Ripley's Believe It or Not

Ripley's Believe It or Not

by Ripley Entertainment Inc.

A 96-page anthology of some of the most astonishing oddities in the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! collection, written and illustrated by an equally mind-blowing mix of comic book legends and rising stars. A collection of 8-page stories and fun facts in the inimitable Ripley style!

You'll have to see it to believe it!

Genres: Nonfiction, Comics, Graphic Novels

120 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1929

About the author

The Official Goodreads page of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!—where seeing is believing and it’s rude not to stare!

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 9-year old niece would love this. She's currently obsessed with weird facts. I found it a bit "meh". The book follows the structure of a 10 page or so dramatization of an event followed by a 1 page synopsis of the actual event. The stories here were either WAY too long for the subject matter or ones I already knew about like the Winchester Mystery House.

Received a review copy from Zenescope and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 3 out of 5]

There wasn't anything necessarily wrong with this graphic novel, it just felt very mediocre to me. The stories felt exaggerated in an unnecessary way and I was disappointed by the unrealistic spin some of them were given in an obvious attempt to make them seem "creepy" or overly strange. Maybe it's just been too long since I've engaged in anything from the Ripley's franchise and I went in with the wrong expectations.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

10 fully illustrated tales/background stories for 8 different 'Ripley's Believe It or Not' datum. Each story written by a different author... each story illustrated by a different artist. Some authors and artists were used more than once.

This is standard 'Ripley's Believe It or Not' fare, that we have come to love and enjoy. The artwork was great and the stories well told. Some of the stories were fictional, as some of the facts being explored had to be imagined.

I do have a couple favorites, such as volume 2's "Frozen Girl", "Egyptian Cats" and "Stingy Jack". All right, I will admit, I liked all the tales on both volumes except one, which I choose not to share here.

Buy the book, enjoy it, put it on your shelves, read it to the kids. Mostly just enjoy it.

[Dev · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley

actual rating: 2.5

I just want to preface this by saying that I was absolutely OBSESSED with Ripley's as a kid. We always went to Myrtle Beach for vacation and I always made my parents take me to the Ripley's museum there and I watched the TV show all the time. That being said ...this graphic novel was a bit disappointing.

Basically there's like six or seven weird stories and each one gets maybe a ten page dramatization and then a one page summary of the actual historical event. I didn't like that it went so in-depth about so few events, and I would have much preferred maybe a one page comic strip style thing about each story and then the explanation for it on the opposite page.

It was cute for nostalgic value and it might be more enjoyable for kids than adults, but overall I just found myself wishing that there were more weird events covered with a more condensed format. In the end I rounded up instead of down purely for the nostalgia, even though I ended up skimming a lot of the dramatization sections and just reading the fun facts page.

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

10 fully illustrated tales/background stories for 8 different 'Ripley's Believe It or Not' datum. Each story written by a different author... each story illustrated by a different artist. Some authors and artists were used more than once.

This is standard 'Ripley's Believe It or Not' fare, that we have come to love and enjoy. The artwork was great and the stories well told. Some of the stories were fictional, as some of the facts being explored had to be imagined.

I do have a couple favorites, such as volume 2's "Frozen Girl", "Egyptian Cats" and "Stingy Jack". All right, I will admit, I liked all the tales on both volumes except one, which I choose not to share here.

Buy the book, enjoy it, put it on your shelves, read it to the kids. Mostly just enjoy it.

[Etienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good way to present those old Ripley's Believe it or not stories. First a short comic/cartoon story and then a brief resume of that «fact/story». Kind of urban legends sometimes amplify over time but most, if not all, have true historic facts attach to them. I always like those kind of weird stories and facts and creatures so for me it was a sure pick and I wasn't disappointed. If you like those like I do and like comic book this one is worth it, even if it's present in a more children like way!

[Ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfect fit for anyone interested in the odd or unusual. The collection of oddities are presented in a comic book style, making this book a fun, quick read.

