An original graphic novel charts Warhol in genesis, from fashionwear illustrator to face of a movement, although Simon Shiel wonders how substantial it is

Revered during his lifetime as much for the force of his personality as his art, Andy Warhol was the progenitor of Pop Art and the notion of disposable celebrity, using his army of followers, devotees and fellow artists for his own ends. This original graphic novel, written by Nick Bertozzi and illustrated by Pierce Hargan, charts Warhol in genesis, moving from fashionwear illustrator to face of a movement. Each step of the way is determined by conscious decisions to beguile, frustrate and change the artistic establishment of the time.

The crux of the story follows this conflict with the establishment and the creation of the Thirteen Most Wanted Men mural for the 1964 World’s Fair which sees him struggling against the Fair’s figure heads and other leading contemporary artists. His journey from illustrator to artist is told exclusively in vignettes which drop in and out of Warhol’s life, beginning in New York, 1962 and weaving through to late 1964, taking in his progress as an artist and the evolution of a public persona.

Bertozzi’s Warhol is vain, ambitious and calculating. Existing to pursue his own fame and cultural agenda with little regard for the emotional damage he might cause in that pursuit. There is a revealing moment, mid-way through the graphic novel, where he is advised by art critic Henry Geldzahler to create a persona to help sell his art and beguile the critics; the infamous glasses, synonymous with Warhol appear, and he learns to answer each probing question directed towards him with non-committal denials or vagaries.  Juxtaposed with this process are images of his work, being created by himself and others within his sphere of influence. It’s a striking moment of realization for Warhol – that he can create more interest by saying and doing less and Bertozzi uses it to showcase the others hard at work creating much of Warhol’s output.

Pierce Hargan’s art displays a light touch and a keen sense of graphic composition. Each page is crafted with visual details to evoke the era and place and in that sense his work is a success.  There’s a hint of manga in his character design and a pleasing fluidity to each panel. However such a light touch can be problematic with such a large cast of characters to juggle. The myriad group of people travelling in and out of Warhol’s life over the course of the novel seems never-ending and it can, at times, be frustratingly difficult to distinguish between them all. The work starts with a detailed time line of his life and an illustrated cast of characters, but it can be hard to determine who each new person is supposed to be and it’s a shame because Hargan is obviously a very talented artist.

Becoming Andy Warhol is an interesting experiment, not without its strengths, and readers might find it an illuminating entrance into learning about the artist and his own cynical rise to fame. Despite the eye for detail that Bertozzi and Hargan use in bringing these vivid moments of art history to life, and an obvious feel for just how Warhol operated within that world, it can seem at times a little insubstantial and unfocussed in in its aims.

Becoming Andy Warhol by Nick Bertozzi and Pierce Hargan is published by Abrams.

Simon Shiel
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