Thank you First Second Books for allowing me to read and review Messenger: The Legend of Muhammad Ali on NetGalley.

Published: 08/15/23

Stars: 4.5

A flood of memories rushed through me as I read my first graphic novel. Memories where pay-per-view didn't exist. A big bowl of popcorn, a cold can of Coca-Cola, and a prayer to the rabbit ear Gods for a clear screen when the fight started was the agenda.

Bernardin does not disappoint. The book cannot cover Ali's entire life, nor should it be expected; this is classified as Teens & YA. With sketchy eye pleasing illustrations areas of his career are targeted. I loved this book. Prereading I wouldn't have won an essay or fill-in the blank quiz, but as I read recollections came to the forefront of my brain. The reading was seamless. The good, bad and ugly are minimally recognized. The author tells a story and leaves you satisfied, only your personal curiosity into Ali's personal life gives you reason to delve deeper.

I would have picked this up for my Dad and not been able to save it for a special occasion/holiday. I'm in a no book buy year, and am adding this to my personal 2025 buy list.

I would gift this

This flamboyant rendition of an iconic personality is embodied quite well by the artist. It is not easy to immortalize a legend using pictures, but this book outdoes itself.

That said, I admit I am not totally into the graphic style used; it is like an ode to old-school comics. Maybe that is intentional to portray the 70s, 80s vibes, or maybe not, but still I do not dig the style.

Also, the scripting is too long. The wording on some pages is too hard to read or there is too much dialogue in one scene, very unusual for a comic book. I understand that the life of Ali was no easy task to put in a comic book, so kudos to the creators for illustrating not just Ali’s action, as anyone would expect, but also his fights for his beliefs. There are impressive chapters depicting simultaneous scenes wherein the scenes and storyline collide.

Muhammad Ali might be an unfamiliar name to the youths of today, but I think his story is worth telling, especially for sports enthusiasts and those passionate about social justice. This is a good book that tried its best to tell a tale of a legend who went through a lot.

This graphic novel is sure to be a knock out with my students! Muhammad Ali is always an historical figure that intrigues teens, and this graphic novel format will allow many more students to access his story. I will definitely be adding this one to my classroom library!

Nicely adapted for all audiences!

To write about the greatest to ever do it in any capacity is quite a task. To do it successfully and in a manner that is relatable and can reach a diverse target audience, is quite phenomenal. Messenger: The Legend of Muhammad Ali is a graphic novel illustrating in text and beautiful images the life and major moments of the man born Cassius Clay who elevated to become heavyweight champion of the world, an Olympian, and one of the most respected and controversial public figures in the twentieth century.

This biography is like most in its context. If you have read or know the history of Muhammad Ali, I can't say that the information is new. But I appreciate the thoughtfulness of how the content was selected and combined with such stunning imagery. It will go over very well with young readers and is a resource that I think even readers like myself who are familiar can appreciate.

Thank you to First Second Books and NetGalley for providing a copy of this beautiful rendering in exchange for my honest review. I really enjoyed it!

I really enjoyed Messenger. I learned way more about Muhammad Ali than I ever knew including his refusal to enter the draft as a conscientious objector and the resulting battle with the Supreme Court, the fact that he was married 4 times, his battle with Parkinson's disease, and his break with the Nation of Islam. I like this book did not sugar coat the racism he faced despite all his success. He is winning gold medals, representing the USA in the Olympics and the government wants him to join the military and fight overseas; however, he is still being called the n-word and not able to sit down at restaurants. I'm glad he fought for what he believed in and brought that issue to light. He is definitely a legend and his positive optimistic boastful attitude shows that. Great book for any reader. Book does use the real n-word so readers should definitely be prepared for that (only once but racial issues are prevalent throughout the book). I feel like the book is lacking in describing why he started speaking in the poetic way he does and also in not stating why he parted with the Nation of Islam and Malcolm X. Overall, I enjoyed the book a lot. The black and white illustrations are perfect to showcase the story and his struggle. Well done.

I'm always curious how books about Muhammad Ali will present his "Islam" and this 240 page graphic novel was no exception.  I was a little hesitant with the title, and with the foreword establishing that this book is akin to the heroic poems of Odysseus and Gilgamesh, and that "inspired by truth, and truth itself, aren't the same thing."  I did appreciate that it says if you are going to take a test on Muhammad Ali and this is your only source, you will fail.  It seems to recognize that Ali means a lot of very different things, to different people and this book at times is true and at times just feels true.  Broken into 12 chapters, 12 rounds, the author offers sources in the back, but leaves wiggle room for creative liberty.  I think if you are familiar with Ali's life the book doesn't provide anything shocking and you will enjoy seeing it play out in graphic novel form. If you aren't familiar with him, the book is a little too choppy to paint a comprehensive biography and you will be confused and need outside clarification at times. I looked into the book before diving in, and many reviews say that the story makes his life accessible to middle grade and middle schoolers, the publisher says 10th-12th grade, and I think with the panel of a prostitute trying to talk to him, alcohol being offered to him, the recreation of him being positioned as a saint being martyred for a magazine cover shoot, comments about being with a lot of women, and some of the politics, the book is best suited for high schoolers.  

