I was pleasantly surprised by Slaughterhouse-Five's graphic novel version. I'd always had a hard time reading this classic, and this format made it easier for me to get to reading it. The illustrations were amazing and really brought to life Billy PIlgrim's life post-WWII .

Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time. Meaning he no longer experiences his life in a linear fashion. Rather he spends it randomly hopping from one event to another, never mind that they're not in their chronological order. The events of his life include, among other things, his experience as a POW during the WWII firebombing of Dresden, the years he spends as an exhibit in an alien zoo, and his stint in a veterans hospital in 1948, convinced he's going crazy. 
This graphic novel adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's brilliant novel hits the spot. It keeps the passages of text necessary to convey the originals unique style and humor and tells the rest of the story through wonderfully crafted panels. A perfect read for all long-term lovers of Vonnegut, as well as those who seek an introduction to his work and are yet to come into the delight of experiencing this brilliant storyteller for the first time!


This review comes to you courtesy of an ARC provided by BOOM! Studios via #NetGalley

It's been a while since I read 'Slaughterhouse-Five', and Ryan North's adaptation (with fitting art and colors from Albert Montyes) was just the thing to refresh my memory of it (albeit with some likely abridging because there's only so much that can be re-written and illustrated).

Slaughterhouse-Five in particular and Kurt Vonnegut in general are hard to adapt. Vonnegut’s storytelling devices are complex, hysterical, satirical and heartbreaking. It takes a team of artists with a lot of guts to take that on. Thankfully, Albert Monteys and Ryan North have guts. They decided to not pull any punches and attempt to make Vonnegut accessible.

While North makes a lot of the editorial decisions about what to cut or what to truncate, Monteys is the star of the show. Because Billy Pilgrim, our protagonist, is unstuck in time, he could be 22 in one panel and 50 in the next one. Monteys manages to capture a character who has only existed on a written page and brings him to life with such clarity, that I will always see Billy this way forever.

Additionally, as this is an anti-war book, Montoya makes sure that the war he shows is horrific. The fire bombing of Dresden is not shown on page, which is smart, but he shows the before and after images with such clarity that we can’t help but be moved. It is a master class is showing, not telling.

Slaughterhouse-Five is a perfect way into this classic novel for folks who struggled with the way Vonnegut writes and it is an excellent love letter for those of us who think Vonnegut is a genius. Some novels are unfilmable and while people have tried with this book, those attempts failed. The best thing about comics and graphic novels is that they can do thing cinematically with much, much lower budget and without worry of the special effects. North and Monteys have something special here and you should read it.

It has been years and years since I originally read the source novel and classic by Kurt Vonnegut, but I have to say that this graphic novel adaptation is a masterwork on its own.  Billy Pilgrim is a man who is unstuck in time, and this comic book version catches all the absurdity, injustice, and unpredictability of the human existence.  It's not a spoiler to say that Billy Pilgrim survives the firebombing of Dresden, because normal structures of plot are turned inside out when Billy bounces forward and backward throughout the timeline of his life. At various points of his life, usually poignant, painful, or overwhelming events, Billy is transported to other points in his life.  Comics, with their power to juxtapose images and words, are perfectly suited to juxtapose diverse points in time for even greater effect. The heartbreaking horror of the destruction of a whole city is wonderfully captured in Albert Monteys' full-page spreads, as are the smaller heartbreaks of the life of a man who knows when his final day will find him.  Monteys' expressive character sketches of  Billy and the absurd cast of characters is equally wonderful, and at the opening of the book, we are given a dramatis personae for the rest of the book.  The artwork skirts that fine line between sardonically funny and painfully mordant. Wonderful book.

Beautiful adaptation of the book I already love. I highly suggest this to both fans of Kurt but also people new to his writings. Great job Ryan North.  I look forward to more of your work.

A very captivating adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five. The art style is expressive and interesting and was able to convey the story well through the graphic medium. Fans of Vonnegut will enjoy having this in their collection and I believe this is a great option for libraries and schools that's accessible to people who have trouble with traditional books.

Reading this graphic novel reminds me just how masterful, funny, mordant, and humane Kurt Vonnegut's writing was.  Ryan North does a great job adapting the novel and keeping the tone pitch perfect (poo-tee-weet) and Albert Monteys' art is both cartoonish and realistic at the same time (matching the tone of the novel perfectly).  This is a novel about the cruelty of man, the absurdity of war, the unceasing cruelty of time, and about how utterly inadequate the strategy of focusing on the good times really is.  I need to go back and re-read all of Vonnegut asap.

In 1969, Kurt Vonnegut released what would become a world renowned, critically acclaimed science fiction, anti-war novel: Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade. 

