Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Book Review: Quentin Tarantino - A Graphic Biography


Unofficial and unauthorised.

‘When people ask me if I went to film school I tell them, “No, I went to films”’.

From the set of 1993’s Pulp Fiction, to a bar room meeting with Robert Rodriguez and an inspirational lunch with Leonardo di Caprio, this unique graphic novel takes us across a series of Hollywood-inspired vignettes covering the movie-obsessed life and career of one of modern cinema’s greatest filmmakers – Quentin Tarantino.

Quentin Tarantino: A Graphic Biography by Michele Botton and Bernardo Santiago Acosta will be published March 5, 2024. Quatro Publishing Group/White Lion provided an early galley for review.

I first was introduced to Tarantino when visiting friends for Comic-Con back in 1999. I certainly would not have watched Reservoir Dogs on my own as I do not like ultra-violent films. A few years later, also at SDCC, the same friends and I attended a panel where the man was speaking about his films. I got a real good impression of him from that panel.

What is interesting about this graphic novel biography is that is very much mirrors his mannerisms and his film style. Clearly the creators here are both huge fans (why else do a project such as this?). The narrative does a good job presenting basic facts of his life (it is a super-quick read), and the artwork does a good job at capturing the images of the many celebrities scattered throughout. It serves as a fair reflection of his life and his work.

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