Artist Sando Garbo claims that Steve McQueen appeared in a dream in 2013 and told Garbo to create a graphic novel based on McQueen’s epic Le Mans movie. Three years later, Garbo and his team have produced that book. Based on images being shared with the media, Steve McQueen in Le Mans is a lushly illustrated, 64-page, 2-pound hardcover book that might have served as a finely detailed storyboard for the actual movie.
Copies of the book, done in partnership with CBS Consumer Products, Greenlight (which represents the McQueen brand) and ACO (owner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race), are $32 and available in several languages, including an English edition, from Switzerland-based Garbo Studio.
Drawings are finely detailed to remain faithful to the movie“In 1971, a movie came out unlike anything seen before,” notes the news release from Garbo Studio. “Le Mans had minimal scripted plotlines, used real footage of the 1970 race that took place a year previously and launched Steve McQueen to a new level of epic stardom.
“Four decades after its release, the movie is still a defining icon for those who live for auto racing, such as Sandro Garbo. And now, the movie and the man behind it come back to life, through a legendary new graphic novel.
“Steve McQueen in Le Mans is not just a re-telling of the movie’s story, but a perfectly fitting tribute to the ‘King of Cool’.
“What makes this graphic novel so appealing is the love and effort Sandro and his colleagues invested in it,” the news release continues, “making sure that every detail was carefully crafted and depicted the story at its best.”
Noting that a graphic novel is more a work of art than a comic, Garbo said, “We’re really trying to push the quality of this graphic novel, as well as the endearing motivation behind it. It’s a volume that will delight any fan of classic automobiles, racing or the work of McQueen.”
