We here on the Crave Online Comics Channel are also big fans of professional wrestling, as evidence by the indie circuit treatise delivered by our own Iann Robinson in the most recent Book Report podcast. It’s a stunningly unique entity – mixing theater, pageantry, stuntwork, performance art and violence in a traveling show not unlike a circus in some respects, but without all the cruelty to animals. Instead, the cruelty can often be directed at the people who make the shows possible. We saw that on dramatic display in Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler.
It’s in that vein that Michael Kingston and Michel Mulipola (who is also a wrestler in New Zealand) have embarked on a Kickstarter campaign to bring the drama behind the scenes of the business to comics with their Headlocked project. They’ve even got Jerry “The King” Lawler doing cover artwork for them, as well as Judah Friedlander writing an introduction, so they’ve got some serious skin in the game. Their first arc has already seen print, and now they’re hoping to get enough to continue the adventures of Mike Hartmann as he journeys to “The Last Territory” in Texas in pursuit of his dream to hit it big.
The pro wrestling pedigree here is impressive – aside from Lawler’s covers and Mulipola’s experience in the ring, the Kickstarter prize package will include art from wrestlers like Ken Anderson, Beth Phoenix and Sinn Bodhi and stories from guys like Christopher Daniels, Rob Van Dam and the motherscratchin’ Hurricane Shane Helms himself. Stand back, there’s a Hurricane comin’ through! … Sorry, I’m a huge Hurricane mark. Guess who’s the world champion in my WWE ’13 league? That’s right. But I digress. It’s even going to feature art from Jill Thompson, and if you don’t know that is, you damn well should read Beasts of Burden.
So if you like comics – and why would be reading our section if you didn’t? – and if you like wrestling – which our Twitter response would seem to indicate you probably do – this might be something you want to get your hands on, and we thought you’d like to know about it. If they get enough support, they’re going to turn it into a motion comic as well, featuring the voice of the former Mr. Kennedy and current Ken Anderson of TNA. Although one has to wonder if a better title would be “Suplexed.” Because suplexes are awesome.
Oh, and here’s that Jerry Lawler cover art, too.