Thank you to Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

I went into reading this without any knowledge of Ripley's Believe It or Not. I believe it was once suggested for a London city trip, but just as quickly abandoned. However, reading about some strange facts never seems to bore me, so I gave it a try.

I didn't care much for the artwork, it felt very comic-y and not much refined. However, some of the short stories were quite interesting although quite a few of them were already known to me. The Irish Giant for example, was one of the oddities I did see on the aforementioned London city trip, where it still stands in the Hunterian museum. There is always a short comic followed by some information around the topic.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Glen Farrelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping this was an anthology of Ripley's original comics, which I've been trying to get my hands on for years. Instead, this is new collection of a few short stories of bizarre, but true, events. I enjoyed it, but I think it is targetted to much younger audiences.

[Kelly Van Damme · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to read a lot of comic books as a kid, but I've never really looked into graphic novels. This one was in the Read Now section on NetGalley and I decided to give it a shot, especially since I find Ripley's curiosities intriguing, plus it has a cat on the cover, as well as a skull, how could I resist?! I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised and I will definitely look into more of these types of novels. I loved the graphics and the stories, although, as with every story collection, some appealed more to me than others, and I have the feeling I actually learned something too. Overall, an interesting and aesthetically pleasing collection that I would definitely recommend.

[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. I'm new to Ripley's Believe it or Not! astonishing oddities, and this title serves as a great introduction. It collects believable and relatable 8-page stories of tragedy and strange twists of fate.

The art suits the mood of stories and never disappoints. This issue contains stories illustrated by numerous artists. Each of them succeeded in presenting a disturbng story concisely, and with enough punch to hook the reader.

I enjoyed my escapade into the weird and unexpected. Absolutely worth the read.

ARC through NetGalley

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great collection for anyone who is new to Ripley's Believe It Or Not!, though long-time fans will be familiar with most of the stories and material here. The presentation of each story in slightly exaggerated form followed by a one or two-page explanation of the true story is novel and the art is good.

[January Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, but I was expecting something more family oriented. Some things were not in good taste for kids, but that was just my thinking, the book is absolutely fabulous and entertaining and quite informational.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hadn’t heard a lot of Ripley’s stories, some of them I learned about during my bachelors since they were medical miracles. Most of them were still new to me, at least, the story behind them was.

While it was fun to learn more about Phinneas Gage and the tallest man, even about Beauty and the Beast, it all just feels a bit immature. Which isn’t bad, but since the only things I’ve heard about Ripley’s stories was that they were gory and unbelievable and astonishing, I guess I had expected something more.. gory maybe? And more astonishing?

I am a sucker for happy endings though and I’m glad some of the stories ended on a good note. I have no idea if it’s actually true, if they actually ended this way.. but at least I didn’t feel sad for all the people in the stories.

Another thing I liked was the sort of fact sheet at the end of every story. It contained a bit more backstory, or told the reader what happened after the story. It was great for people who came across these stories for the first time!


All in all the stories didn’t make me want to look up more after I finished it. I liked the stories but they weren’t all ‘unbelievable’. Maybe back in the day when so many things weren’t medically proven yet. I think I would have liked it more if this contained some more condensed versions of the stories and then more stories in general, aswell as more gore. It’s probably better if you’ve known more about Ripley’s before and wanted to read them again, or maybe for kids that want to know more about the stories. What I’m trying to say is that it just wasn’t for me.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A intriguing look at a couple Ripley’s Believe it or Not stories in graphic novel format. Fun, short, and easy to appreciate. Each story had a different illustrator and some were illustrated better than others. Petrus Gonsalvus, the true beast that inspired Beauty and the Beast was my favorite. I will definitely read volume 2. Great for teens.

[Amy BP · Rating 4 out of 5]

*This review may contain spoilers pertaining to some content found in Ripley's Believe It or Not, though it is minimal spoilage*

I am thus far finding Ripley's Believe It or Not, the graphic novel, intriguing. It is different than other novels, of the graphic variety, that I have followed because it contains more than one story within its pages. I am one of the lucky NetGalley members who was approved to read this book pre-publication, and therefore, it was a free / no cost to me read. However, if I were to have purchased this, the multitude of stories has a more bang for the buck feel to it.

