Whooooooo! Wrestling comics, baby!

Check this out!

2011-09-20T15:25:00.000+10:00

It's the full first issue!
http://www.castleandkeypublications.com/issue1.html

Hola!

2011-07-30T20:24:00.000+10:00

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/04/29/la-mano-del-destino-luchador-comics/

I've bought the first ish from Lone Star Comics in Texas and will review it soon. :)

REVIEW: "On The Mat" by Mister J

2011-06-17T14:10:00.008+10:00

Cartoonist (and dear friend) Mister J may have had his work published in mainstream publications like Pro Wrestling Illustrated and UK tabloid The Sun. But his roots are firmly in zines.
On The Mat is a classy collection of wrestling-themed toons – poking gentle (and not-so-gentle) fun at some of the stars of the bone-bending biz – is a fitting tribute to one of the best artists around.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

To buy a copy, write to Jason Conlan, PO Box 12123, George St, Brisbane, QLD, 4003, AUSTRALIA, or email mrjslack@hotmail.com.

THE PROMOTION #2 is fucking awesome!

2011-03-18T18:22:00.000+11:00

IT BLOWS away every other wrestling comic out there. Just an awesome backstage look at the locker-room politics of a wrestling territory in the 1970s. Just so much fun.

Rob Schamberger (http://www.thewrestlingpromotion.com/) has done a phenomenal job of authentically capturing the in-ring action and backstage ribs and bullshit. I love this comic to death. Buy it at:

http://thewrestlingpromotion.com/?page_id=50

New podcast! Super Pro K.O.! Volume 1

2011-02-04T23:02:00.001+11:00

http://kirbyyourenthusiasm.libsyn.com/what-would-chris-benoit-do-episode-6

REVIEW: Headlocked: The Tryout #2

2011-01-14T10:50:00.001+11:00

ONLY two years late...where's my goddamn review copies of issues 2 & 3?!
Find out more (and ask them the same question) at http://visionarycomics.blogspot.com/2010/01/headlocked.html.

Killer pics

2011-01-13T21:56:00.001+11:00

Killer Khan
and wrestler-killer Greg Valentine

It's officially on hiatus...

2011-01-13T20:24:00.003+11:00

...but you really should check out the archive at BotchedSpot, including this very latest toon. :)

If only this was real (part 3)

2011-01-13T20:21:00.002+11:00

If only this was real (part 2)

2011-01-13T19:42:00.002+11:00

Memphis caricatures

2011-01-13T18:50:00.005+11:00

ART by Jerry Lawler, I believe.

Justic Luchadores of America!

2011-01-13T18:48:00.002+11:00

IF ONLY this was real. Ahhhhhh...what could've been.
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/09/30/jla-justice-luchadores/

Still not enough to make me actually go out and buy the comic...

2010-12-17T12:57:00.001+11:00

IN THE new issue of the DC/Vertigo comic SCALPED, a small town Nebraska sheriff named Wooster T. Krakow has a picture of Ric Flair on his desk, with the inscription, "To Woooooster, Ric Flair." (thanks to Mark Coale)
- as reported in today's Figure Four Online.

Super Pro K.O. Vol.1 is awesome!

2010-12-15T14:23:00.001+11:00

I JUST finished this manga-style digest last night and it is awesome - and I *HATE* faux manga art. But Jarrett Williams nails the concept and energy of pro wrestling perfectly. Along with The Promotion, Super Pro K.O. is possibly the best wrestling-related comic I've ever read.

I'll be talking about this comic in detail in an upcoming podcast.

BELOW is the official guff. Buy it!

Volume 1 - 1st printing. Story and art by Jarrett Williams. Joe Somiano is late to his first match in Super Pro K.O.!, and has no clue what awaits him in the rowdy ring! A seasoned sumo wrestler, a jolly luchador, a flambouyant tag team, suspicious executives, and a drunken Heavyweight Champion all stand between him and the superstardom that is his destiny. If the huge egos, clothesline take-downs, and broken chairs across the head don't squash Joe's dreams, he may just come out on top. But if he's going to take home the champion's belt, he'll need to bring his best moves against the likes of S.P.K.O.! stars Tomahawk Slamson, Yoko No-No, Mr. Awesomeness 2, and many more in this grand slamma jamma event of a graphic novel! Softcover, 5-in. x 7-in., 256 pages, B&W. Cover price $11.99.

REVIEW: The Promotion

2010-12-01T09:05:00.000+11:00

THIS comic is awesome, pure and simple. Rob Schamberger has produced close to THE PERFECT PRO WRESTLING COMIC.

The Promotion feels gritty and REAL - and it does something very few other wrestling comics have tried to do and that's look at the backstage dramas between promoters and the larger-than-life personalities who worked for them during the territorial days.

While you see some recognisable faces - Dick Murdoch and Ric Flair, for example - the comic is entirely fictional yet totally believable. Rob's spot-on dialogue is a big factor in that department.

Rob describes The Promotion as "a fictional drama based around a wrestling promotion in 1970s' Kansas City...a Mad Men of professional wrestling". That sounds reasonable to me.

Having recently read the autobiographies of both Harley Race and Gary Hart, a lot in this comic rang true...to the point that I wondered whether Rob has some friends "in the biz" - possibly even from that era of pro wrestling - and he's been picking their brains.

The art could've been problematic if it stayed as just B&W pen art, as it's a bit rough in places. But Rob's cleverly used a watercolour-style colouring (almost like a colour wash) through the art – giving it a trippy, psychedelic 1970s feel. It suits the story Rob's telling wonderfully well.
And, to be frank, I was reading the comic for the story, not the art anyway.

What can I say? I loved the shit out of this comic. 4 stars, 8/10.

The first chapter of The Promotion can be found at http://www.thewrestlingpromotion.com/ (updated twice a week) and on http://www.myebook.com/ (first chapter available for $0.50).

Americana

2010-10-27T12:23:00.002+11:00

WANT lots of American pro wrestling history (written in Japanese), featuring some cool historic illos? You can find it here. Not sure if these are scans from a manga or an original web comic.

2010-10-27T11:30:00.002+11:00

Some kinky pro-wrestling fun here.

El Campeon cameo

2010-10-05T09:15:00.001+11:00

ON A dare, I'm ploughing through the past 28 issues of Savage Dragon sitting in my study (thanks, Erik). Hit Savage Dragon #137 (Image, Aug. 2008) today and read a team-up tale featuring Madman and The Amazing Joy Buzzards. Of course, the Buzzards' protector, luchador El Campeon, makes a brief cameo.

Shit story though.

McBlack's back

2010-10-03T18:36:00.004+11:00

McBLACK is an Aussie graphic novel that can be bought on Amazon.com, but I wouldn't bother as it's been serialised at http://www.mcblack.com. And, frankly, it's not very good.

Here's the blurb I found on McBlack: "Jason Franks writes and pencils the adventures of Whiteface McBlack featuring cyborg biker hippies, a former pro-wrestler now monster truck dealer, Irish paramilitary cannibals and more. Action packed comics from Mr Franks."

Anyway, I've run a coupla pages of the wrestler chatting to McBlack. So there ya go.

An Earthquake is coming

2010-09-23T22:41:00.002+10:00

I DON'T know where this pic is from...I found it on the Death Valley Driver messageboard.

Cool, isn't it?

(But why are Bananas In Pyjamas in the crowd?)

The things I do to be a completist...

2010-09-18T12:50:00.005+10:00

I'D seen this mag advertised in the back of pro wrestling mags for years, but I finally picked it up via Lone Star. ThunderGirls #1 (P&I Press, 1997) is the sorta comic that makes you wonder about the mindset of the people involved in its production.

Pro rassler/fetish rassler/model/whatever Lady Victoria stars in the main strip, a B&W effort titled "Ring Of The Vampires" (writer: Adams/artist: Scott Dervish). It's kidnapped wrestler vs sexy female vampire queen in the lamest battle one can imagine.

The back-up strip is "Front Row Rumble" (writer: Adams/artist: JG...what's with this people being too ashamed to put their real names to this stuff?) where two sexy fans clash at ringside and brawl into the ring, much to the consternation of the real wrestlers. It's mildly amusing.

