Andre The Giant: Life And Legend Review

They say never meet your heroes but what about your villains? Pulling the mask off of the villain and seeing their true self can be disappointing at times. Darth Vader isn't quite so menacing without his mask. When Freddy Kruger takes off the makeup he looks just like that wimpy alien, Willie, in V. One of entertainment's most formidable villains had no mask to pull off. Andre the Giant, one of wrestling's most famous athletes and “bad guys” to ever step in the ring. If he has no mask to pull off does he have anything to hide?

Andre the Giant Life and Legend
Written and illustrated by Box Brown
Published by First Second

On the cover of the book there's a quote from Mick Foley, “This book will thrill longtime fans of the man known as the eighth wonder of the world”. Cactus Jack could not be any more correct. As fans we used to only see what they wanted us to see. This is a more of a behind the scenes look at what went on.

Only knowing Andre the Giant from his persona in the ring and from the movie, The Princess Bride, it's hard to imagine another side to this man. This ginormous man with an intense personality. A man of few words on the screen, but he didn't really need to say much.

The way the story begins might break your heart a little, or at least put it in a sleeper hold. Hulk Hogan begins telling his story about life with Andre the Giant. Wrestling fans already know that these two were the biggest rivals in WWF (WWE) history. Hogan starts off by saying how misunderstood Andre was. At first even he didn't understand what the man was about. He thought he was just there for the show. He quickly learned that Andre was the penultimate professional. He loved the sport and he wanted to protect the business. He also quickly learned that Andre was in a world of his own. Not because he wanted it that way but because society cruel.

“I watched when he'd walk ahead of me at the airport. I heard people say horrible things and make fun of him. He lived in a cruel world. If you really understood what he went through and what he was all about, he was a gracious person with a kind heart. But he didn't put up with any games or chicanery. Most people don't understand the big picture”.

That's what this book does, it helps you understand the big picture. It essentially pulls off that invisible mask and shows you the real man behind the Andre the Giant persona. Some reviewers have been negative calling this out saying it's not a very good biography. In a way they're correct. It just briefly covers his childhood. This isn't a generic biography with a birth date and a resume. What it does is illustrates the parts of his life that aren't always talked about. It gives some insight into professional wrestling and how we really only see one side of the story.

It's not just a book about wrestling. It's a lesson on how cruel and hurtful society can be. How the people we think of as entertainers are much more than that. This book should be on a required reading list. It teaches us just as much about humanity as other books like Lord of the Flies. The art is simple yet illustrates the story so well. You get a great sense of just how large this man was, not only in size but also in heart.