‘Tetris: The Games People Play’ by Box Brown (graphic novel review) at Forces Of Geek

Tetris: The Games People Play
Written and Illustrated by Box Brown
Published by First Second
Release Date: October 11, 2016
EAN 9781626723153
Price: $19.99

The New York Times Bestselling author Box Brown (Andre The Giant: Life and Legend) returns for his second major release through First Second to be released in October of this year. With herds of roaming purple-eyed glow kids tripping on curbs to collect the latest Pokemon lately, we thought this a fitting time to review the origin of Tetris in Tetris: The Games People Play.

Brown illustrates the graphic novel using two color printing (yellow and black) and a simplistic but humorous style that is uniquely his.

The story of Tetris doesn’t include Man from U.N.C.L.E. espionage, but it does have a dramatic element and compelling story that is difficult to put down.

Back in my day, my family, like Brown’s, all fought over the grey screened Game Boys and this addictive Russian video game, shrunken down from the full color version on our ‘big’ TVs.

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FOG! Chats With BOX BROWN, Author of ANDRE THE GIANT: LIFE AND LEGEND - COSMIC TREADMILL, FORCES OF GEEK

Box Brown joins us today to talk about Andre The Giant: Life and Legend from First Second Books.

The biographical comic about one of the most legendary wrestlers of all time is sweet but honest about some of his shortcomings.

From the French countryside to The Princess Bride, André Roussimoff lived a full life, towering over his wrestling opponents literally and figuratively.

FOG!: Thanks for joining us today, Box! Andre The Giant and comics. What brings the two together? Obviously, wrestling and comics were formative to our generation. Why paint a biography of Andre in comic form?

Box Brown: I am a life-long fan of wrestling and was always kind of obsessed with it to a great extent. In the early 2000s I saw an A&E Biography about Andre so I had that background on Andre’s extraordinary life. I had an understanding of how tragic and compelling it was. Fast-forward to late 2010 I was reading about Andre online and read about how Samuel Beckett gave him a ride to school. I thought that would make a good comic and I just made it into a mini-comic. Then it just snowballed from there.

You touch upon the myth, and truly Andre was like that for us kids. Did he eat a guy? Was he a monster? He was superhuman, a real life superhero. It seemed like that was rough on him. During your research did you find how he dealt with it? Drinking?

Yes, I think drinking was one way he dealt with his issues. He was a person who I feel had trouble connecting to other people.

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