There are also a couple of text stories and a fumetti ("Queen Of The Ring"), which could've come straight from a 1970s Apter mag.

The end result of reading ThunderGirls #1 is a feeling of uncomfortable weirdness.

I can imagine the men who put this mag together furiously beating off at the drawing board (or computer), then paying some unemployed female body builder to beat them up in their living room afterwards.

Strongman (SLG Publishing, 2009) came out with little fanfare, but is a surprisingly entertaining read that deserved more attention.

Luchador/nocturnal crime-fighter/movie star Tigre (basically, Santo in a different mask) was a Mexican wrestling god during the late 60s and early 70s until a shocking tragedy ended it all.

Twenty-five years later, Tigre's a washed-up jobber, wrestling for booze money while living rough in New York. But his life gets turned upside-down when a beautiful woman comes to him for help and he's forced to confront the nightmare that destroyed his life in 1973.

This digest-sized graphic novel was a fun read. Writer Charles Soule packs in a ton of stuff: wrestling, illegal organ transplants, cannibalism and betrayal. Allen Gladfelter's art is delightfully competent, clean and no-nonsense.

I really dug Strongman - I hope we see more of him in the future.

World Wrestling...Entertainment Weekly

2010-09-18T12:24:00.007+10:00

ONE of my fave indy cartoonists Kagan McLeod - he of Infinite Kungfu notoriety - is regularly getting illos published in EW mag these days. Good for you, Kagan.

In the March 14, 2008 ish, he illustrated a piece titled "The Pop Culture Throw-Down!" - featuring pro'n'con arguments on several pop culture issues including 'The X-Files' is better than 'Lost' & Bob Dylan sings better than Kelly Clarkson. Kagan decided to use a pro-wrestling motif for his illos. Above is his take on Dylan vs Clarkson. Brilliant stuff!

Obscure wrestling reference #1025

2010-09-18T12:09:00.005+10:00

THIS time it's in Incorruptible Vol. 1 (Boom!, 2010) by Mark Waid and Jean Diaz - and originally published in Incorruptible #3.

In case you can't read the scan, Max Damage's sidekick Jailbait says, "You taught me how to tear a guy's sack off! You let me fight the Hentai Brothers in a cage match because you said it was hot! And I won! And it was HOT!"

Hehe...

Incorruptible has been pretty damn intriguing so far. I'll have to pick up Vol. 2 next week.

Tiger, Tiger, burning bright

2010-09-17T23:27:00.003+10:00

OF ALL the wrestlers to get their own comics in Japan, the most surprising in my mind would be Tiger Mask IV. Sure, he's the fourth guy to wear the famous Tiger Mask get-up, but he was only working for minor promotion Michinoku Pro. He's no Bruiser Brody or Antonio Inoki, right?

Still, thanks to my good friend Mister J, that's what I acquired a few years back: the first manga collection of the adventures of Tiger Mask IV (c.1996). The book also guest stars Michinoku founder The Great Sasuke.

Nice manga art...didn't understand a word of it...didn't fully understand what the hell was going on. Yep, it's a typical Jap wrestling comic. :)

But...y'know...Tiger Mask IV? Jeeeeez, who's next? Tarzan Goto? Kendo Ka Shin? Yikes.

Fiasco Bombasco

2010-09-17T22:15:00.003+10:00

I PICKED up this 24-hour comic a few years back at a zine fair somewhere. Been meaning to add it to the blog for ages and just never got round to it till now.

Anyway, it's a sci-fi/luchador-themed B&W effort by Ive Sorocuk. The interior art is nothing to write home about (which you'd expect considering it was written and drawn in 24 hours), but the colour cover artwork is exquisite.

And it features a luchador cat called Wrestle Cat......aaaaaaaawwwwwww!

A coupla recent wrestling references...

2010-09-17T18:29:00.006+10:00

...which I found while reading random comics in the past two days. First up, it's Thunderbolts #139 (February 2010). This was during Marvel's "Dark Reign" period. Norman Osborn introduces a new member of the covert assassin squad known as Thunderbolts. His name is The Grizzly and his file states he's a former wrestler. So...there you go.

Next, there's Whatever Happened To Baron Von Shock #2 (Image, 2010), a decidedly ordinary yarn written by Rob Zombie. In the above panel, the washed-up dude formerly known as TV horror host Baron Von Shock talks to his sleazy manager who, strangely enough, uses some wrestling terminology. Hmmm...maybe Mr Zombie was channelling his equally mediocre wrestling-themed comic The Nail from a few years back.

Brodyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!

2010-08-25T19:50:00.003+10:00

IT'S all in Japanese, but it's Bruiser Brody, goddammit! A whole manga book from the 1980s scanned in and uploaded to the Net. How awesome is that?

Here's the link:

http://www.bruiserbrody.com/ComicBookGallery/index.htm

Marks and Marksman

2010-05-18T23:41:00.005+10:00

I RECENTLY bought 100 comics cheap off eBay and gave most of them away to BP readers. But there were 27 that caught my eye, so I decided to keep them. One of the titles was The Marksman #2 (Hero Comics, 1987). Now, the main feature is a pretty ordinary superhero yarn, but it was the back-up story (writer: Denis Mallonee/pencis: Walt Davis/inks: Dell Barras) that made up my mind to keep this comic.

Marksman supporting character Rose flies solo in "The Return Of Doctor Death" where a Haitian witch doctor controls a masked grappler as he fights in the squared circle. It's actually a fairly pedestrian eight-page tale, but the wrestling side of it (and its relaxed attitude towards the real vs fake debate - together with the way it touches on the drugs-in-wrestling issue) isn't too shabby. All in all, I give this comic a C+ (on the wrestling comic scale).

Nuclear suplex!

2010-05-11T22:25:00.000+10:00

NIXON'S PALS: looks good. I just ordered it from Lone Star. Read all about this "old" graphic novel and more - including Chris Burnham's ultra-cool-looking new GN, Officer Downe - at http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/05/10/officer-downe-joe-casey-chris-burnham.

Meanwhile, enjoy this wrestling-related question from the above interview:

CA: You worked with Joe Casey before on a graphic novel called Nixon's Pals (which was also gloriously ultraviolent, what with all the nuclear suplexes) about a guy who worked as a bail bondsman for super-villains. Is there any connection between the two?

Burnham: Not REALLY. There are a couple of Nixon's Pals characters that make cameos in Officer Downe, but unless you've read Nixon five times, you're probably not going to notice. They're really more about keeping me amused than serving any sort of narrative purpose. You definitely don't have to have read Nixon's Pals to understand what's going on.

More Portaveritas...

2010-05-05T15:35:00.005+10:00

Check out even more of his work at http://portaveritas.deviantart.com/.

Lucha libre art by Portaveritas

2010-05-03T02:09:00.003+10:00

IWRG

AAA

CMLL

Slammed!

2010-05-02T22:45:00.002+10:00

CHECK this out at http://slamcomic.squarespace.com.

I'll write more about it later, but it looks pretty cool.

Superman vs Rocca!

2010-05-02T00:40:00.000+10:00

Confused? Not I

2010-04-30T22:27:00.003+10:00

I RECENTLY ran across the above single-page strip and its brief pro-wrestling reference in writer/artist Dave Hodson's slice-of-life one-shot Truly Confused (Paper Tableaux, 2001) .

Enjoy.

REVIEW: WWE Heroes #1

2010-04-06T23:37:00.003+10:00

WWE Heroes #1 (Titan, 2010)
Writer: Keith Champagne/artist: Andy Smith

I OPENED this issue with some trepidation and it’s nice to know messrs Champagne and Smith didn’t let me down. This is wrestling comics at an abysmal, Chaos!-like level. In fact, there are shades of that hideous Undertaker comic from the late 90s in this yarn. I don’t know what was funnier: an evil god and a good god eternally battling through the ages taking their fight to the WWE of all places...the fucked-up booking (Edge is a heel and Batista a face in the comic – it’s the opposite in current WWE storylines)...or that EVERY wrestler has an eight-pack, even Matt Hardy. Matt “Porky” Hardy!!! Awful, awful, awful.

