About seven months ago, I took a look at a new comic book called Invasion From Planet Wrestletopia #1 (Review right here). The premise is rather clever: a wrestler declares himself Galactic Wrestling Champion of the Universe and as it turns out, the message reaches a planet of wrestlers (I need to go there), setting off an accidental war.

Now it’s time for issue #2 and since this is a six issue miniseries, there’s no time to waste as the aliens arrive on Earth and want to fight in a hurry. The characters we were introduced to in the first book realize that things are getting bad and start to react to it, while also showing us a little more of their backstories so we can appreciate their actions just a bit more.

In almost any form of media, the hardest issue/episode/volume is the second. It’s a lot easier to put out a first premise than it is to keep people coming back again (see also: Russo, Vince) and that’s where this was a nice surprise. I read the first issue when it came out eight months ago and I didn’t have any problems remember who people were or what was going on. They give you a good idea of what’s going on while not explaining the concepts to you over and over again, which is very annoying most of the time.

In a continuation of something that I liked a lot about the first issue, this still isn’t a comedy. There are some wrestling jokes (the book opens in Gotch Harbor, Florida) and something the aliens do that I won’t dare spoil) but for the most part, this is a case of “oh dang aliens are invading and we might be in real trouble”. Wrestling can be a very serious art form and while there are some funny moments, this is a more serious book and that’s a good thing.

The other good stuff is there as well: the book is well written with the characters having motivations and a reason for doing the things they’re doing and the artwork is rather good. You can tell who and what you’re looking at and it’s never confusing or difficult to figure out what’s going on, which is a nightmare at times in much more established series.

Above all else though, this is one of those absurd ideas that only works in a comic book, which is why I like them. The same is true with wrestling. As Jim Cornette said, “These are crazy people.” One of the reasons I watch wrestling is because I like seeing larger than life people doing ridiculous things while keeping me coming back for more. Think about this for a minute: a 1970s wrestler accidentally starts an interplanetary war with a promo. That’s so over the top that it has to be cool.

I had a good time reading this and the concept continues to be a lot of fun. I’m glad that they’re sticking with a shorter form as this doesn’t seem like a story that should be stretched out for years (which is the case for a lot of stories). They get in, they set things up, they pay them off, and they’re done before they overstay their welcome. That’s a hard thing to do but one third of the way in, things seem to be well on that path. Check this out if you’re a fan of wrestling (as you should be), comics (as you may be) or just something fun (as everyone probably is).

Here’s where you can pick it up.

by clicking here.

Issue #1 is available at Comixology right here.

And they’re both available at Comixcentral here.

Also make sure to check out the publisher’s site at www.suspiciousbehaviorproductions.com.

So in what might not be the biggest shock in the world, I’m a big comic book fan. I’ve had a folder at my local comic book store for over ten years now and at one point had several boxes full of books. Therefore, I was rather pleased when I was contacted by the writer of a wrestling themed comic book, asking if I would be interested in reviewing it. After a rather enthusiastic yes (as it was the first time anyone had done that), I received a few copies of the book a few days later. Let’s get to it.

The comic, entitled Invasion From Planet Wrestletopia, focuses on a former top star of the 1980s who one day declared himself the Galactic Wrestling Champion of the Universe. That’s all well and good, until a transmission of his statement gets to a planet of wrestlers. The aliens take it as a declaration of war and that’s quite a problem.

What surprised me the most here was this actually isn’t a comedy. You would think that a book like this one would be another story that makes a bunch of wrestling jokes and advances the plot in between all of the comedy material. That’s actually not the case here though as while there are some funny moments (and potential for several more), there is actually a somewhat sad story about a former star who is running out of chances and has fallen on hard times.

That’s really surprising but it’s surprising in a good way. I can’t count how many parodies of wrestling or forms of entertainment I’ve seen over the years that take shots at wrestling. You know most of the jokes you’re going to see before they start and that’s only going to take you so far.

However, look at something like GLOW. It’s a series that focuses on the drama and has wrestling as a means to get there. It’s a bit more direct here, but the wrestling is really just a detail. The story could have been about almost anything and you could have gotten to the same conclusion, which is why I could see this having more staying power than just a parody. You can only make jokes about wrestling for so long before it gets stale but a story that has potential like this is a much better way to go.

The other major perk here is you don’t have to like wrestling to understand this. There are a few uses of wrestling lingo but it’s nothing that the average person wouldn’t understand. You can easily understand the story they’re telling and it’s one that I’d like to see more of. Having a story that involves wrestling (albeit heavily) instead of a story specifically about wrestling is a good idea and the right path to take.

Overall, I was rather pleasantly surprised here and that’s always a great thing to see from a comic. I got the characters and ideas the writers were trying to push and the artwork is quite good. It’s a fun story and the ending leaves a lot of potential for more stuff from this concept. I’d check out another issue of this and it’s well worth checking out.

If you’d like to pick up the book or see more from the company that put it out, here’s all the information:

Website:

www.suspiciousbehaviorproductions.com

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Invasion-Planet-Wrestletopia-Date-Destiny-ebook/dp/B074M3FP6K/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1

Comixology:

https://www.comixology.com/Invasion-from-Planet-Wrestletopia-1/digital-comic/56853

Preview of the comic on Tumblr:

https://suspiciousbehaviorproductions.tumblr.com/post/163775354114/wooooo-its-an-exclusive-preview-of-invasion

Apple iBook:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/invasion-from-planet-wrestletopia/id1272011089?mt=11

Twitter @SBP_Comics and Facebook

Also, if anyone out there has something you’d like me to check out (movie, video, comic, book, etc.), hit me up at kbwrestlingreviews@hotmail.com. I’m always open to checking something out.