I think that the text is appropriate for most ages; profanity is implied with symbols @$! However, I would not give this to a small child but mid - late teens would be an appropriate audience, I think. (Keep in mind, I don't have my own children. So, for all I know, I just became the bad aunt for giving someone's kid a book they shouldn't be reading). Some of the images are graphic (heeyyyooooo). For example, in the second story, the main character, Phineas Gage, gets a railroad spike through the left side his brain and face due to an explosion gone awry. Though the image is not what I would consider gory, it may still be disturbing to a young audience.

One of my favorite aspects of this novel is the use of color. In particular, I think that the illustrator did a wonderful job giving each story its own color scheme.

Overall, I most enjoyed the tidbits of history I learned from reading this entertaining piece of work, most of which I was entirely unaware. I rate this one a 3.5 - 4. Ripley's Believe It or Not was colorful, interesting, and enlightening.

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two modern collections of full-colour short stories from the world of Ripley's Believe It Or Not. I'd never actually associated the man with cartoons, always thinking of him as just a compiler and museum man, spinning off his industry from the old carny days. But it seems he did use comic book pages in the past to get his trivia into newspapers. Which is one roundabout way of saying this is unapologetically an advert for the Ripley's museums, where quite pointless framing devices of people going to see them make sure you learn almost more about the franchise than the historical facts. The short stories we get are OK, concerning miracle survivors, unusual beings in history, and a corpse seeking a different future, but some are too long here (the dead horse race winner) and some just go over such well-trodden ground (the rail-worker with the spike in his head that made his language comparatively foul). Still, for the young teen this is a reasonable entertainment. Three and a half stars.

[Paul Franco · Rating 3 out of 5]

A graphic novel about the famous brand.
It starts in Branson with one of the museums, where Ripley is a hologram giving the intro to the tour. Beauty and the Beast was real, in a story with too many Catherines.
From there it moves through a number of vignettes, each taken from one of the oddities in the museum.
Already knew the Phineas Gage story, though not the ultimate ending. That’s my fave part of these stories: not just explaining how they were true, but that some of these poor souls did have happily ever afters.
“Stableboys’ Sauna” is a term I wish I’d never heard. Then it turns much stranger, as we get a story about something that hasn’t happened, and might never.
Somehow one of the stories ended up in ancient Egypt, while another was a lot more expected, happening in one of my fave places, the Winchester House.
The funniest moment was the horse’s inner thought.
Because the stories are so short, they’re told in a very matter-of-fact style, just the bones. Some of them are entertaining despite that, but mostly they’re just sad, like the tale of the tallest man.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Ripley's Believe It or Not' by Tony Isabella and Ben Meares is a graphic novel that immediately took me back to when I was a kid and had the Ripley's cartoon books to thumb through.

Using a framing story of people visiting the Ripley's Odditorium's, this collection features some famous stories that have been featured by Ripley's Believe It or Not. A railroad worker is impaled by a spike and lives, but his personality changes for the worse (who can blame him?). A cat in a nursing home seems to know when people will die. A superstitious woman builds an odd house to try to confuse the ghosts that haunt it.

I loved reading these stories as a kid and this graphic novel brought all the weird, ghoulish times right back again. The art is decent enough. The framing story just feels like it gets in the way, but the short stories included are just fun.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Zenescope, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Clued-in With A Book (Elvina Ulrich) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of bizarre, weird, and amazing stories presented in a graphic novel format. It turned out to be just an ok read for me. While the stories are intriguing - Petrus Gonsalvus of Canary Islands was the first recorded case of hypertrichosis; Phineas Gage was the man who survived an iron rod driven into his skull, etc - but I did not enjoy the illustrations, as it was too cartoonish for me. Felt like I am reading a fiction. In the end I still prefer reading the usual standard format of Ripley's Believe It Or Not! But if you want something different, this may work for you.

