I was excited going into this graphic novel, pulled in by the cover which I thought was really creative and striking, and also by the topic of covering Pollock. As a design student I studied him at points when taking art at college and so have learnt a lot about him in that short time, also watching the 2000 film and also the film, mentioned in the graphic novel, by Hans Namuth and Paul Falkenburg in 1951. Though I thought I had known a good amount about the artist I was not aware of Operation Long Leash, which the graphic novel follows. It was very intriguing to hear about, though I feel that the novel only really scratches the surface of what I was expecting to read about on this topic. The story follows an agent who watched Pollock during this time, though I was disappointed to hear he was only a character of fiction at the end of the novel. It would have been great to get a bit more information about the operation throughout the novel. The novel is quite slow paced mainly recalling information and brushes past events fairly quickly with not much information on parts of Pollock's life, again I wish it had a more in-depth look and felt that there needed to be more of this novel. I loved the spreads that included a representation of pollocks artwork, though, from the point of view of a designer, I feel these could have been used more creatively throughout the novel, in the comic panels and the typography. Overall this was intriguing and has made me want to look more into this operation too.

I received an advanced copy of Pollock Confidential from Netgalley so I could share my review with you!

Jackson Pollock was an artist known by many, but few know of the US government’s interest in him during the Cold War. His classification as a great American artist is not a work of accident, and had everything to do with the United States government’s desire to encourage a uniquely American style of art. Though Pollock’s life was short, it was full of color and experience, as shown in the Pollock Confidential. Told through the perspective of the man tasked with following Jackson Pollock, this graphic novel is a delightful glimpse into the past!

You can get your copy of Pollock Confidential on May 5th from Laurence King Publishing!

Onofrio Catacchio is the author of many graphic novels, in both English and Italian. I quite enjoyed reading this book, and was especially fond of his incorporation of Pollock’s actual paintings into the illustrations of the book! Graphic biographies can be extremely fun, especially when written by someone who cares about the story they are telling, which was clearly the case with the Pollock Confidential! The story was engaging and truthful, paired with fantastic artwork!

My Recommendation-
If you want to know more about art history, but would like your information presented in a more artistic medium, Pollock Confidential would be a great place to start! I didn’t know anything about Jackson Pollock before reading this book, and I still really enjoyed it! It has actually inspired me to try my hand at some abstract art myself!

Artist bio graphic novels seem to be all the rage at the moment, and Pollock Confidential is among the best I’ve read in the genre.

It’s also more than a mere artist bio, heavily focusing on the strange relationship between CIA activity and American art during Pollock’s time.

That the graphic novel is presented from the perspective of the CIA officer charged with monitoring Pollock rather than an omniscient narrator or the artist himself gives the story a unique voice.

The art (both the interpretations of Pollock’s work) and the original illustrations are outstandjng and evocative of Pollock’s style and palette without merely just copying it.

This biography in graphic novel form has an interesting twist. Catacchio portrays Jackson Pollock in the peak years of his fame, while he was living with Lee Krasner on Long Island. In the process he talks about Pollock's technique and how it was informed by his background.

The narrative point of view is provided by Dan, a CIA agent who moves to Long Island pretending to be working on his thesis, and seeks to cozy up to Pollock and report back on his progress. This may seem bizarre, but in fact there was a CIA operation called Long Leash that secretly backed Abstract Impressionists like Pollock with serious money, in order to dissuade American artists and art patrons from embracing Communist art. As a former cowboy from Wyoming, Pollock was the perfect unwitting front man for this clandestine operation. This was a complete revelation to me, and gives the book a very different perspective on a relatively familiar life story.

There basically are two books here - an artist biography/overview of the life of Jackson Pollock, and a book about a ridiculous project the CIA were running, focusing greatly on Pollock.

The operation was a real thing, codenamed 'Long Leash' - the CIA saw how young lefty artists and intellectuals in America were falling for Russian 'influence', and wanted to counteract by promoting American abstract and contemporary art. The CIA could count on the help of powerful people like senator Rockefeller, who already was a great fan of abstract expressionism.

Now, here you already have me. I have a great interest in the insane (and horrifying) pretzels the various secret services of the world would twist themselves during the Cold War. The idea that the ultra-conservative CIA would promote abstract art in the 40s and 50s is mouthwateringly preposterous.

The book chooses this operation as it's focal point - a CIA agent is created, who gets the mission to tail Jackson Pollock, and eventually befriend him.

And then the book becomes more biographical, which is a hard thing to do to begin with, because Pollock was famously closeguarded and unreadable.

The two stories don't really mesh very well, neither narrative is done enough justice. After the initial shock of the CIA operation, there isn't much story left to tell.

The art is serviceable. Those hoping to see a lot of Pollock's art, will probably be disappointed. (Personally I don't have a problem with this, the book is about the person first and foremost.)

In the end, I'm not entirely sure who this book is for.

Unfortunately this didn't work for me. The images didn't flow from one to the other and the facial features weren't consistent; particularly the emotions were difficult to ascertain from the faces.

Pollock Confidential is a graphic novel with a bit of history and a bit of fiction to tell the story of Jackson Pollock. Catacchio does a great job of telling the history of Pollock through the eyes of a fictional CIA agent along with beautiful art. When my family visited NYC and went to the MET the main items my daughter wanted to see where the Pollock pieces and they were amazing so it was nice to have a bit more background on the artist through this novel.

I was provided with an electronic ARC through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This unique graphic novel tells of a bizarre period in history where American modern art was used a tool by the CIA. Focussing on Jackson Pollock, Catachhio sheds light into this once rumoured secret by showing a slice of this big conspiracy while teaching the reader about this creative genius.

Pollock is one of my favourite artists so I was intrigued by this book. The artwork of the graphic novel is appealing and would be a good way to hook someone who wasn’t familiar with Pollock’s style as an introduction to learning more about his talent. By leaning towards the subterfuge of the government instead of a standard bio of an artist, this is an excellent way to generate more interest in the title.

My only criticism is that it felt a bit short, I would’ve liked it to be longer but that might be because of my own interest in the artist and the era of the art movement featured.

Interesting and beautiful glimpse into Jackson Pollock and his painting.. This Graphic Novel is well written from the perspective of a CIA agent attached to monitoring Pollock. The art is gorgeous (not just the Pollock paintings).

Depictions of Pollock's art is well done, although it could be showcased more. Some elements are confusing, such as when Mondrian discusses a painting by Pollock that is different from Mondrian's own style, but only a Mondrian painting is shown, not Pollock's. Despite the CIA angle the story is not that exciting. 1950s art style suits the subject but is not dynamic.

I enjoyed reading a biography of Jackson Pollock in graphic novel form. The narrative is told from the point of view of a CIA opperative who is assigned to the case to promote abstract expressionism and American contemporary art to counteract Communistic influences. It is a creative take on Pollock's life. With bold graphics and a complex narrative structure, it is suitable for grades 6 and up.

Advanced copy provided courtesty of #NetGalley for an honest review.

I found "Pollock Confidential" to be a well-done exploration of the later years of Pollock's life and how he influenced modern American art. The artwork was wonderful and the quotes from Pollock were used well throughout the book. Good source notes at the end.

Had you told me twenty years ago (or more) when I started reading comic books and graphic novels that I would one day be reading a graphic novel about Jackson Pollock, I probably wouldn't have believed you. Onofrio Cattacchio offers the reader beauty in this visual exploration of a unique and groundbreaking artist. This is a book to add to your shelf, for sure.