Slam-a-rama!

2010-04-06T17:55:00.003+10:00

I HAD to give a shout-out to Slam-a-rama!, a new web comic based on classic 80s-style WWF rasslin'.
It was first published by writer/artist Dave Howlett as a black-and-white minicomic last year as THE SQUARED CIRCLE.
He's now publishing new pages every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on his blog. I assume he'll then collect all the pages and publish it as a 120-page graphic novel.
Here's Dave's interesting summary of Slam-a-rama!:
"(It's) an online graphic novel set during the gaudy glory days of 1980s professional wrestling, SLAM-A-RAMA! chronicles the events of the greatest night in sports entertainment history. Over the course of one fateful evening, a diverse cast of characters - some at the top of their game, others on the downward slope of their careers - will be tested by bone-crushing battles within the ring, as well as the harrowing personal dramas that await them backstage."
I have heard that it's kinda like a wrestling comic version of Robert Altman's Nashville (1975). But that can't be right 'cos Nashville was crap.

"Alien Wrestlers" by Ken Landgraf

2010-04-05T22:11:00.002+10:00

Marvel and DC comic book artist Ken Landgraf produced this commissioned piece. It's 8 1/2" x 11", watercolour on Bristol paper. I like the guy's Wally Wood-esque style.

That's how they trained the Great Khali, I believe...

2010-04-01T21:47:00.002+11:00

DOES anyone know which comic book this panel is from?

Happy birthday, Mister J

2010-03-06T23:45:00.007+11:00

Hellboy In Mexico

2010-03-02T13:49:00.002+11:00

HELLBOY?? Vampires? Richard Corben art? Fucking luchadores?

I cannot WAIT to read this comic. :)

Oooh....minty fresh!

2010-02-28T14:14:00.001+11:00

Minty Comics Wrasslin’ Extravaganza (1998)
Writer/artists: various
A rasslin’-themed mini-comic anthology featuring top names from that scene including Brad Foster, Steve Skeates, Yul Tolbert and Matt Feazell. Anthologies are always a mixed bag and this is no exception. Some nice illos here, but the strips usually lack something. Still, it’s a nice concept and I’m glad I have it in my collection.

Storm in a teacup

2010-02-28T14:07:00.005+11:00

Firestorm The Nuclear Man #52 (DC, 1986)
Writer: Gerry Conway/penciller: Joe Browzowski/inker: Steve Mitchell
Part two of a wrestling-themed yarn – I reviewed part one HERE. Firestorm fights a rassler who’s mutated into a monster thanks to some experimental steroids. There’s also some lame anti-drugs bullshit mixed up in here, too. This is by-the-numbers Conway schlock – the stuff he did for years for both Marvel and DC in the 70s and 80s. Seriously, Conway is fucking terrible. I wonder what Browzowski’s doing these days? Probably blowing businessmen for crack money in the Bronx.

Viva Zapata!

2010-02-28T14:07:00.002+11:00

Moon Knight #29 (Marvel, 2009)
Writer: Mike Benson/artist: Jefte Palo
The Zapata brothers are my favourite luchador hitmen in Marvel. However, this is only chapter four in a five-parter and I’ll be fucked if I’ll buy the other four instalments. ’Cos, frankly, Moon Knight sucks balls. Great cover, though.

Savage Combat Tales (1975)

2010-02-18T16:59:00.003+11:00

FROM The Atlas Archives comes info on an obscure pro-wrestling reference in this short-lived 1975 series from Atlas/Seaboard:

Savage Combat Tales
This features Sgt. Ben Stryker and his Death Squad. Rescuing his band of war-hardened combat-happy commandos from certain death, Stryker assembles his group made up of unhappy US Army prisoners Lee Shigeta, judo expert (and of Asian origin); Duke Ripley, circus acrobat; Turk Ankrum, behemoth pro wrestler, and Ice Marko, gangster (and of course, his last name ends in a vowel). They start out as jailbirds and end up as heroes. By issue #3, the convicts get pardoned for their heroic exploits and wonder how they'll spend the rest of the war in retirement. Unfortunately, these Archie Goodwin written tales end with #3.

Naturally, I've ordered a cheap copy of Savage Combat Tales # 1 (February 1975) from my good mates at Lone Star.

A review will be forthcoming.

Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #51 (DC, 1986)

2010-02-05T00:45:00.001+11:00

RASSLIN' is once again reamed up the arse by haters. Evil manager Eddie Slick has been plying his man, King Crusher, with steroids and naughtier substances for years. But the latest lot of experimental happy pills turns Crusher into a full-on monster. This is the set-up ish and there's a ton of badly written expository dialogue, sub-plots that I cared not a whit about and truly mediocre art by Joe Brozowski and Rodin Rodriguez, who I suspect were hanging round some trash bins outside the DC building when writer Gerry Conway walked past them and said, "Hey, fellas. I'll buy you a ham sandwich if you bang out a coupla comics for me real quick."

It's taken me THREE years to track this one down...

2010-01-22T19:14:00.003+11:00

...and I still don't own a copy. :P

But...in Zine World #24 (January 2007), there was a listing for the first issue of a self-published comic called Soulless Soulmates. The review states the comic features "a person who looks like a cross between Spider-Man and a goth Mexican wrestler".

It was by some dude in Texas called Algo Malo.

Um...that's it.

If anyone wants to send me a copy, feel free to do so. :)

More WWE goodness

2009-12-17T20:51:00.003+11:00

CHECK out this interview with the creators here.

Can you spell LAME?

.............................................I'm still gonna buy a copy tho.

2009-12-07T22:50:00.002+11:00

I DON'T know what this has to do with love, but Simon Barnard's toon in the newly released The Tango Collection (edited by Bernard Caleo, publishers Allen & Unwin) has a wrestling theme, so here it is. The rest of the toons in this anthology are about love and romance, and are a mixed bag.

Wrestling comics I don't own (but wish I did)

2009-12-05T15:39:00.015+11:00

THE following titles were found at the excellent MyComicShop.com, but are sadly out of stock (or a bit too expensive for my tastes). Can anyone help me?

Marvel Visionaries: Peter David: The Incredible Hulk Vol. 4 (Marvel, 2007):
DESCRIPTION: Collects Incredible Hulk #355-363 and Marvel Comics Presents #26 and #45 (from 1989-90). The Hulk vs gangsters, ghouls and the Grey Gargoyle! Plus wrestlers, killer whales and more!

Twisted Toyfare Theatre Vol. 8 (Wizard, 2007)
DESCRIPTION: Not technically a comic and not technically about wrestling. However, this mag collects episodes from Toyfare magazine's "Twisted ToyFare Theatre" comic strips. Join Mego Spidey and a random assortment of stormtroopers, wrestlers, werewolves and Cobra troopers in hilarious episodes (according to them anyway). Find out what happens when Smokey the Bear tries to tell Ric Flair how to go camping.

Tarzan #67 (Dell, April 1955)
DESCRIPTION: Tarzan stars in "The Wrestlers of Baronga". Is this pro-wrestling? Who knows?

Street Fighter II Turbo #6 (Udon, May 2009)
DESCRIPTION: Cover by Alan Wang. Written by Ken Siu-Chong. Art by Jeffrey 'Chamba' Cruz. Kick it into Turbo! The tournament moves stateside for the American finals, which are throwing down on the mean streets of Metro City. Expect all-out beat 'em up action as the cast of Final Fight collides with the world of Street Fighter! Plus, get a bonus Final Fight back-up story featuring pro wrestler-turned Metro City mayor Mike Haggar!

Mixtape Vol. 3 by Jim Mahfood (Image, Feb. 2009)
DESCRIPTION: This volume is all about the funky full-color illustrations featuring MAHFOOD's bizarre and unique characters, gorgeous girls, rock stars, b-boys, Mexican wrestlers, beat bees, and more.
Comic Library International Vol. 9: World's Greatest Christmas Comics! (CLI, 2002)
DESCRIPTION: Christmas-themed comics including El Mucho Grande, wrestler-for-hire, by Chris Yambar.

