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Butts In Seats: The Tony Schiavone Story
From teenage wrestling fan to becoming “The Voice of Your Childhood,” famed professional wrestling commentator Tony Schiavone has spent five decades working in the pro wrestling industry... and he’s now sharing his story with the world!
From teenage wrestling fan to becoming “The Voice of Your Childhood,” famed professional wrestling commentator Tony Schiavone has spent five decades working in
the pro wrestling industry... and he’s now sharing his story with the world! This fourteen-chapter graphic novel details observations, anecdotes, and experiences about
Tony’s life in professional wrestling as told by Tony himself and illustrated by over two dozen amazing artists from across the world! From his earliest days with Crockett
Promotions to the rise and fall of WCW, and now his triumphant return with All Elite Wrestling, you can now experience Tony’s life in professional wrestling in a way that’s
never been told–or seen–before!
From teenage wrestling fan to becoming “The Voice of Your Childhood,” famed professional wrestling commentator Tony Schiavone has spent five decades working in
the pro wrestling industry... and he’s now sharing his story with the world! This fourteen-chapter graphic novel details observations, anecdotes, and experiences about
Tony’s life in professional wrestling as told by Tony himself and illustrated by over two dozen amazing artists from across the world! From his earliest days with Crockett
Promotions to the rise and fall of WCW, and now his triumphant return with All Elite Wrestling, you can now experience Tony’s life in professional wrestling in a way that’s
never been told–or seen–before!
148 pages, Paperback
First published December 14, 2021
3 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Dirk Manning
69 books57 followersDirk Manning is best known as the writer/creator of comic series such as TALES OF MR. RHEE (Devil’s Due Publishing) and NIGHTMARE WORLD (Image Comics/Shadowline).
Dirk is also the author of the ongoing inspirational column/book collection WRITE OR WRONG: A WRITER'S GUIDE TO CREATING COMICS (Caliber).
More of Dirk’s gripping and exciting stories can be read in comic titles such as Dia de los Muertos and The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West Vol. Four: The Golden Cap (Aspen/Big Dog Ink) among various other anthologies.
Don't let Dirk’s penchant for writing horror comics and his tongue-in-cheek publicity photo with the black hat and scarf fool you, as he’s a very amicable and approachable guy both online and at the numerous convention appearances and book signings he attends every year.
Dirk's signing and convention schedule is regularly updated at www.DirkManning.com and when he's not on the road (or writing) he can be found interacting with readers and friends at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr. Cthulhu is his homeboy.
Dirk is also the author of the ongoing inspirational column/book collection WRITE OR WRONG: A WRITER'S GUIDE TO CREATING COMICS (Caliber).
More of Dirk’s gripping and exciting stories can be read in comic titles such as Dia de los Muertos and The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West Vol. Four: The Golden Cap (Aspen/Big Dog Ink) among various other anthologies.
Don't let Dirk’s penchant for writing horror comics and his tongue-in-cheek publicity photo with the black hat and scarf fool you, as he’s a very amicable and approachable guy both online and at the numerous convention appearances and book signings he attends every year.
Dirk's signing and convention schedule is regularly updated at www.DirkManning.com and when he's not on the road (or writing) he can be found interacting with readers and friends at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr. Cthulhu is his homeboy.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 6, 2022
This graphic novel was...unexpectedly wholesome. Shiavone's story is full of highlights and low moments, but there are absolutely standout moments of just...a guy being grateful, awed, and genuinely happy. The stories with and about his wife are especially lovely.
March 31, 2022
Butts In Seats: The Tony Schiavone Story is a Source Point Press graphic novel written by Dirk Manning and Tony Schiavone with a large collection of artists.
Butts in the Seats tells the story of how Tony Schiavone fell in love with wrestling as a kid and found a way to live his dream as a wrestling announcer. We get tales of his runs inJim Crockett Promotions, WWE, and WCW.We also get stories on his sudden departure from the wrestling world and his transition into announcing baseball and other sports before finally returning to wrestling as a commentator for AEW.
This comic is a ton of fun seeing how Schivanone came up through the various wrestling promotions and telling interesting behind the scenes stories involving Bischoff, Flair, Sting, Bobby Heenan, Vince McMahon, JR, and many more. Tony seems like such a nice guy with a real passion for the business. A must read for 80s and 90s wrestling fans.