Released during the height of the Vietnam War, Vonnegut's tale follows a man named Billy Pilgrim an American soldier fighting in World War II. Pilgrim experiences firsthand the horrors and travesties of war; the repercussions of which echo through time. 

The novel was nominated for a number of literary awards in 1970 but was ultimately passed up. The literary community then rallied behind this book, making it a classic with a cult following. Slaughterhouse-Five is one of the few early novels that explore science-fiction in such a brazen manner. The book also is heavily laden with satire, rife with conceit, and a dizzying time paradox. 

The graphic novel adaptation by Ryan North and Albert Monteys takes the brilliant literary writing of Vonnegut and transforms it into a livable experience, bringing to life not just the characters but the experience of Billy Pilgrim. It is said that Pilgrim becomes, "unstuck in time," in which he seems to travel back and forth in time. 

What makes this time travel so inventive and unique is that Pilgrim doesn't just travel one way, he can travel both ways. This makes time seem less like a linear form of travel and more rounded, as though one's mind can exist in multiple forms, at multiple life stages, all simultaneously. This gives Pilgrim insight into war as it is occuring, post-war, and everything in between. Pilgrim even experiences war from the perspective of a species that has no war and finds earthlings a curious if vapid species. 

I enjoyed the classic version, yes, but this version is magnifico (*Italian chef kiss*). Adapting this book into a graphic novel could have gone one of two ways: either a half-hazard rendition of the original masterpiece with pictures added, or a masterful retelling with images to accompany and further the storyline. With a five star rating I am sure you can tell which one it was.

What North and Monteys accomplish is less a regurgitation of Vonnegut's book, and more of a beautifully remastered and colorized black and white film. There is an effect that is created by having a graphic novel with a non-linear timeline be told in the form of consecutive pages, each turn revealing more of the story while also not always moving forward in the plotline. 

I am not sure if this was intended, but there are certain transitions in which I get this feeling that the design is done in such a way that it reflects a soldiers PTSD. This is something that many have, for years, used as base for why war is so terrible. The mental implications are almost more harmful to society than the war itself. It is also one of the hardest disorders to explain and depict to others - something which North and Monteys do rather flawlessly. 

There is a part in this graphic novel that I think is an allegory for PTSD. It is the night before the Dresden massacre and Pilgrim is in an underground meat locker after hearing an air raid siren. He is just sitting there against the wall, miserable, worn out. He turns to the person sitting next to him asking, "What are we going to do with you?" Pilgrim closes his eyes, weary, and says, "I don't know." 

When he blinks his eyes back open he is in the car with his daughter. This a resumption of a scene that started 27 pages prior with the same weary, worn out, tired Pilgrim. This type of disassociation is commonly seen in soldiers with PTSD where they find themselves somewhere else, in a different time, and the merging of the past and present is almost seamless. 

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who has read the original version. It is an absolute joy to put images to such a visionary tale.

This was a fantastic adaptation of the classic novel. I felt like the graphic novel medium really lended itself well to the story - especially the time jumps. I love all the charts showing the timelines, the equipment that Billy wears into battle, and even the characters. It made it so much easier to keep track of everything. I felt much less confused reading this version compared to the original. Overall, even if you have read the original I think this is a great way to refresh yourself. If you've never read the original, this is a great place to start! Either way I would highly recommend checking it out.

This was an interesting read for me. The story started off a bit slow, but got going once this man began his peculiar journey through time. He also meet a strange race of aliens who showed him all kinds of things. While this tale moves along, this man finds out some shocking truths. Once this tale comes to a close, this man has a brand new perspective on life in general. This may not be a graphic novel for everyone, but some readers will enjoy it.

A worthwhile adaptation of a classic novel. Ryan North does an admirable job of adapting the text to a comics format. The art is serviceable with the standout aspect being the coloring and shading which help set the tone for each page. The story is largely unchanged except that Kilgore Trout has now stooped so low as to write for comics instead of just short stories. Great for fans of the book or as a gateway for those who haven't read any Vonnegut.

Adapting a work of art from one medium to another is not exactly a piece of cake, thankfully this one is really successful.


The themes of the original haven't been altered, the art is an excellent addition that doesn't take away from its prose. Highly recommend for high school or college literature classes.

Thanks NetGalley for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut & Ryan North is a free NetGalley e-comicbook that I read in late September.