Dale Evans Comics #17 (DC, May 1951)

DESCRIPTION: Sierra Smith, Western Detective stars in back-up tale "The Rustled Wrestler!"

Haunted by Philippe Dupuy (Drawn & Quarterly, 2008)

DESCRIPTION: A collection of stories including a tale about lucha libre wrestlers.

Middleman Vol. 2 (Viper Comics, 2006)

DESCRIPTION: "Inevitability!" Written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach. Art by Les McClaine. 'Explosive' doesn't begin to cover this collection of The Middleman! Not only does it include the entire rip-snortin' adventure that is Volume Two, but also three all-new 'Legends of the Middleman' bonus stories - thrilling tales of the Middlemen of yore guest-illustrated by three of comics' hottest artists! Adventure! Excitement! Masked Wrestlers! It's all in here!

Street Fighter IV #1 (Udon, Feb. 2009)

DESCRIPTION: Cover by Arnold Tsang. By Ken Siu-Chong & Joe Ng A four-issue mini-series based on the most anticipated fighting game ever - Street Fighter IV! New challengers like mixed martial artist Abel, Mexican wrestler El Fuerte and chunky kung-fu fighter Rufus cross paths with Street Fighter mainstays Sakura, Dan, Charlie, and more.

Lucha libre goodness!

2009-12-02T13:45:00.003+11:00

I RECENTLY hit the mother lode in lucha libre comicy goodness on eBay. From a Mexican dealer I picked up four ooooold mini-comics (smaller than A5 format) for a reasonable price.
Now, I can't speak a word of Spanish, but these were all kinda fun.

First up was a battered copy of Sensacional De Luchas A Color #183 from May 5, 1989 starring motherfucking Canek! This is one weird-ass comic. The first part is real Benny Hill-style low-brow humour. Canek beats up some dude in the ring while a blonde rat gets the ringside fans hot and bothered 'cos she's wearing a tiny skirt that barely covers her huge butt. Later, she and Canek hook up in his apartment.

Now, it seems the rat is also banging a psycho boxing champ. He likes to beat up chicks - and she seems to just take it (yay for Mexican feminism).

Eventually, the champ challenges Canek to a boxer vs wrestler match. Canek refuses for some reason, so the psycho beats up the rat again, then beats up Canek's little friend Pepe.

Canek snaps, accepts the challenge, then beats the holy shit out of psycho boxing champ. The end.

Nice art - even though anyone who bleeds is drawn as if they've poured half a bottle of tomato sauce up their nose.

I also scored three issues of Patadas Voladoras from July/August 1988. Very cartoony art and real simple storylines (with only 1-2 panels per page). Issue #6 (above) sees a bloke with a chicken mask take on a Mafia boss and also dispatches a ring-in wearing his mask. #10 is about a big, slow kid who runs away from his abusive home and becomes a masked champion. #11 is about two drunks who decide to score some easy drinking money by entering the squared circle...only it isn't as easy as it looks.

Of further quirky interest, the back cover of each issue features an ad for Perro Aguayo comic, which I need to track down at some point.

FROM the same dealer, I also bought a coupla recent lucha libre magazines. Why? 'Cos I love looking at pix of Mexican masked wrestlers...even if I can't understand a word what's written.

Both mags had some hidden gems. The August 2008 DosDeTres featured a two-page spread of lucha-themed panel gags (like the one above) by Antonio Garci. I'm sure they're hilarious in English.

Better still was the September 2008 issue of Record Luchas Mensual, which featured a four-page comic strip of Atlantis vs Blue Panther. All right! Story by Candelario Andrade and art by Daniel Perez.

There's quite a few lucha libre comics (or wrestling mags featuring lucha libre strips) on eBay at reasonable prices. I suggest you go check them out.

WWE Heroes #1 is coming...

2009-12-02T13:08:00.002+11:00

WWE Comics, eh?

How come I keep having flashbacks to those hideous titles spewed out by Chaos! back in the late 90s? I guess I'll just have to buy a copy of WWE Heroes #1 when it comes out in March and see if it's as shit as I think it'll be.

The Hulk busts a move or two

2009-10-23T23:48:00.003+11:00

ONE of my fave comics at the moment is Marvel Adventures Avengers and a recent issue only makes me love it more.

Avengers #32 (reprinted in Marvel Adventures Avengers Vol. 9: The Times They Are A-Changin') sees the team run foul of the IRS. To get off the hook, they're forced to tackle a bunch of super-villains who owe back taxes to the government.

At one point the team takes on The Absorbing Man who proceeds to absorb Iron Man's powers and kick everyone's collective arse...until The Hulk jumps on him, that is.

After that, there are several panels where, in the background, Hulk playfully puts Absorbing Man in a boston crab, then a Lex Luger-style torture rack.

Kudos to writer Paul Tobin and, more likely, artists Matteo Lolli and Christian Vecchia for the wrestling references.

Wrestling aside, I wholeheartedly recommend Avengers - which is funny and easy to read, but not dumb, despite having the "all ages" tag.

Anyone seen this in their travels?

2009-09-21T23:29:00.002+10:00

IN THE "Thanks for the announcement, but we'll believe it when we see it" department, ex-rassler/nudie model April Hunter supposedly had a comic book coming out this summer (winter in Aussie time).

The hilariously named Pickle Press announced the release of a title called Code Red. In it, April plays a sexy mercenary hired to fight terrorists...or some-such nonsense.

Anyone seen it? Or did it go the same way as that infamous Tammy "Sunny" Sytch comic from the late 90s?

Feel free to post me a copy if you come across it.

Nexus #5 (January 1983)

2009-09-08T22:43:00.002+10:00

I RECENTLY unearthed this gem as I'm going through a "Nexus-fucking-crazy" phase. Mike Baron's star-swept tale of an intergalactic avenger driven to execute mass murderers is an easy-to-read, rollicking, surprisingly lighthearted read (considering the at-times grim subject matter). Steve Rude's art was superb even during this early part of his career.

This wrestling-themed back-up tale, The Hammer, looks at the pre-avenging career of Nexus' friend and ally, Judah Maccabee. Seems Judah was a pro-wrestler. In this amusing, fluffy piece, Judah takes on Black Death McGee for the Super Heavyweight Championship while at the same time attempting "to bake his prize-winning salmon souffle between rounds".

Naturally, McGee is tougher competition than Judah expects, but the souffle unexpectedly comes in handy as a foreign object.

Silly stuff, but it suits the feel of Nexus. Great comic by the way...I'm gonna have to buy all of the back issues.

Madd about wrestling

2009-09-02T13:40:00.004+10:00

I COULD have written a sarcastic entry about this comic, but the always-excellent Living Between Wednesdays did it sooooooo much better.

Even more classic Kinnikuman...

2009-08-28T23:27:00.002+10:00

A BLOKE with a teacup on his head kicks arse. Hooray for insane Japanese comics!

Thanks to DVR for these pix.

Kinnikuman vs Dusty Rhodes....?

2009-08-28T23:16:00.004+10:00

STOLE this English-translated version off the deathvalleydriver.com messageboard. Stardust prepares to face Kinnikuman!

Blue Beetle battlers

2009-06-23T18:16:00.001+10:00

MY FAVOURITE comic blog Living Between Wednesdays has just run a feature on the less-than-successful career of DC supervillain Hellhound (basically, several guys wearing his costume have died ignoble deaths). Anyway, here's the info related to the above picture that caught my eye:

"And then this guy’s cousin and some dog-looking guy showed up in Blue Beetle...Don’t worry, I hadn’t heard of a title fight either. Evidently, it’s what happens when a super-villain kicks off and two or more guys want to fill his shoes for some reason. This is now imprinted on my brain - every time some R-grade bad guy gets shot in the head I’m going to picture seven guys meeting up outside of a bar in Toledo, all wearing their best Crazy Quilt or Planet Master outfits."

Rival Angels

2009-05-29T22:54:00.002+10:00

IT'S no Whoa, Nellie! - but this women's wrestling web comic is not too shabby.

The Maniac...finished version

2009-05-19T14:11:00.002+10:00

We have a new name...

