Publisher: Self Published
Written by: Nathanael Hopkins-Smith
Art by: Francesco Chiaparra, Sarah Harkey
Cover by: Randy Bishop
Release Date: 2nd March 2016

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There’s no denying the fact that the first issue of Nathanael Hopkins-Smith’s Wrestlers in Space features a lot of great ideas.  Puzzlingly however, what it doesn’t feature a lot of is… well, wrestlers. Or, y’know, space.

I almost thought I’d been sent the wrong comic to review when I started flicking through the pages, finding myself instead reading a rather intriguing (if slightly drawn-out) tale about the downfall of a promiscuous matador.  What the hell is this? I thought. Where are the luchadors? Where are the aliens?  This isn’t what I signed on for all all!  Except… man… this actually isn’t half bad.  So maybe I’ll just finish it before storming out of the room in disgust.

As it turns out, I hadn’t been given the wrong book to review at all, and what I was reading was in fact a 24-page story entitled “Curse of the Matador”, which essentially provides the origin story for one of the titular “Wrestlers in Space”.  In a curious decision, the team have opted to stay away from the mouth-watering premise of the title, providing instead an overly long introduction to one of the main protagonists.  The actual “space” and “wrestler” side of things are confined to a short six-page story at the end of the comic that sees some Aliens being interrogated and tortured by some menacing mafiosi, while some impossibly muscled wrestlers leap around a ring nearby.  Yeah.

After my initial sensation of feeling somewhat cheated by the non-delivery of the intriguing title of the series had subsided, I was able to appreciate that, as introductions go, the Matador one was fairly decent.  Yes, it did at times feel like a twelve-page story drawn out to twenty-four, but Francesco Chiaparra’s artwork definitely impressed me with his slick, larger-than-life depiction of the Matador as he receives his comeuppance for his Lothario ways.  While it’s difficult at the moment to see how this relatively grounded (to a point, anyway) tale could make the jump to, y’know, space wrestling, what it does illustrate is that Hopkins-Smith is willing to put the time in to develop his cast of characters, something that definitely bodes well considering the potentially “dumb action comic” nature of this series.

Unfortunately, while the “Curse of the Matador” is enjoyable enough, the six-page bonus “Wrestlers in Space: Origins” fares far worse, with a jumbled, confusing structure and nothing in the way of exposition or explanation to give any sort of context to what we’re seeing.  There are aliens being tortured and wrestlers wrestling, and that’s all we really get to know.  It doesn’t help that after the slick, stylized artwork of Chiaparra, Sarah Harkey’s work here feels a lot more basic and underwhelming, with an overly cartoony style and – as I mentioned – some ridiculously proportioned characters.

In summary, while the overall structure of the comic is a little confusing to me (I get the impression this would have worked a lot better as two 15-page stories rather than a 24 and a 6), there are a definitely lot of positives to take away from this first issue.  Firstly, while it isn’t demonstrated at all in the backup strip, the main story shows that Nathanael Hopkins-Smith knows how to develop characters and backstory, and while there isn’t necessarily anything groundbreaking at play here, the execution is still worthy of appreciation.  Secondly, the premise itself, even if it hasn’t been dealt with in any coherent way as of yet, is absolute gold.  Wrestlers? In Space?  C’mon, what’s not to like?

Overall then, while it isn’t necessarily time to tap out just yet, let’s just say that this book is going to have to start Hulking Up sooner rather than later if it’s going to stand a chance of making any sort of significant mark..

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PREVIEW ARTWORK
[Click to Enlarge]

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The first issue of Wrestlers in Space is available now via ComiXology by CLICKING HERE.

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The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson-Adams (aka Ceej)
Article Archive: Ceej Says

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