artwork in “Closer to Heaven” is extraordinary. Medri has captured the spirit of the man, allowing us to bear witness to the slow changes that Andre underwent as his condition altered his body. We watch his evolution from the lightning quick behemoth of his younger days to the lumbering giant of his later days. Yet through it all, the sparkle in Andre’s eye never wavers; even at his lowest, we’re left feeling hopeful for a man who carries so much hope of his own.

In the end, it seems odd that a graphic novel about a pro wrestler could be so moving and compelling. Yet here we are, left with a book that reveals the many layers of a man whose life – and his love for it - was ultimately even bigger than you might expect.

Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven, illustrated by Denis Medri and written by Brandon Easton, is concise, tightly woven, and emotional account of one of the most revered wrestlers of all time. When I used to play wresting trump cards, Andre was one of the cherished cards, because he had an unbeatable height, and weight (coming in probably a close second to that of Yokozuna). And I and my brother had made discrete markings on the back of each card which would give away the other player's wrestler and we could select that criteria which would make us win.

But Andre's personal life, which forms the crux of this book, wasn't all that magnificent and larger than life, because he, after all, was just like us - a normal person with regular disappointments and desires. His story begins in France, where he grew up being stared at because of his height, but soon got used to it. He had to leave studies mid-way because his father wanted his help on the farm. But soon felt disillusioned by his life in a small, unknown farm and began wondering what lay ahead for him in this world, which seemed to grow smaller as he grew bigger.

And it wasn't long before he was 'discovered' by various promoters in France, Canada, USA, and Japan and lusted after by women, and eventually lost his way in a sea of beer. What he had in money, women, beer, and size, could not make up for what he didnt: a heart.

He grew way too fast for his heart and his doctor told him that he may not live beyond the age of forty. Acromegaly is what they call it. His heart wasn't keeping up to his size. It was difficult for him to accept it. Here he was living a life which people dream of, earning like a king in a week what others wouldn't see in a lifetime, but all this meant nothing if he wasn't living any longer.

The book is full of anecdotes about his fights with many famous wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, Bad News Allen, and others. He had numerous flings with countless women, but unknowingly had fathered a girl and that's what gave him a sense of belonging and happiness. His daughter, Robin Christensen Roussimoff, has written a touching foreword for the book.

You must read this one, it goes beyond the 'characters' which wrestlers are made out to be, touches the right tones, and brings forth Andre, the family man, who we knew nothing about. Richly illustrated and finely written.

On the heels of Box Brown's excellent biographical graphic novel Andre The Giant: Life & Legend, IDW weighs in with another take on the story of Andre Rousimoff.

As told by writer Brandon Easton and illustrator Denis Medri, ANDRE THE GIANT: CLOSER TO HEAVEN probably isn't going to teach you anything new about the life of the legendary wrestler, but it's still a tale well-told. Easton has Andre himself narrate the story, and Medri's illustrations perfectly capture Andre's likeness and the look and feel of The WWF of the 1980's.

Easton and Medri's take on Andre's life is authorized by his estate, but they didn't whitewash any of his less ingratiating character traits, so you get Andre warts and all. (The foreword of the book is written by Andre's daughter, Robin, who painfully details the strained, awkward relationship she had with her father, and how they both wished that they could have been closer, a wish that would never come true, thanks to Andre's passing in 1993.)

If I had any beef with this book, it comes with Easton and Medri's depiction of the infamous altercation between Andre and fellow wrestler Bad News Allen (Better known later as WWF superstar Bad News Brown.)- The incident sprung from Allen taking offense to hearing Andre use the word "nigger" while telling a story to another wrestler on a bus in Japan. Easton, or perhaps the publisher, IDW, decided to use the classic comic-book dodge of symbols in place of the offending word, which muddies the story, and may lead to confusion in people who are not already familiar with the truth about the incident. As it stands, it looks like Andre just uttered some random curse-word, and Allen flipped out for no reason when he heard it. There's not enough there, either story-or-art-wise, to convey that this was a racially-motivated incident. A small beef, but the lack of clarity bothered me.

Overall, this book will be a hit with wrestling fans, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

This was such an awesome graphic novel and explored some parts of Andre the Giant's life that I didn't know about previously. I'm already planning to buy some as gifts for friends I know love his work as well.

I didn't grow up watching wrestling, but I still heard about Andre the Giant. I wasn't really interested in him until I watched "The Princess Bride". Several months ago, I read "As You Wish", by Cary Elwes about the making of "The Princess Bride". He included stories of Andre the Giant and shortly after that I came upon this book.

I liked that the author writes it in Andre's perspective. It gave more depth to it, in that you could see what Andre experienced from his perspective and could sooner feel along with him. I wasn't that interested in hearing about his wrestling career, which is the main focus of this book as it was a major part of his life, but I liked to see a little more of who was behind the character I had come to love from the movie.

We review this comic on this episode of our podcast:

http://www.krayzcomix.solitairerose.com/?p=830

I'm always looking for good NF graphic novels, and Brandon Easton's memoir of Andre the Giant is a beautiful tribute to a good, fallible man. Andre was smart, hard working, and loyal, but he also seemed ultimately lonely and haunted, and that made his story sweetly painful. He was so grateful for every success, but also reflective about what he'd lost for those gains.
I loved the graphic novel artwork - the color scheme and the framing.