Butts in the Seats tells the story of how Tony Schiavone fell in love with wrestling as a kid and found a way to live his dream as a wrestling announcer. We get tales of his runs inJim Crockett Promotions, WWE, and WCW.We also get stories on his sudden departure from the wrestling world and his transition into announcing baseball and other sports before finally returning to wrestling as a commentator for AEW.
This comic is a ton of fun seeing how Schivanone came up through the various wrestling promotions and telling interesting behind the scenes stories involving Bischoff, Flair, Sting, Bobby Heenan, Vince McMahon, JR, and many more. Tony seems like such a nice guy with a real passion for the business. A must read for 80s and 90s wrestling fans.
March 23, 2022
It lacks the grit one expects from a biography. It was interesting to a point but I’m sure if I check Wikipedia I’ll read the abridged version.
No tea is spilt here.
Also I backed this in kickstarter so obviously I’m dumb
No tea is spilt here.
Also I backed this in kickstarter so obviously I’m dumb
February 15, 2022
Very quick read. I enjoyed his stories. I loved the chapter how he met his wife. The whole book was very wholesome.
September 7, 2024
I've always loved Tony Schiavone. Hearing his story in his words is nostalgic and exciting. A great read.
April 20, 2022
I purchased this graphic novel on an absolute whim. I purchased "The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling" a few weeks ago and the owner of the local comic story asked me if I wanted to place that on my requested comics list to pull that title for me. I hadn't heard of it but said sure because I could always decide not to purchase it when it came in. The day it came in, I had something else come in so I stopped by and decided to purchase it anyways. Besides, I was already a fan of Tony Schiavone. I was intrigued because I didn't know much about him. I didn't grow up listening to Tony Schiavone and really only know a handful of things about him. I had recently listened to a podcast in which he recounted a handful of stories that ended up being discussed within the pages of "Butts in Seats". I throughly enjoyed the story(ies) contained within these pages. I learned a lot about Tony Schiavone the man, the pro-wrestling fan, and the workhorse. It was super enjoyable to read even if it wasn't anywhere near a great comic to me. It was great to take a step back from fantastic storytelling in comics and books and the seriousness of some of other reads this year. Rather, with this read, I was simply along for the ride. I am glad I picked this up to further my support and love of Professional Wrestling. One of the most fascinating aspects of this graphic novel came in the way that each chapter (and even some pages and panels) featured different artists. That made each story and each panel its own individual story. It really added to the story. Almost in the way that each period of a person's life comes with new perspectives and attitudes, the comic reads the same way. Thank you Tony Schiavone and here's to continued success in AEW. Long live pro-wrestling, comics, and the intersection of the two!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 1, 2023
Tony Schiavone I grew up with as being the lead announcer for WCW, and then seemingly disappearing from the wrestling scene for the baseball announcing world until returning in recent years for AEW wrestling. Rest assured he covers that gap and so much more here! Using the graphic novel format for Tony's biography worked wonderfully for "Butts in Seats." The story moves at a brisk pace as I was able to finish it in a little over two hours. The artwork respectfully portrays all the wrestlers, announcers, and officials from their respective eras, and the entire graphic novel felt like it was being told from Tony's (and occasionally his wife's) voice.
I always wanted to learn more about Schiavone's time working in sports radio, and it felt like we got a taste of that here. However, after reading the biographies of Stuart Scott, Al Michaels, and Joe Buck in recent years, part of me wanted him to expand more on the ins and outs of his sports broadcasting career. I understand though the main focus of "Butts in Seats" is on the wrestling part of his career, and I can always hope for a traditional biography for future insights. I liked the several bonus "stories" of Tony's wacky tales from the road that served as a fitting "bonus features" type of supplement!
This graphic novel touches on a lot of Tony's professional and personal aspects of his life, which enlightened me as to why he made a lot of his career choices that have been rummaging in his mind over the years. I highly recommend this entertaining, breezy read of one of the greatest announcers of "this great sport!"
I always wanted to learn more about Schiavone's time working in sports radio, and it felt like we got a taste of that here. However, after reading the biographies of Stuart Scott, Al Michaels, and Joe Buck in recent years, part of me wanted him to expand more on the ins and outs of his sports broadcasting career. I understand though the main focus of "Butts in Seats" is on the wrestling part of his career, and I can always hope for a traditional biography for future insights. I liked the several bonus "stories" of Tony's wacky tales from the road that served as a fitting "bonus features" type of supplement!