2009-05-18T15:02:00.003+10:00

YES, from now onwards this site is called Whooooooo! Wrestling comics, baby! and will focus on news stories, reviews, previews and pix of newly found and/or published wrestling comix.

The page's former title - The Encyclopaedia of Wrestling Comics - now belongs to a new site that will chronicle my original A to Z of rasslin'-themed comix published a few years back in my old zine, Betty Paginated. The site will be occasionally updated. It's currently a work in progress, so don't be surprised if there isn't much content up there at the moment.

If you want to read about NEW grappling-filled sequential art, come here. To check up on all the old stuff I wrote, go here and bookmark it.

One Way To Die

2009-05-13T13:50:00.004+10:00

THIS Aussie-made comic actually has an MMA theme (albeit with sci-fi tinges), but the wrestling link is that it's been put out by PWA Queensland manager/commentator Nick XL.

The art looks primitive and I can't tell what the story's like. I hope to get my hands on a copy soon, so I can review it. Meanwhile, check out Nick'sweb site at http://www.xlcreations.com.au/index.html.

He's the newly crowned Southern Cross champion...

2009-05-06T11:43:00.001+10:00

...AND now he even has his own web comic. The man is unstoppable.

Headlocked: A three-word review

2009-04-21T16:47:00.002+10:00

IT'S worth getting.

The Hangman

2009-04-21T16:18:00.004+10:00

Johnathan from the always-entertaining http://livingbetweenwednesdays.com/ posted an entry on April 18, Justify Your Existence: Batman Villain Edition, about various lame Batman villains from the 50s and 60s. This entry on The Hangman caught my eye:

"The Hangman made an appearance in Detective Comics No 355 as a wrestler who was undefeated and whose identity was unknown and had promised to reveal his identity if he was ever beaten in a fight.

"And then, the Hangman starts showing up all aroung Gotham - every time that Batman investigates a crime scene, the Hangman is nearby, running away or loitering suspiciously, and of course they fight and Hangman keeps beating Batman with his awesome wrestling moves and then keeps trying to take unconcious Batman’s mask off. Why all the strange behaviour, Hangman? (below)

"Augh! That’s a terrible reason to roam the city staging crimes (it turns out that he was staging the crimes, by the way) and picking fights with a super-hero!
The Hangman turns out to be Telman Davies, a TV newsman who has a secret life as a masked wrestler, just as they often do in real life. Remember the wrestling subplots on Murphy Brown? Classic."

Awesomely crap. Only in DC.

ZOMBIES vs ALIENS vs WRESTLERS?

2009-01-23T13:58:00.002+11:00

THE latest issue of Comic Shop News (#1127) reports:

"Chad Heider, Darren Davis and Giovanni Timpano take readers back to the world of the worst sci-fi film ever made in Plan 9 From Outer Space...Strikes Again!, a March-release oneshot from Bluewater Productions.
Fifty years after the alien invasion unleashed the unspeakable horror of Plan 9, a corrupt team of government scientists reactivate the zombie horde in order to lure the aliens back to Earth.
Their sinister plan: steal the most hideous weapon known to intergalactic intelligence.
Only a conspiracy theorist and his mother, a former professional wrestler, can expose the shadowy agenda of the government as they fight off the growing zombie horde.
Yes, it sounds as wacky as the flm that inspired it!"

Keep an eye out for...

2008-10-19T11:37:00.001+11:00

NEW comic Headlocked: Tryout from Markosia. Ask your local comic shop for ordering details.

I'll have a review up soon (I hope).

BPJr #2 is out now...on PDF

2008-10-04T17:51:00.002+10:00

BPJr #2 - filled with big booties, Jack Kirby, Steve Gerber, wrestling, Deal Or No Deal and more T&A than is healthy - is finished and ready to be sent out…as a PDF.

Yes, Australia Post has finally battered me into submission. I can’t afford the ridiculous postal costs for what is essentially a vanity project/hobby.

So here’s how it goes. You’re on my mailing list. Please e-mail me at danhelen@idx.com.au and let me know how you want BP sent to you. There are three options:

1. Printable PDF: You can print this out at work or at home. As this issue was created in A5 format (before I changed my mind about having it printed), it’s laid out as if it was going on a photocopier. That means it’s a little difficult to follow in places. However, like I said, if you want to print it out so you can have a hard copy, then this is the best format.

2. Readable PDF: All 24 A5 pages will be sent to you in order, from 1 to 24, with no wacky page layouts to worry about.

3. Hard copy: If you don’t have access to a printer or you can’t read a PDF, then let me know and I’ll send you a hard copy. This is extremely limited as I printed only 20 copies to sell at the Newcastle Young Writers Festival. Any left over will be mailed out to people who ask for them. Once they’re gone, I won’t be printing any more. So get in early if this is the version you want.

Payment? I don’t know. How do you pay for a PDF? I’ll leave it up to you. I don’t think money’s the right thing to ask for. I’m always interested in reading cool zines, comics, magazines, books or seeing interesting DVDs. Burn me something. Hell, e-mail me something if you like.

However, if you want a hard copy, then that will cost US$5 (including airmail postage and handling). I’ll accept only Paypal (no cash, money orders or cheques will be accepted, sorry) and please use dlennard@acp.com.au when making payment. Thanks.

OK. Any queries? Drop me a line.

Oh, and although this is obvious, please state in your e-mail that you’re over 18 years of age. Thanks.

Cheers,

Dann Lennard

Editor

BPJr/Betty Paginated

Franklin Richards: Summer Smackdown!

2008-08-11T20:15:00.003+10:00

IN THE cute opening yarn to this one-shot put together by Chris Eliopoulos and Marc Sumerak, The Thing has agreed to do a charity bout for the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation (as first seen in his own solo series from the 1980s).

He brings along Franklin and his pet robot H.E.R.B.I.E. Unfortunately, The Thing's opponent Thunder is actually a super-villain seeking revenge against the Fantastic Four.

Luckily, Franklin comes to the rescue with a secret weapon stolen from his dad's laboratory.

Problem solved.

This is a nice one-shot - I'd recommend it to any parent who has kids.

HEADLOCKED news

2008-08-09T17:19:00.004+10:00

HERE'S the info from creator Michael Kingston:

Jerry Lawler To Paint Comic Book Cover!

WWE Hall of Famer, Jerry “The King” Lawler has signed on to provide a cover for the critically acclaimed comic book series, Headlocked: The Tryout from AAM/Markosia and Visionary Comics Studio. Lawler’s fully painted cover will grace the first issue of the new mini-series, available now for pre-order in Diamond’s Previews and shipping in October. (Diamond Order Code: AUG083662)

Read the press release here.

The book is available for pre-order from July 30^th to August 27^th. Because Headlocked is an independent comic book, it's recommended you pre-order a copy as not all retailers order indy comics. And being that this issue features Jerry Lawler’s first published comic book work, this will definitely be a highly sought-after comic once it hits the shelves. Reserve your copy today at your local comic book store.

As a special promotion to help get people on board with the story, AAM/Markosia is putting the first issue, Headlocked: Work of Art online for people to read absolutely free.

For more information, please visit www.myspace.com/mike_kingston or www.facebook.com/pages/Headlocked/11313203558.

Etta Candy in Wonder Woman

2008-08-09T15:39:00.004+10:00

WE'RE talking about the Golden Age Etta Candy here. The tubby lil' sidekick who said, "Woo! Woo!" a lot.

Anyways, in Thompson & Lupoff's The Comic-Book Book, there's an essay on Wonder Woman - "Of (Super) Human Bondage" - in which author and WW fan Juanita Coulson writes this curious passage:

"Etta Candy started as a six-foot lady wrestler. But perhaps that scene and others bothered [WW creator William Moulton Marston], because Etta rapidly lost a foot of height and turned into an unmenacing pudgy little [character]...forever eating and screeching, 'Woo! Woo!'"

So there you have yet another tenuous wrestling-and-comics link.

Fucken Jimmy Olsen

2008-08-07T17:13:00.003+10:00

FUCKEN Jimmy Olsen as "Elastic Lad" fights "The Ugly Superman"? Holy fuck.
This was published in April 1968...and probably shouldn't have been.