Taken partially from Vonnegut’s memories of WWII, this is told from a very generous second-person perspective that reads quite similar to the shorter Vonnegut books I read in my twenties, from an almost godlike scope through seamless timelines (which I understand to be benefiting the themes of this book) and the main character, Billy Pilgrim, portrayed as hapless, forgetful, mildly bumbling, and subjected through horrid squalor as a POW during his military career, but escapes from it by zooming back and through different milestones in his own life. One might see the logic of this all happening to Pilgrim as a coping mechanism to escape trauma and social scrutiny, but I think it’s not only easier, but also more fun and zanier just to write it off and take things in the comic as they come.

I didn’t think it would be possible to turn Slaughterhouse-Five into a graphic novel but this was the best novel to graphic novel adaptation I’ve ever read! I’ve been a Ryan North fan for years and this surpasses his other works. I was impressed by how comprehensive this novel was. I was also surprised that, and this may be blasphemous: the graphic novel was easier to follow than the novel itself. 

The art style was pleasing, especially the cover which appeals to my love of minimalist graphic cover pages. I think the cover perfectly summarizes the story and can be very much used to judge the content of the book.

A fantastic format for this classic novel, the visual medium is great for the back and forth time skipping and for leading into it from one panel to the next artistically. It honestly works better in this format than written

This is a great breakdown of the classic book. 
I always enjoy reading the graphic novel version of books I tried to read but could not get into. 
This is an easier read than the classic book. 
The main character is in a war where he remembers his life as he experiences war.

I received an advanced copy of this graphic novel from NetGalley for an honest review.

This graphic novel is a great adaptation of the original book that I read years ago. The art makes the story come alive. I recommend that you read the original book before or after you read this graphic novel. You will enjoy both.

This excellent version of Slaughterhouse Five house will be a perfect read for those who love the original text and want to see it visually.
However, it will be even more important for those who struggle with the text but want to understand the story. A look at war, post-traumatic stress, life, and death Kurt would be pleased.

*
See that asterisk* above? That’s the first thing I used to draw on the board to introduce Kurt Vonnegut to my seniors. I used to do the whole English teacher thing where we’d read Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” and I’d pour it on thick about theme, and symbolism and author’s intent, and yada, yada, yada. Then after all of that explication, I’d draw that asterisk and say: “But then again, this is the same guy who drew a butthole at the beginning of one of his most popular novels, so who knows?” I wanted my kids to see that a writer could be brilliant and worthy of years of analysis as well as being a goof who would do a take directly at the camera and say “It ain’t that serious, y’all.”

This duality is what makes Vonnegut so important, and it’s this duality that Slaughterhouse-Five: a Graphic Novel Adaptation taps into so masterfully. Adapted by Ryan North with Albert Monteys doing yeoman’s work on pencils, colors, and lettering, this adaptation near perfectly encapsulates the spirit and voice of the original.


In case you haven’t read either iteration, Slaughterhouse-Five is a rare bird in that it combines elements of satire, sci-fi and semi-autobiography to tell the story of fictional Billy Pilgrim, a prisoner of war who, along with the decidedly non-fictional Vonnegut, survived the Allied forces bombing of Dresden that resulted in the deaths of over 25,000 people. But it’s more than that. It’s also a story about time travel, alien abduction, and the permanent impermanence of life.

It’s this last bit that is particularly suited for the comics medium. Time travel in fiction is often convoluted with rules that rarely make sense or leave the plot riddled with plot holes. Here, the visual representation of Billy Pilgrim’s life as explained by the Tralfamadorians is both a masterful reproduction of Vonnegut’s vision as well as evidence that comics is the perfect medium for this book.


Ryan North is the perfect pick to adapt the text with his flair for humor and absurdity, and Monteys’ art manages to visually embody the clean and simple syntax of Vonnegut’s style without losing anything. In fact, something about how this team’s adaptation allows for more of a connection with the characters. In many of Vonnegut’s stories, I find the reading experience to be almost like looking at bacteria in a petri dish. They are infinitely interesting bacteria, but bacteria nonetheless; I am interested in their stories, but I am observing them from a distance rather than being personally invested. In this version, Monteys humanizes even the most hateful of characters which grounds the text and gives the reader something to grab onto in a story that is easy to get lost in.

The visual medium also serves to hammer home the anti-war mission of the book. The depiction of war is without heroes, and absent of all glory. This is where the book and original text is most synergistically aligned: our time here is both infinite and fleeting and yet we spend our time inflicting misery on one another. So it goes.

THE VERDICT…
It’s for all the reasons above that I would definitely recommend this for the classroom and for readers in general. There are some sexual situations, language, and implied nudity, but overall, if you would teach with the original text, you should be fine here. The only problem with this book is it makes me want to read all of Vonnegut’s books as graphic novels now.

This is an easy 10/10.