Headlocked: A Single Step
Publisher: Visionary Comics
Writer: Michael Kingston
Artist: Randy Valiente
Reviewer: Jesse Brown
Summary: What's this? A comic book about wrestling? Ohh Yeahh!
Is it really a surprise that many wrestling fans are expressing their love for comics or vice versa? The two mediums share similar qualities and often cater to the same demographic. It’s the profound blend of violence and fiction that draws the excitement to both products, but rarely have the two crossed paths. So why shouldn’t there be wrestling comics? After all, wrestling characters are larger than life, and their costumes are stylized enough to fill the pages with visual wonder.
So without debating anymore as to why there aren’t many wrestling comics, I’d like to say that Headlocked is a bold and unique attempt to bring those two worlds together seamlessly.
Headlocked is the story of a wayward teen discovering his desire to become a pro wrestler and embarking on a journey to reach his ultimate goal. Along the way he encounters hardships and gains important, inside information on the rigorous and tumultuous world of professional wrestling.
His quest takes him to new horizons, and opens his eyes to new and surprising experiences; while learning valuable life lessons along the way.
But will he be able to continue down this path even after sacrificing everything, including his health? Will he be able to finally reach out and fulfill his destiny to become a professional wrestler? Or will the challenge of breaking into the business prove to be too much?
Review: What we have here is a modest attempt at storytelling. I was honestly not expecting such a day time drama. What I and probably most people would expect, is a more straight forward action comic, focused on the wrestlers as characters on TV, rather than the coming of age tale that is featured here. I’m not convinced this is a good approach, as it seems to focus on the much less entertaining side of wrestling. The story seems to be a rather personal one, with a focus on just 1 average individual hoping to achieve basic level entry. The writing definitely favors drama over sensationalism, which isn’t necessarily bad, but for a comic dedicated to wrestling, I believe it’s a serious misstep.
Wrestling is big, bold, and meant to be super exciting. Wrestling is larger than life, which should be the focus; however this series is intent on downsizing it by dwelling on the mundane aspect of day by day preparation. It’s a strange point of view; almost biopic in the form of a novel. I’d much rather read a story from a multi perspective of fictional wrestling characters all vying for the highest possible honor, or hell bent on sabotaging their biggest rival.
The inside track on the wrestling profession in my opinion is highly overrated, and overexposed as is. I wish the writer would fast forward to the point where the main character is knee deep in his pro career and the demand is escalating, rather than writing a slow tale of his trials and tribulations just becoming initiated. It all seems like a medioric tale of a medioric rise to mediocrity.
Sad to say it, but this Headlocked is rather boring. Hopefully the series will improve due to reader feedback and constructive criticism from fans with good intentions, because I’d love to see it be successful and full of quality. However, before that can happen, the designers need more training. I honestly don’t see why a wrestling comic can’t be a huge success, if given more ambition, effort, and creativity.
Editor's Note: To grab yourself a copy of Headlocked, head on over to the site!
Publisher: Visionary Comics
Writer: Michael Kingston
Artist: Randy Valiente
Reviewer: Jesse Brown
Summary: What's this? A comic book about wrestling? Ohh Yeahh!
Is it really a surprise that many wrestling fans are expressing their love for comics or vice versa? The two mediums share similar qualities and often cater to the same demographic. It’s the profound blend of violence and fiction that draws the excitement to both products, but rarely have the two crossed paths. So why shouldn’t there be wrestling comics? After all, wrestling characters are larger than life, and their costumes are stylized enough to fill the pages with visual wonder.
So without debating anymore as to why there aren’t many wrestling comics, I’d like to say that Headlocked is a bold and unique attempt to bring those two worlds together seamlessly.
Headlocked is the story of a wayward teen discovering his desire to become a pro wrestler and embarking on a journey to reach his ultimate goal. Along the way he encounters hardships and gains important, inside information on the rigorous and tumultuous world of professional wrestling.
His quest takes him to new horizons, and opens his eyes to new and surprising experiences; while learning valuable life lessons along the way.
But will he be able to continue down this path even after sacrificing everything, including his health? Will he be able to finally reach out and fulfill his destiny to become a professional wrestler? Or will the challenge of breaking into the business prove to be too much?
Review: What we have here is a modest attempt at storytelling. I was honestly not expecting such a day time drama. What I and probably most people would expect, is a more straight forward action comic, focused on the wrestlers as characters on TV, rather than the coming of age tale that is featured here. I’m not convinced this is a good approach, as it seems to focus on the much less entertaining side of wrestling. The story seems to be a rather personal one, with a focus on just 1 average individual hoping to achieve basic level entry. The writing definitely favors drama over sensationalism, which isn’t necessarily bad, but for a comic dedicated to wrestling, I believe it’s a serious misstep.
Wrestling is big, bold, and meant to be super exciting. Wrestling is larger than life, which should be the focus; however this series is intent on downsizing it by dwelling on the mundane aspect of day by day preparation. It’s a strange point of view; almost biopic in the form of a novel. I’d much rather read a story from a multi perspective of fictional wrestling characters all vying for the highest possible honor, or hell bent on sabotaging their biggest rival.
The inside track on the wrestling profession in my opinion is highly overrated, and overexposed as is. I wish the writer would fast forward to the point where the main character is knee deep in his pro career and the demand is escalating, rather than writing a slow tale of his trials and tribulations just becoming initiated. It all seems like a medioric tale of a medioric rise to mediocrity.
Sad to say it, but this Headlocked is rather boring. Hopefully the series will improve due to reader feedback and constructive criticism from fans with good intentions, because I’d love to see it be successful and full of quality. However, before that can happen, the designers need more training. I honestly don’t see why a wrestling comic can’t be a huge success, if given more ambition, effort, and creativity.
Editor's Note: To grab yourself a copy of Headlocked, head on over to the site!