Comic Review: Invasion from Planet Wrestletopia #1

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”151″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]by Harry Spencer

With a name like Invasion from Planet Wrestletopia you know right from the get-go that this comic is going to be full on and whilst I’m not the biggest fan of wrestling this comic was packed full of laughs and I can see it becoming a very cool comic in future issues after such a strong set up in the first issue. Like always I’ll avoid all major plot spoilers, although there aren’t too many here, and give my overall thoughts on the individual issue and the potential of the comic in the future.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]Plot

Invasion from Planet Wrestletopia is written by Ed “the carnage Artist” Kuehnel and “Masculine” Matt Entin with artwork from Dan “the body” Schkade, colorist Marissa Louise, and lettering by “A Larger World Studios”. It follows the story of wrestler Rory Landell as he progresses through his career as a professional wrestler but as he hits a rough patch and makes a pretty big claim about being the “best wrestler in the galaxy” he attracts some extraterrestrial attention. There aren’t too many big moments in this first issue as it mainly sets up the story for later issues but it does set up the main character nicely and he brings a lot of laughs to the comic. Everything from the names of wrestlers and moves to dialogue between Rory and his coach this comic is very lighthearted and it sets the tone nicely for future issues. This first issue also introduces the planet of Wrestletopia in a really cool way at the end which again got me very interested to carry the story on.

Characters

As for characters, there were really 2 main standouts for me; Rory and his coach Don Fong Wong (Hawaiian, not Chinese). I really go a sort of Rocky vibe from these 2, a headstrong hotheaded wrestler and an older wise teacher who he doesn’t always listen to when he should. Them interacting was great and I loved Don overall as a character. He just felt like a cool dude who knew his stuff better than anyone else, the sort of guy you’d want training you. These two actually had great emotional moments throughout the issue as well as some good laughs and were definitely the stealers of the show. Other than those 2, plenty of really cool and hilarious sounding wrestlers got namedropped such as “Shipwreck Repinski” and “Swamp Gas Charlie” which were left up to our imagination but sure sounded funny and were good for a couple of laughs throughout. The last real main character was Manifest Destiny who was introduced at the end and this was a really ominous way to end the first issue and again got me interested in seeing more of that character plus the guy looked great as well.

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Artwork

That leads me nicely onto the artwork which I really enjoyed here. The comic whilst having Sci-fi elements is mostly set in the year 1999 and so the little glimpse of futuristic stuff we get looked good and blended well with the older technology of the late 90’s. All the wrestlers looked fantastic as well, both from earth and Wrestletopia, plus the whole comic itself sort of had that 90’s styling to it which really helped set most of the scenes and really brought the characters to life.

Adapted for the Big Screen

Like always, we’ll discuss if I think these comics would make a good movie and for Invasion from Plate Wrestletopia, I’m not too sure. Like I said I’m, not a huge wrestling fan and I’m sure this would have a huge cult following if it was made into a movie and it would be a great comedy but as for the mainstream audiences, I’m not too sure. This story is perfect for the comic page and I think that is where it excels because it dragged me, a none wrestling fan, straight into its story and actually got me quite invested in its main character which it should be commended for.

Overall I really enjoyed the first issue of Invasion from Planet Wrestletopia. It set up the story very nicely indeed to be continued in future issues and has a very likable main character. The comic was at its best I feel when Rory and Don were interacting together. It gave off great laughs and some really serious down to earth moments too, which was nice to see in such an outlandish story such as this. You don’t have to be a fan of wrestling to enjoy this comic, I’m proof of that, but if you enjoy sci-fi or just really funny and wild comics you should definitely give Invasion from Planet Wrestletopia a read. Issue 1 and 2 are now available on Amazon Kindle, paperback, iBooks, Comixology, and ComixCentral so check those places out if you want a copy. Guys thank you so much for taking the time to read this review if you did enjoy then smash that like button and share this around. Huge thanks to Suspicious Behavior Productions for sending us over a copy to review, you can check them out on Twitter as well as myself and GeekVibesNation for the latest reviews and movie news updates. Thanks again guys and I’ll catch you next time.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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