This graphic novel touches on a lot of Tony's professional and personal aspects of his life, which enlightened me as to why he made a lot of his career choices that have been rummaging in his mind over the years. I highly recommend this entertaining, breezy read of one of the greatest announcers of "this great sport!"
April 2, 2024
More of a 3.5 than a 3, but as a huge wrestling fan there's a lot to appreciate about this book as someone who began watching wrestling in 1999 and still does to this day.
I saw the spine of this title at my LCS and thought no way, that can't be referencing what I think? It was! Never knew this excited but was so excited to discover it did.
From childhood to today it follows Tony through his ups and downs in and out of the business. Each chapter is about a half-comic in length and may cover a large story so only so much can really be detailed in that time. With narrations from Tony in the first person, the art essentially gives visuals to go along with it, not relying too heavily on story through character dialog.
My only gripe is the artwork left a little to be desired and at times felt inconsistent. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't outright bad but I would have maybe liked it much more with a different artist or style to it. Sometimes the likeness of certain wrestlers felt spot-on and other times fell a bit more flat.
It was however a nice surprise that they could use branding from WWE properties given AEW also being involved and Tony being contracted with them at the time of publishing. It wouldn't of shocked me if they couldn't use nWo or Nitro/RAW logos but somehow they got the okay which could of really hurt the story otherwise.
Definitely pick this up if you're an old school wrestling fan. I'm not sure you'd get much out of it as a total outsider, but you probably won't even come across this otherwise.
I saw the spine of this title at my LCS and thought no way, that can't be referencing what I think? It was! Never knew this excited but was so excited to discover it did.
From childhood to today it follows Tony through his ups and downs in and out of the business. Each chapter is about a half-comic in length and may cover a large story so only so much can really be detailed in that time. With narrations from Tony in the first person, the art essentially gives visuals to go along with it, not relying too heavily on story through character dialog.
My only gripe is the artwork left a little to be desired and at times felt inconsistent. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't outright bad but I would have maybe liked it much more with a different artist or style to it. Sometimes the likeness of certain wrestlers felt spot-on and other times fell a bit more flat.
It was however a nice surprise that they could use branding from WWE properties given AEW also being involved and Tony being contracted with them at the time of publishing. It wouldn't of shocked me if they couldn't use nWo or Nitro/RAW logos but somehow they got the okay which could of really hurt the story otherwise.
Definitely pick this up if you're an old school wrestling fan. I'm not sure you'd get much out of it as a total outsider, but you probably won't even come across this otherwise.
March 13, 2023
I would only recommend this to wrestling fans. As a teenager, Tony Schiavone went to his first live show at his own high school gym, and Ric Flair was one of the wrestlers! If you have no reaction to that, then this is not the book for you.
Mr. Schiavone, with the assitance of Dirk Manning, tells of his aspirations of getting into broadcasting and how a large part of his broadcasting carreer was in professional wrestling as an announcer and producer in WCW in the 90's, and now, after a lengthy hiatus, for AEW. We see some ups and downs in his professional life and how he's primarily motivated by providing for his family. But, other than that, there isn't a lot here.
There's a different artist every chapter, over a dozen in total, so the art is inconsistent. Even the main character is impossible to follow sometimes, except through conrext. There are multiple panels where there are cameos but the people aren't identified in the text and I can't figure them all out.
Mr. Schiavone, with the assitance of Dirk Manning, tells of his aspirations of getting into broadcasting and how a large part of his broadcasting carreer was in professional wrestling as an announcer and producer in WCW in the 90's, and now, after a lengthy hiatus, for AEW. We see some ups and downs in his professional life and how he's primarily motivated by providing for his family. But, other than that, there isn't a lot here.
There's a different artist every chapter, over a dozen in total, so the art is inconsistent. Even the main character is impossible to follow sometimes, except through conrext. There are multiple panels where there are cameos but the people aren't identified in the text and I can't figure them all out.
February 16, 2022
This is the autobiographical story of Pro Wrestling icon, Tony Schiavone, told in comic book graphic novel format.
I've grown up watching and listening to Schiavone announce Wrestling matches in the NWA, WCW and AEW and this book is a wonderful look at his life.
The book shows his childhood love of Wrestling, through to his Sports announcing career, and onto his WCW days, before ending with him joining AEW.
The most touching part of the book is learning of his courtship and marriage to the love of his life, and how they raised five children over 40 years.
There is a great chapter on his time with WWF, and the book has some amusing stories about individual wrestlers such as Ric Flair.
A wonderful read. Highly recommended for any Pro Wrestling fan!