Lothar wrestles in Mandrake The Magician

2008-08-07T13:02:00.003+10:00

I READ about this little gem in the classic The Comic-Book Book (1973, reprinted 1998) by Don Thompson and Dick Lupoff. Dick O'Donnell's essay "It's Magic" enthuses greatly about Mandrake The Magician's earliest newspaper adventures, written by Lee Falk and illustrated by Phil Davis. He discusses one of Mandrake's earliest adventures, 'The Hidden Kingdom of Murderers', which first ran in US newspapers from February 3 to May 26, 1935.

Dick discusses one sequence where the magician's large Nubian manservant Lothar is forced to wrestle "the champion of the murderers" above a flaming pit. Naturally, Lothar wins. And Mandrake saves the doomed wrestler from a fiery death by levitating him to safety.

Amazingly, I found this art sequence (albeit, the Italian translated version) at the excellent Mandrake The Magician blog.

And here it is. Enjoy.

Blood And Alcohol

2008-06-27T18:08:00.000+10:00

WHOA! How could I forget this misanthropic classic from WA's D. Rat? His 2000 A5 comic was full of one-page toons and a few strips that featured - in between the limbless naked chicks and Nazi symbols - a masked wrestler. So there you go. Not sure what became of the dude. Liked his artwork tho.

Ayre farce

2008-04-30T12:45:00.005+10:00

IT’LL never appear or, if it does, it’ll disappear without a trace – a lot like BodogFIGHT itself – but ex-Bodog boss and billionaire Calvin Ayre will supposedly star in a new graphic novel called Ayre Force.
It’s a tenuous link for this blog – but MMA’s an offshoot of pro wrestling and, besides, Ayre Force features three of my fave things: MMA fighters, tattooed rocker Bif Naked and sexy-as poker player Evelyn Ng.

MMA athlete Tara Larosa...

...indy rocker Bif Naked...

...sexy pro poker player Evelyn Ng

They are part of a covert ops unit involved in a war with evil corporation Wintercorp, led by the sinister Janus Winter.
Ayre’s got some reasonably heavy hitters on board to produce Ayre Force including writers Adam Slutsky (Maxim, Bluff) and Joseph Phillip Illidge (Batman) and artist Shawn Martinbrough (Batman: Detective Comics, World War Hulk: Frontline).
For all the bullshit hype, more art and info, head to www.bodoglife.net/ayreforce.
And for a more critical look at Ayre, check out this article.

Calvin.......oooooooh, he's so tough

I don't like John Byrne, but this is fuckin' crazy

2008-04-15T20:51:00.003+10:00

FROM John Byrne's web site (byrnerobotics.com) on April 11:

HEADING: Well, that was fun
"Got a call from Paul Kupperberg yesterday. Apparently the WWE has decided that kids don't read comics (is Joe Quesada working for them as a consultant?) so all the strips are being dropped from the magazine.
And Paul has been fired."

"I have to say this is upsetting. Not only because it leaves a guy like Paul Kupperberg out of a job, but the fact that the magazine publisher falls into the same stereotype that most people have about wrestling fans. That their fans, which is largely made up by children, don't like to read. It is a magazine for crying out loud! They would have to read the articles, why not a fun comic strip putting their favorite wrestlers in fantastic situations? Is this thing just going to be 80 pages of pictures and no captions? It also amazes me they wouldn't have waited for the first few issues of their new childrens magazine to actually be published and read by their fans, before making such a decision.
••
Discussing this with Paul, I noted that there is more to it than simple economics or "kids don't read" mentality. Some things simply do not cross over into other forms. Sports are high on that list. Billions of dollars spent every year, in this country alone, on sports of all kinds, yet if we take all the thousands upon thousands of comics published in the last 75 years or so, how many of them were sports oriented? And of the few that were, how many were successful.
Same with movies. So many millions of miles of film, yet so few sports movies. Novels are the same. Such books/movies/TV shows etc do exist, but they are by far the exception, and really successful examples are an exception to the exception.
It falls into the same category as comics based on videogames, I think. More millions spent by consumers, yet how many of those consumers want to read about the characters, instead of being the characters?"

More KROZOR...because YOU didn't ask for it!!

2008-04-11T23:32:00.001+10:00

Oh...my...sweet...jesus. How utterly, utterly horrible.

I quote Comic Shop News #1085...

2008-04-04T08:52:00.002+11:00

"Grant Morrison & JG Jones deliver more surprises in DC's Final Crisis #2. Meet Japan's No. 1 pop culture heroes, the Super Young Team and their languid leader, Most Excellent Superbat! Join legendary wrestler Sonny Sumo and super escape artist Mister Miracle as they team to face the offspring of the Anti-Life Equation...etc etc."

You know, I hate DC and I hate what it's done to its universe over the past four years.......but I may well pick up this issue. Sigh...

Krozor: how did I miss THIS one?

2008-01-20T11:32:00.000+11:00

FROM the current issue of WWE Magazine on sale in Aussie newsstands ("The 500th Anniversary Issue") comes this little tidbit (above). How did I miss Krozor? Sounds godawful, like all those Chaos! comics put out at around that time (remember The Rock, The Undertaker, Chyna, etc? Ugh!).
Anyone got a copy of the April '97 issue they can send me, so I can review Krozor properly?

"Mucha Lucha!" in "JPA"

2007-12-16T13:06:00.000+11:00

I BOUGHT Jam-Packed Action back in 2004 and have only just got around to reading it...there's probably a good reason for that.

This DC-produced comic digest features four short stories adapted from WB animated series Teen Titans, Scooby-Doo!, Xiaolin Showdown and Mucha Lucha! (the reason I bought it).

All the images are taken from the original animated episodes and unimaginatively laid out on the page. Despite the lack of creativity on display, the Mucha Lucha! story's kinda interesting: Richochet enters a tag team tournament to win a reproduction mask of his hero El Rey. Along the way, he goes to the gym and has his head shrunk to help him win his matches (don't ask). It's the pick of the four tales in this book, but that's faint praise.

Detective Comics #550

2007-12-13T23:58:00.000+11:00

IT'S another tenuous link, but here we go. Detective Comics #549-550 (April-May 1985) features a two-parter - "Night Olympics" - starring Green Arrow and Black Canary, written by Alan Moore and drawn by Klaus Janson.

The above two panels appear in Detective #550. A crazed bowman has injured Black Canary and is being stalked by Green Arrow when he makes this odd little rant.

Naturally, Arrow later hands the psycho his arse.

The short yarn has been reprinted in the trade paperback DC Universe: The Stories Of Alan Moore.

Two new graphic novels to keep an eye on...

2007-12-11T15:37:00.000+11:00

'Whoa Nellie!' by Jaime Hernandez

COURTESY of my newest best friend Bob (including his comments):

Love And Rockets Volume 16: Whoa Nellie!: "Again, I have the original issues, but in this case I might buy it anyway just to have probably the best wrestling comic ever produced in English on a prominent bookshelf. This story dates to the early to mid-90s, too, so if it isn't a reprint the collection is long overdue."

https://www.mailordercomics.com/prodDetail.asp?PID=218391

Holy Terror: "Trying to cash in on my desire to see a conclusion to this cancelled series, they tacked it onto a reprint of the two issues I've already bought. Damn. I want to support wrestling comics but I hate being forced to buy a trade just to see the last 16 to 20 pages of a fairly weak story. I'm undecided. Not a bad deal if I didn't have the first two already, though." https://www.mailordercomics.com/prodDetail.asp?PID=218330

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures #7. My question: why?

2007-12-09T12:35:00.000+11:00

THE Archie Adventure Series was one of the most pointless comic companies of all time. An offshoot of the eternal (and eternally boring) Archie Comics line, the imprint had been called Red Circle from the early 70s to mid-80s and used to publish non-humour titles, including some excruciatingly bad comics featuring old 1940s superheroes (who'd been briefly and ingloriously revived in the 60s) such as the Mighty Crusaders, The Fly, The Shield and The Jaguar. A few good artists (like Gray Morrow and Rudy Nebres) got on board, but most of these comics were shit, pure and simple. Red Circle was rebranded as Archie Adventure in 1984.

