Slaughter House-Five
Slaughter House-Five
By Kurt Vonnegut, adapted by Ryan North & Albert Monteys. Published by Archaia.
Hardcover, 192 pages, Colour, 2020.
An American classic and one of the world’s seminal antiwar books, Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five is faithfully presented in graphic novel form for the first time from Eisner Award-winning writer Ryan North (How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler) and Eisner Award-nominated artist Albert Monteys (Universe!).
Listen: Billy Pilgrim has... ...read Kilgore Trout ...opened a successful optometry business ...built a loving family ...witnessed the firebombing of Dresden ...traveled to the planet Tralfamadore ...met Kurt Vonnegut ...come unstuck in time. Billy Pilgrim’s journey is at once a farcical look at the horror and tragedy of war where children are placed on the frontlines and die (so it goes), and a moving examination of what it means to be fallibly human.
“Only Albert Monteys and Ryan North could have adapted the unadaptable with absolute cleverness and absolute compassion; this team created something so poignant and profound, an incredible feat and mastery of craft that will awe uninitiated readers as well as the most faithful fans of Vonnegut's work. I was blown away.”
– MARGUERITE BENNETT, Batwoman
“To capture the details of Slaughterhouse-Five would be difficult enough—to capture the spirit of it seems impossible. But North and Monteys do exactly that, in a way that feels effortless and playful, without losing the beauty, the charm or the sadness of Vonnegut's original work. A masterful adaptation, highly recommended."
– AL EWING, We Only Find Them When They're Dead
"Ryan North distills Vonnegut's signature rhythms into a perfect panel by panel choreography and Albert Monteys' skillful artwork brings energetic new angles to the subversive cosmic philosophizing and ruefully dark humor that's made this book beloved by generations. This version of "so it goes"? So, it's great."
– EVAN NARCISSE, Rise of the Black Panther
“I’m in awe at the mastery of the medium shown in SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE. Ryan and Albert have perfectly adapted Vonnegut’s masterpiece to comics, elevating the story in a fresh and beautiful way, taking full advantage of the inherent language of the medium. They’ve created a benchmark far out of reach of the rest of us in the industry. I … hate them?”
– CHIP ZDARSKY, Sex Criminals
"With this work, North and Monteys have created the best, and most effective, graphic novel adaptation of a literary novel in recent memory."
– Library Journal, Starred Review
"This tragic, bleakly funny take on Vonnegut's defining work will send enthused readers back to the source, and deserves a place beside it on the shelf."
– Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"Exceptional."
– Brian K. Vaughan, Saga
"...North harnesses his dry-humored goofiness to translate what is arguably one of the most darkly comedic stories ever told in fiction, hammering things home with delightful cartooning from Monteys.”
– Polygon
"Simply amazing work. An absolute tour de force, both respectful and audacious in the treating of the material."
– Kieron Gillen, Once & Future