***I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from Diamond Book Distributors through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed in this review are my own and was not influenced by the author, publisher or any third party.***

[Méliane · Rating 2 out of 5]

More like 2.5 stars

Meh. It wasn't terrible, but there was a lot of lost potential. The stories were way too short to stick with me and I was already familiar with most of them. Most stories left me cold, but I enjoyed two of them:

49 Lives Written by Ben Meares, artwork by Marcelo Basile
Stingy Jack Written by Howard Mackie, artwork by Lucas Meyer, and colours by Jorge Cortes (wonderful colours)

In most stories the art didn't had anything, but I really liked the work of Daniel Mainé and Marco Lesko in I've been working on the railroad and of Allan Otero and Jorge Cortes in The Ride of His Life

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a kid I was fascinated by Ripley's Believe It or Not. It made me want to travel to see all the strangeness of the world for myself. When I saw this comic I thought it would be a fun walk down memory lane and it absolutely was a fun, strange collection of stories. Until I got to the last story about the cat in the nursing home who predicted over 100 deaths. When he somehow sensed that an elderly resident was ready to pass he would go to their room and sit with them until they died. So that they didn't die alone (insert tears here.) I bawled like a baby over this story and to be honest I'm teary now just typing this. Sure he could be harvesting their souls but I believe that cats are the best. Period.

[Sarah Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I read this graphic novel on a flight and I really, really enjoyed it. I loved the concept. The believe it or not stories were very cool. The artwork, for the most part, was amazing. I have so many favourite stories from here...well I basically liked all of them with one exception where I thought the story and the artwork was just not up to snuff.

I really enjoyed it and I was highly entertained for an hour. I would definitely recommend and I'd read another again for sure.

[RoseBlight · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of the actual Ripley's Odditoriums so when I found out these comics existed I had to find out what they were like. This 2 issue mini-series contains a bundle of adapted true stories. If you're not familiar with Zenescope, they're what I would consider the Roger Corman of the comics industry. Cheap pulpy b-movie fun, perfect for Ripley's imo.

The art is generally nice, nothing groundbreaking. It doesn't try anything to out of the ordinary which I see as a missed opportunity for telling these kinds of stories.

[Ioanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who hasn't heard of Ripley's Believe It or Not! collection? Now, readers can enjoy some of the most fascinating stories of this collection in the form of a graphic novel. Carefully selected, the peculiar, yet all-too-true stories will amaze the reader. Accompanied by appealing illustrations, they transport the reader to different eras and places.

Definitely recommended for graphic novel enthusiasts, especially for fans of Ripley's Believe It or Not!

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was intriguing. The book takes us to visit 'Ripely"s believe it or not.' We are told about some of the exhibitions that make up Ripley's display and we are told about the facts and figures behind each story. The book uses graphic artwork to convey and explain what has happened.

I though the artwork was good and it is a great introduction to the World of Ripelys and an enjoyable comic.

Copy provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

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[Randi | altid.laesende · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley - all opinions are my own.

Hmm, where to start. The artwork itself is pretty good and reminds me of some of the horror comics I read as a child.

The stories are also somewhat catchy, but as some of the other reviewers have mentioned, there is a lot of lost potential. It feels as though, that it could have been even better or even more "believe it or not".

Enjoyable yes, but that's it.

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick impressions: Overall, this is a charming and fun comics series. If you like Ripley's Believe It Or Not!, you'll probably enjoy this comic very much. If you are not familiar with the series, these comics may encourage you to read and learn more. The stories are good and entertaining, and the art is well done and full color.

(Full review on my blog later)

[Beth Younge · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting collection of comics. I liked the way the real life stories were framed in the comic and thought it made the narrative edge more interesting. It did not blow me away with how good it was but it interested me for a brief moment.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Lukas Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am such a sucker for things like this. If there is a Ripley's in a town, I visit it. So while it isn't high art or some deep literature, it's fun. I loved the story of Jack-o-Lanterns and just about everything.