The superheroes were gone by 1989 but Archie Adventure still put out titles like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures, a kid-friendly version of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's indy hit TMNT. It was designed to cash in on the animated TV series (and, later, the movies). Amazingly, TMNTA ran from August 1988 to October 1995.

I walked into Kings Comics in Sydney last Thursday evening and was immediately captivated by TMNTA #7 sitting on the front counter. The wrestling-themed cover (and the $2.95 cover price) grabbed my attention and I immediately bought it.

Now, I wish I hadn't. This is beyond awful. Despite the surreal subject matter, Dean Clarrain and Ryan Brown's script is so threadbare and sketchy it feels like there's no script at all. There's certainly no suspense or entertainment value. Jim Lawson and Gary Fields' "art" is perfunctory at best.

The plot sounds promising: the turtles are transported to another galaxy (by a disembodied giant cow's head) and forced to wrestle for Intergalactic Wrestling. They must wrestle Cryin' Hound while, in another ring, Ace Duck faces an old Turtles nemesis called Leatherhead.

The two matches are shown simultaneously, split over several pages, in what should be an innovative artistic concept. Pity the "artists" are so crap as it just looks confusing.

The wrestlers are given no personality - they're not even parodies of recognisable real grapplers, which I would've thought might be the obvious joke to do.

Instead, we get several filler pages that seem designed to purely get us to the end of the issue. There's no action and certainly no humour.

Anyway, the Turtles win and get returned to earth. The end.

Why was this comic even produced? What was the point?

Horrible. Simply horrible.

Fuck me! It's the Holy fuckin' Grail!!!

2007-12-03T16:51:00.000+11:00

COURTESY of top bloke - and loyal blog reader - Bob, comes this very exciting entry. As Bob himself wrote a week or so back:
"Here are some small scans of the first few pages of The Saga Of The Von Erich Warriors.
It's pretty far out, but wrestling IS involved. Kevin, Kerry and Fritz kick some outer-space alien butt. If you have the space and bandwidth I can scan the whole book to post on your blog."

And he bloody well did. Below is the whole damn comic. Enjoy!

But before you do, here's another update from Bob: "This book popped up at a large comic shop in Arlington, Texas recently. Probably very few copies ever left the state, and this one is only just next door now in Oklahoma. It looks to be the product of a gang of industrious teenagers, and as such it's not too bad. All the portraits are photo referenced, so you can tell who's who, and it's got that cheesy sci-fi serial vibe going."

All I can say is, THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU, Bob!

More from Bob...

2007-12-03T15:23:00.000+11:00

"IF YOU'RE watching for rarities, there are some others I know of that probably never made it far outside my geographic area.
Back in 1991 or so there was a short-live confederation of friends in Oklahoma City who got together and published a bunch of comics under the name Rough Cut Press (might've been spelt with a K).
Wrestling was a theme of several of their anthology entries - I particularly remember a noir detective/masked wrestler series, similar to the back-up story in Steel Pulse.
I met those guys at a comic-convention back then and bought just about every copy of everything they had, but my collection (and I) saw hard times in the following years and I lost all but one unrelated pin-up issue.
I've been watching auctions and online shops in recent years, but they haven't popped up.

I'll send you scans if I do come upon any of those. But knowing they're out there, you might find it first."

Or maybe one of my readers can help me out here........?

Mistico hits 50 (issues, not years)

2007-12-03T14:25:00.000+11:00

COURTESY of top bloke Bob comes these scans of talented luchador Mistico's CMLL-licensed comic. It's about to hit issue #50. I assume it must be a weekly or fortnightly comic as Mistico hasn't been around that long. I'd love to see an ish if someone wants to send me a copy (hint, hint).

Weekend wrap-up

2007-11-25T12:49:00.000+11:00

IMPERCEPTILY, without even realising it, I’ve collected stacks of wrestling-related comix over the past few weeks. Let’s quickly cover what’s new in my ever-expanding collection:

Big Daddy Annual 1984: I had no idea bloated UK TV wrestler Big Daddy had more than one annual, but I was wrong. After 1983’s book, Fleetway decided to strike while the iron was hot and put out this collection filled with “photo features” and reprints of Big Daddy’s rather dull adventures in Buster and Tiger comics (although at least here he teams with longtime Tiger regular Johnny Cougar, above). Big Daddy may have been a household name, but the fat cunt helped kill the British wrestling scene so I don’t have much respect for him. This annual’s as lumbering and stupid as the man himself.

Lucha Libre (Image): As I talked about several months ago, Image has launched a new series featuring strips based on the wonderful wacky world of Mexican wrestling including Bill & Jerry Frissen’s The Luchadores 5 (who were first seen in Metal Hurlant), Tequila (Gobi & Jerry Frissen), Profesor Furia (Witko & Inès Vargas), The Tikitis (Fabien M.) and Los Luchadoritos (Tanquerelle & Jerry Frissen). The comic’s oversized and overpriced but I kinda like it, so take Doc Riot’s professional advice and check it out now.

The Umbrella Academy #1 (Dark Horse): I can’t believe I bought this mag. Gerard Way is the namby-pamby lead singer of emo band My Chemical Romance – personally, I’d rather listen to wrestling rockers Beauregarde, Michael Hayes and Jimmy Valiant. Hell, even Freddie Blassie had more singing balls than Gerard. Now, the fella’s turned his hand to comics writing and teamed up with artist Gabriel Bá to do this superhero nonsense. But I picked up the first ish anyway – why? ’Cos the first two pages features pro-wrestling. “Tusslin’ Tom” Gurney hits a space squid with a flying elbow and bizarre, angsty stuff then happens. Sigh. The things I do for this blog…
Rabid #1: I spoke about this 1998 British comic zine some months ago, but it’s taken till now to finally get my hands on it (thanks, Mr Postman). Passable (occasionally confusing) superhero art in a style reminiscent of The Tick and a perfunctory plot, but at least it features some rasslin’ in it, so yay for writer Scott Claringbold and artist Marc Olivent. I don’t think there was a second ish.

Better Dredd than well-read

2007-11-25T12:14:00.001+11:00

TWO momentous things can be found in the anthology series Judge Dredd Megazine #52 (April 29, 1994). 1. In Judge Dredd, the title character’s robot servant Walter The Wobot is revealed to be a robot revolutionary, AND 2. The Anderson, PSI strip features a wrestling yarn.

In “Postcards From The Edge”, ex-psi judge Cassandra Anderson finds herself on Blassey’s Planet (a nice touch) where she watches the Superstars Of Galactic Wrestling in action, putting her last creds on Zygy The Force to win in his match with Warrior Of The Black Sun.

The Warrior cheats by using a psychic in the crowd to put “the whammy on Zygy”, so Anderson helps even the odds.

It’s a cute little tale written by Alan Grant and drawn by Charles Gillespie – pure fluff but fun all the same.

As for Walter The Wobot, he got 30 years’ jail…creep.

What else I’ve seen on eBay lately

2007-11-25T11:36:00.000+11:00

LOTSA comics with wrestling storylines or covers have been sold on eBay in recent months. Here are just a few covers I downloaded:

Action Comics #372 (c.1969): Superman gets amnesia and becomes The Masked Superman, a psychotic masked wrestler if this cover’s anything to go by. Of course, what’s the point of wearing a mask to protect your identity when you’re still wearing your freakin’ Superman costume?!! Ah, the illogical joy of 60s DC comics…
Giggle Comics #68 (c.1949): I betcha there isn’t a genuine giggle to be found in this “funny” book.

MAD #49 (July 2007): This appears to be the Mexican version of MAD and features a cool lucha libre cover (Alfred E. Neuman holding Mistico’s mask is brilliance). I’d love to get my hands on this issue as I assume there’s a lucha libre article in the mag as well.
Patsy And Hedy #11 (c.1953): This Atlas romance comic has a nice wrestling-themed cover. Not sure if there was a linked story inside, but I assume there was. Comic buffs will know that in the mid-70s Patsy Walker was revived by Atlas’s successor Marvel and became Hellcat, one of my favourite superheroes.
Peter Porkchops #14 (c.1952): This Porky Pig rip-off at least had this one ultra-nice cover in its favour.

