Slaughterhouse-Five: The Graphic Novel by Ryan North and Albert Monteys
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five comes to comics in an adaptation by Eisner Award-winning writer Ryan North and Eisner Award-nominated artist Albert Monteys. The publisher presents it as the faithful graphic novel version of an American classic and one of the world's seminal antiwar books.
The Story
Centering on the firebombing of Dresden, Billy Pilgrim's odyssey through time reflects the mythic journey of our own fractured lives. Comics Beat's coverage of the announcement describes Billy as an unstuck-in-time World War II soldier followed from his capture by the German Army through the Allied bombing of Dresden, with a stop in an alien zoo on Tralfamadore. The publisher calls it at once a farcical look at the horror and tragedy of war and a moving examination of what it means to be fallibly human.
Preview Art
Interior preview pages. Art by Albert Monteys. © BOOM! Studios / Archaia.
How the Adaptation Came Together
BOOM! Studios announced the book in January 2020 through its Archaia imprint, calling it the first graphic novel adaptation of Vonnegut's work. North described it as a version where Vonnegut and Kilgore Trout "worked in comics instead of prose." Monteys, who draws and colors the book, said comics suit the telegraphic, fragmented style of Tralfamadorian storytelling. BOOM! Executive Editor Sierra Hahn called it a gateway book for new Vonnegut readers, and the Vonnegut family supported the project. Ricard Zaplana is credited with color assistance.
About Kurt Vonnegut
Vonnegut emerged as a novelist and essayist in the 1960s and wrote Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five, and Breakfast of Champions before 1980. He is known for a satirical style that blended literature with science fiction and humor, and for characters like the alien Tralfamadorians in this book.
Format and Details
The paperback runs 192 pages with a publication date of September 26, 2023 listed by the publisher. The publisher lists an interest level of grades 9-12. Epic Panels Comics price: $19.99. Stock is limited.
Who Is It For?
Opinion: it is a strong pick for readers who want an accessible way into Vonnegut, for fans of Ryan North's writing, and for classrooms or book clubs revisiting the novel in a visual format.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who adapted it? Ryan North writes and Albert Monteys draws.
Who published the graphic novel? BOOM! Studios, through its Archaia imprint, per the 2020 announcement.
Is it faithful to the novel? The publisher describes it as a faithful presentation of Vonnegut's novel.
How long is it? 192 pages.
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Sources: Comics Beat and the publisher's product description.