SYNOPSIS:

Framed around the lighting of the Olympic torch in 1996 the book then goes back and fills in the gaps on some of the big events of Muhammad Ali's life:

Round One: Schwinn. 1954. Having his bike stolen and being introduced to boxing.

Round Two: Olympian. 1960. Winning Olympic gold.

Round Three: Church. 1961. Meeting Malcolm X.

Round Four: Sonny Liston. 1964. The fight.

Round Five: Media. 1967. Interview with Howard Cosell.

Round Six: Martyr. 1968. Esquire cover shoot.

Round Seven: Defendant. 1971. Draft evasion charges and fight with Joe Frazier.

Round Eight: Candle. 1974. Meeting a child with leukemia.

Round Nine: Rumble. 1974. Rumble in the Jungle.

Round Ten: Patient. 1980. Early signs.

Round Eleven: Shepherd. 1990. Iraq hostage negotiations with Saddam Hussein.

Round Twelve: Survivor. 1996. Lighting the Olympic torch

WHY I LIKE IT:

It does articulate that he parted ways with Nation of Islam in chapter 11, Elijah Muhammad and Nation of Islam is pretty prominent in the book up until then, and then in Iraq it does show him praying salat, mentioning the blessings of Allah swt in freeing the hostages, and noting he is going as the most recognizable Muslim American.  I always enjoy reading about Ali and Cosell's relationship, so I particularly enjoyed those scenes and like the premise of the book established, who knows if they are true, but they feel true and in many ways make Ali seem almost fictious with his equal parts arrogance, humility, humor, and insight.  I had to do a bit of outside reading about the Esquire cover shoot, and the Iraq hostage situation, the book did not seem to make it clear, and got me to thinking perhaps some of the other chapters only seemed clear because I had read about those incidents before.  

Normally I like books to be sourced and a book that is biographical to be accurate, but I almost wanted this book to just be extravagant.  To have fun with the persona of Ali and make him into something of legend that the foreword seemed to hint at.  What I thought was going to make him even more so "the greatest" seemed to just provide a safety net of protection to imagine what was going on in Ali's head during the 12 rounds highlighted.

FLAGS:

There are some offers of alcohol which he refuses, some pointed political positions, a prostitute in a hallway invites him for free, he refuses. He recreates a martyr scene even once he established he was Muslim and wasn't ok with it, but a phone call to Elijah Muhammad's son, made it ok because it was for money, there is a lot to unpack there for kids.  He makes a comment about being with a lot of women at one point, not in your face, but in a graphic novel, to dedicate a panel to it, makes it stand out.  Racism, hate, bigotry, prejudice.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I am a bit on the fence with this book.  I think it would work for a high school book club, but with a lot of context.  If you are discussing Ali, this would be a suitable supplement in a high school classroom.  If you are an English teacher talking about Homer and heroic poetry, I think this would be a great contemporary example. I don't know that I would stop mature middle schoolers from reading it, but I don't know that I would be suggesting it either.

Messenger is a wonderfully written and illustrated biography of one of the most influential figures in sports and civil rights. Bernardin does such an amazing job at telling Ali's life story so it is approachable for middle grade and teens. I will say this book has a specific audience and if you are already familiar with the life of Ali do not expect to learn anything new or groundbreaking here. That being said, as a YA graphic novel for those just learning more about his life, this is a perfect book.

Beautiful!!
Amazing!!

Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

A graphic biography that focuses on some major moments and the enormous impact of the life and career of Ali, this work is a great read for young adult readers wanting to gain an understanding of why he remains a larger than life figure in the world today. The unique black and white art style plays into the emotions of the story and serves to add more than just a display of the words. A gripping read from beginning to end.

A great graphic novel for middle school, and high school students looking for an easy and quick read. A brief overview of different times in the champs life to show his progression through life and what he believed in, the challenges he faced, and things he did and achieved.

This was a great biopic about Mohammed Ali told in graphic novel form. There were so many things I learned about Cassius Clay, and how he became known as the greatest boxer of all time. I really enjoyed learning about his antics in and out of the ring and how the book continued on to his lighting of the Olympic Torch in Atlanta, GA. The author admitted that there were some things that have been inflated and grown in to legends that surround Mohammed Ali, and that he tried to stick to the facts as much as possible. However, there are some legends he left in because they have become part of the cultural zeitgeist.

Overall, I felt like this would be a great introduction to anyone who wants to learn more about Mohammed Ali, and who likes graphic novels.

Messenger captures the legacy of Muhammad Ali through its vivid images and momentous highs and lows of the life of Ali. From Cassius to Ali, Messenger reveals a story full of honest revelations and experiences of the man and what he brought to the sports world as well as to humanity.

Messenger, written by Marc Bernardin and illustrated by Ron Salas, is a beautiful view of Muhammad Ali's life. I liked that the chapters were titled as Rounds which was perfect thematically! The story was easy to follow as it jumped between the formative parts of Ali's journey. The story did not just focus on the positives, but had several gritty sections.