More Japanese wrestling manga

2007-11-25T11:32:00.001+11:00

A NICE fella in Japan recently sent me some wrestling manga, which appears to be a reprint of some old manga from the early 80s. There’s a bunch of articles on Antonio Inoki and Riki Choshu, plus two B&W comics.

The first story details an epic encounter between Andre The Giant and Stan “The Lariat Hansen.

The second tale’s about Inoki himself.

I don’t understand a word of it, but the artwork’s pretty nifty.

Not that there's anything wrong with that

2007-11-25T11:14:00.000+11:00

CONFIRMING the connection between rasslin’ and homo-eroticism comes Pinned Vol. 1, which I discovered on eBay.

The graphic novel, published by Yaoi Press LLC, is Japanese manga, which is pretty gay at the best of times, I reckon.

Here’s the storyline according to the eBay auction: “Cruiserweight wrestler Synn learns he was only recruited by a top wrestling promotion because the reigning champion Renegade desires him. If the ambitious Synn wants his career to be successful he has to submit to Renegade. Will he give in? Or will he be blacklisted with every wrestling promotion stateside?”

Okaaaaaaay…don’t think I’ll bid for that one, somehow.

FURTHERING the link between sweaty man-on-man action and homosexuality comes Pro Wrestling Is Not Gay. Steev Gillies’ A5 comic zine uses clip art from a lucha libre instruction booklet to explain, definitively, why pro wrestling ISN’T gay. Yeah, right.

He follows that up with Pro Wrestling Was Never Gay, using more clip art (some historical) to show why the grap game has always been a manly, heterosexual pastime and never, ever gay.

It’s funny stuff, so if you wanna check it out, e-mail Steev at steev.gillies@gmail.com or steev@fakecomics.com.

Wrestling with literature: "Black Dossier"

2007-11-19T19:51:00.000+11:00

IT'S an obscure reference to be sure, but there's a wrestling scene near the end of The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier - the intriguing but ultimately unsatisfying new graphic novel by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill.
Heroes Mina Murray and Allan Quatermain travel to the Blazing World, a strange fourth-dimensional place filled with famous literary characters.
In one two-page spread (sample panel above), the pair - accompanied by the immortal Orlando - see a small muscular man wrestling with a bizarre creature covered in writing.
Allan asks, "I-isn't that Engelbrecht? What's that he's wrestling with?"
Mina replies, "I-I think it's poetry."
Like I said, very literary.......very wanky.........very Alan Moore.
Still, I admire Moore for making James Bond a villainous cunt in Black Dossier.

Japanese wrestling manga

2007-11-16T08:53:00.000+11:00

I'VE talked previously about a few of these Japanese wrestling comics from the early-to-mid-80s. However, recently, an eBay dealer has been auctioning off a shitload of 'em. And they look amazing!
They're the typical manga-style, thick B&W digests, between 180-300 pages long, and all about the rasslin'.

Famous stars featured in the comics include Ric Flair, The Road Warriors, Bruiser Brody, Stan Hansen, Mil Mascaras, Andre The Giant, The Funks, Kamala, Abdullah The Butcher, Hulk Hogan, Giant Baba, Antonio Inoki and many more.
I love the art in these manga. I just wish I could justify the expense in buying all of them...but I can't.

However, if you're interested, the bloke's still selling many of these as I write this. Just head to eBay and check out seller Coloradorocket.

Don't tell me there's no lucha libre influence going on here!

2007-10-12T16:00:00.001+10:00

IT ALL happens in Batman #669. Anyone care to enlighten me about this dude?

REVIEW: Headlocked: Work Of Art #1

2007-10-12T12:00:00.000+10:00

MIKE HARTMANN is a college student who wants to be an actor when he unexpectedly gets hooked on the world of pro wrestling.

Unlike his fellow students, teachers, friends and disapproving mother, Mike sees rasslin’ as another way to express himself as an artist, especially after he attends a WFW supercard with the main event of Madman Mohammed Farouk vs world champ “Golden” Brian Boulder. The drama, spectacle, athletic action and compelling storyline affects him like smack to a junkie.

He studies the pseudo-sport closely and eventually determines he wants to train to be a wrestler.

With little understanding of what to do but obsessed with pursuing his unlikely dream, Mike the “mark” follows a WSW wrestler called Killer Creegan after a show. After an initial awkward introduction, Creegan warms to Mike and decides to smarten him to the business. Mike takes the advice on board – particularly the need to bulk up and train.

The first issue ends with Mike boarding a bus to Philadelphia to attend a wrestling school.

I’d have to say this is an intriguing debut issue. The 48-page comic is entertainingly written by Michael Kingston – a guy who clearly knows what he’s talking about when it comes to the wrestling biz – and nicely drawn by Randy Valiente.
Headlocked features strong characters and, best of all, a non-condescending and realistic view of the world of rasslin’.

Wrestling fans really need to check this one out.

Headlocked: Work Of Art #1 is published by Visionary Comics (www.visionarycomics.com) and Markosia Enterprises (www.markosia.org.uk) and goes on sale October 19.

I saw this on eBay recently…

2007-10-02T14:22:00.001+10:00

MARVEL published a four-issue miniseries (Dec. 1992-Mar. 1993) starring the far-less-entertaining Death’s Head II (as opposed to the far-more-funny-and-entertaining Death’s Head I).
It was titled Battle Tide and also starred some Rob Liefeld rip-off called Killpower and Wolverine (who was starring in just about every comic back in the early 90s).
Battle Tide looks like the typical ultra-violent, overblown, badly drawn, all-action, no-plot comic that companies such as Marvel and Image were putting out during this intellectually and artistically barren period.
Thanks a lot, Liefeld & co., you untalented fucks.
Anyhoo, the only reason why I’m listing these shitty comics here is due to the coverline: “TAG TEAM WRESTLING - INTERGALACTIC STYLE!”
Now, I’m not sure whether there’s any ACTUAL wrestling in Battle Tide.
And I don’t plan to waste my life trying to find out.
But for the sake of completeness, I’m listing the damn thing.

Panto's Santo

2007-10-02T14:05:00.000+10:00

I NOTICED this piece of custom art for sale at www.garypanter.com.

Nice one, Gazza.

OBIT: Alberto Hinojosa

2007-09-30T22:53:00.000+10:00

Wrestling Observer Newsletter ran this recent sad note:

“Alberto Hinojosa, who drew all the comics in Super Luchas magazine, passed away on September 13.”

The guy was only 39. Celebrate Alberto's greatness by heading to http://www.albertohinojosa.com/ today.

Brody biography manga

2007-09-14T23:53:00.000+10:00

THIS would've been published in the 1980s. Great art, even though I can't understand the story to save my life.
I found these samples on Emerson Murray's excellent web site at www.BruiserBrody.com.

Read the review of Emerson's excellent book on the big man at http://docriot.blogspot.com/2007/06/book-review-bruiser-brody.html.

Bif! Bam! Bodog!

2007-09-12T23:18:00.000+10:00

Bif Naked

Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer (Sept. 5, 2007) wrote:

“This stuff is almost too funny. Bodog will be putting out a comic book/novel next year. It’s based around a babyface group called the Ayre Force (you know, Calvin Ayre), who are a group of secret agents who come from the world of poker, MMA and music to join together and fight crime. Kind of like Santo, Blue Demon and Mil Mascaras but without the masks. Remember when WWE wrestlers were special US undercover agents?*

"The head of the Ayre Force will be the globetrotting playboy mastermind Calvin Ayre. The first book will be Calvin and his friends saving bears who are being tortured in China. Characters in the Ayre Force working under Calvin include musical artist Bif Naked (get it, working under Calvin). Also are some proker pros as well as fighters Yves Edwards, Tara LaRosa and Trevor Prangley."

* I do – Big Apple Takedown is one of the most hilariously bad novels I’ve ever read – Dann