A solid way to read Vonnegut. [Slaughterhouse-Five by Ryan North, Kurt Vonnegut]

The first-ever graphic novel adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, an American classic, is one of the world’s great anti-war books. 

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.

As the world sees rising waves of populism, authoritarianism, and fascist movements, anti-war sentiment is important. In recent days resentment stemming in part from the militarization of the American police force  reached a breaking point, giving rise to protests, riots, and general unrest. The long-lasting psychological effects of what's happening now, not to mention the physical effects, will leave scars of the nation's memory, and those scars will take long to heal. Post-traumatic stress disorder is not a war specific event and its exploration in Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five was wonderfully portrayed in this graphic novel adaptation.

Ryan North's Slaughterhouse-Five is an enveloping read, laying bare the atrocities of war and its lasting mental impacts. Some metaphors were not as easily understood, but the general sentiment was well conveyed and easily received. I'm not sure if I received on odd copy, not entirely complete, or if the black end panels at the end were a stylistic choice, an artistic statement that went above my head; it didn't affect my rating in any event. I know I'd leisurely read (and enjoyed) some Vonnegut books in high school, but I can't remember exactly which ones. In any case this graphic novel adaptation is sure to be much more intelligible to a wider audience. 4 stars from me.

Ryan North's Slaughterhouse-Five is due for publication September 15, 2020.