This is one of the rare interesting non-fiction graphic novels I happened to stumble upon. Somewhere around Christmas, I finally watched The Princess Bride, after having it on DVD for about 8 years now. An episode of The Goldbergs gave me the signal that it was time.
After seeing the movie (which is great by the way) I was interested in getting to know more about André the Giant, so I read a couple of articles on the internet and watched a few Youtube videos. The general opinion that I seemed to come across was that André was a giant asshole with poor personal hygiene. So when I saw this book, I felt like this would be a great opportunity to learn more of the true story. It did not disappoint.

The novel starts off with a foreword from André’s daughter, Robin Christensen Roussimoff. It drew me right in. The foreword ends with:

“I hope when people read this graphic novel, they will get answers not only to who Andre the Giant was as an entertainer, but who Andre Roussimoff was as a person.”

I think it very well did.

A lot of the novel involves André’s wrestling career and lots of names and facts were dropped on the reader. This could be a bad thing if you’re really not into the wrestling scene. However, I’m not into wrestling at all and I found it truly fascinating to learn about it. Who knew there was so much theatrics involved! I didn’t. I learned that the Japanese wrestling scene added a lot to the Western one. I learned how Wrestlemania and Hulk Hogan grew to be as famous as they are now. Very interesting! I’m pretty sure the combination of all these info dumps in a graphic novel is what does the trick. I highly doubt I would’ve enjoyed it this much while simply reading about it in a regular novel.

Another thing which makes it all so vivid (as opposed to boring) is that the author chose to tell the story from André’s point of view, which makes it a very personal experience. His thoughts are a red line through the book.

“Even at that young age, there was a part of me that was monstrous. Not in temperament, but in how others saw me.”

It’s really touching to see him reminisce about his past.

Incorporated pieces of a letter his daughter wrote to him gave it an extra layer of emotions. Even though I already knew he passed away at the young age of 46, alone in a hotel room in Paris after having attended his father’s funeral, I still almost had to shed a tear when the novel ended with André stepping in his bed.

The graphics style in itself isn’t something I’d usually go nuts about, but for the purpose of telling this story, it was perfect. Colourful, but not too colourful to draw away the attention of what’s going on.

After having read this book, I look at André now as a friendly giant, but definitely not a stupid one. His strive for happiness and lack of moderation are what make his life a sad story, but never a truly depressing one due to the enthusiasm for his work, both as an actor and professional wrestler.

I’m giving this 4.5 brownies because it left such an impression on me that I won’t likely forget about anymore.

I was excited to read this and it is even better than I had anticipated. The almost muted colors are spot on for the subject, set in reality yet warm and intriguing. Story is tops, feels grand and honest. I'm glad this exists. Andre is the perfect graphic novel star. Oh and fyi because it's true, it is a bit sad at times. I plan on buying my little brother a copy.

ARC from Netgalley.
Another graphic novel take on the life of Andre the Giant, this one comes with the endorsement of his daughter Robin. With the first person narrative and heartfelt reflection from both Andre and Robin, this tale feels slightly more genuine and personal.
Overall, any story about Andre the Giant will remind me of the wonder of watching Wrestlemania III live on tv AND the hilarity and smiles that Fezzik, his character in " The Princess Bride" will always bring me. RIP Andre

Recommend.

Loved this graphic novel based on Andre the Giant's life, told from his point of view. Easton did a great job and clearly did a ton of research (Andre's estate supported the graphic novel.) I loved the art style, and the focus on his earlier life. I better understood why he made some of the choices he did in his later life, after seeing what was going on behind the scenes. I would recommend this book to any reader who loves wrestling, or is interested in the Memoir/Biography genres.

ANDRE THE GIANT: CLOSER TO HEAVEN by Brandon Easton & Denis Medri is a graphic novel depicting the life of Andre the Giant. The novel touches on his youth and pivotal points in his life, some less commonly known.
Growing up watching Andre the Giant thrive in the wrestling world, I was excited to get a chance to read this novel and I wasn't disappointed at all. The way that each part of his life was touched on really left the reader feeling like they knew Andre the Giant. The graphic depictions were great too, maximizing and minimizing his enormousness to evoke different feelings in each panel really added to the feel of each scene. There is even a commentary on the evolution of the WWF through Andre the Giant's eyes, which was layered with good and bad thoughts about the WWF growth and change in the 1980's. Through the whole novel, there is certain sadness about a man who is never really understood, and at the same time I was smiling all along the way and how great a spirit Andre the Giant really was and how his soul affected some many people.
I found the graphic novel medium great to tell Andre the Giant's story, since so much of his persona was and still is captured in pictures more than in words. Anyone who is a wrestling fan, an Andre the Giant fan, or really I think anyone would enjoy the novel.

What a wonderful book. I've read another recent graphic novel on Andre, but this one is even better! The art is absolutely fantastic! The book tells the story of Andre's life from childhood to death from his own point of view. It was great to see the first three Wrestlemania's covered as these were the hey-days when I was a wrestling fan back in the '80s. I pretty much already knew the story of Andre's life but this is a book that embraces him and tells his own bittersweet story. The Foreword is written by his only daughter, Robin Roussimoff.

Thanks to Lion Forge for the digital copy of this exceptional graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book is just beautiful. If you're like me and grew up on repeat viewings of The Princess Bride, you know Andre the Giant as Fezzik, the lovable rhyming giant of the film, but this book reveals so much more about the man behind the character. The artwork is full of character, and the writing is stellar. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in this incredible individual.

This moved me, just makes me wish there were more real down to earth people like he was.