I've grown up watching and listening to Schiavone announce Wrestling matches in the NWA, WCW and AEW and this book is a wonderful look at his life.
The book shows his childhood love of Wrestling, through to his Sports announcing career, and onto his WCW days, before ending with him joining AEW.
The most touching part of the book is learning of his courtship and marriage to the love of his life, and how they raised five children over 40 years.
There is a great chapter on his time with WWF, and the book has some amusing stories about individual wrestlers such as Ric Flair.
A wonderful read. Highly recommended for any Pro Wrestling fan!
March 15, 2022
I was really excited when I Kickstarted this graphic novel.
Bonus points for being a non-standard Biography.
It was interesting to see him transition from phase to phase in his life.
However, it basically skips those phases. They are too short and I'm not sure they even cover the highlights.
The beginning is good. I really liked the parts with him and his uncle, meeting Lois and starting in the business. The post wrestling phase is also detailed and entertaining.
In between those eras it is very shallow and surface level. There is a lack of details in his life professional and personal.
If his goal was to not really talk about wrestling and focus on the beginning and the ending then he succeeded.
Also the bonus content is super vague and short as well.
Bonus points for being a non-standard Biography.
It was interesting to see him transition from phase to phase in his life.
However, it basically skips those phases. They are too short and I'm not sure they even cover the highlights.
The beginning is good. I really liked the parts with him and his uncle, meeting Lois and starting in the business. The post wrestling phase is also detailed and entertaining.
In between those eras it is very shallow and surface level. There is a lack of details in his life professional and personal.
If his goal was to not really talk about wrestling and focus on the beginning and the ending then he succeeded.
Also the bonus content is super vague and short as well.
December 31, 2025
You don't often find a pro wrestling biography as a graphic novel. The only other one I can think of is Andre The Giant.
The pacing is good. The book breezes by and while some eras don't have as much detail as you might expect, nothing feels rushed. The narrative device really makes it feel like you are just sitting with Tony while he tells stories.
Over all this I a really fun book if you are a fan of comics and professional wrestling.
The pacing is good. The book breezes by and while some eras don't have as much detail as you might expect, nothing feels rushed. The narrative device really makes it feel like you are just sitting with Tony while he tells stories.
Over all this I a really fun book if you are a fan of comics and professional wrestling.
April 2, 2022
If you're not a wrestling fan and familiar with the caree arc of Tony Schiavone, I don't think this book is for you, it'll probably come across as pretty meat and potatoes. I am a wrestling fan and found it entertaining enough to blaze through in one sitting. The art does leave much to be desired here.
April 12, 2022
As a massive fan of pro wrestling, Tonu Schiavone is a legend. He called matches for wcw when I was little and now in AEW he continues to set the bar. This comic book takes little time to read but is a lovely trip down the wrestling years told from Tony's perspective. Super little graphic novel about both a man and a sport that has meant a lot to me over the years.
May 13, 2022
Too much of a quick life summary overall, but a good telling of Schiavone’s life and some interesting side stories. If you’re not a fan of wrestling or Tony, you may well still enjoy the book (I am a Dirk Manning and comic fan, not so much into wrestling myself). Some great artwork!
April 7, 2023
4.5 rounded up ;)
Love you, Tony! A wholesome tale of pro wrestling- Tony hustles waaayyyy more than I ever realized.
More rib stories if you ever do an expanded version, please. Those were great!
Love you, Tony! A wholesome tale of pro wrestling- Tony hustles waaayyyy more than I ever realized.
More rib stories if you ever do an expanded version, please. Those were great!
May 28, 2023
A simple and modest play-by-play of the career of Tony Schiavone, full of highs and lows, with a few colorful stories. Each chapter is illustrated by a different art team and some of the changes are a bit jarring.
May 21, 2023
A graphic novel was perfect for as his one to tell his story. The artwork is good and the stories have an earnest quality to them.
July 2, 2022
I'm not gonna lie I like Tony but he does make himself out to be an ass-kissing opportunist. The "I was just doing the job" stuff comes across as wormy. I'm a coward who has accomplished nothing though so who am I to judge?
January 19, 2022
Great read of "The Voice of our Childhood"
This book is very Tony Schiavone. Not trying to hog much of the spotlight while being incredibly entertaining. Wonderfully illustrated
This book is very Tony Schiavone. Not trying to hog much of the spotlight while being incredibly entertaining. Wonderfully illustrated
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews