Oooh....minty fresh!

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

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!

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)

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)

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."