Illusion, Kayfabe, and Identity Performance in Box Brown and Brandon Easton’s Andre the Giant Graphic Biographies

Abstract

Drawing on Bourdieu’s concept of ‘the biographical illusion’ and Eakin’s concept of the ‘relational self’, this article explores the ways in which the conventions of wrestling add new layers of multimodal storytelling in Box Brown and Brandon Easton’s Andre the Giant graphic biographies. Through textual and visual analyses, the article argues that Easton’s first-person narration blurs the relationship between biographical writer and subject to create an intimate portrait of Andre as a conflicted individual. Conversely, the article shows how Brown’s referential narration refuses entry into Andre’s inner life while illustrating the entanglements of the self with others.