Get Ready To Rumble With Wrestling Comedy-Drama ‘The Gimmick’ Announced From AHOY Comics
by Olly MacNamee
Wrestling is usually my colleague and fellow Senior Editor, Brendan M Allen’s forté. But, on this occasion I tagged him out to bring you the news of AHOY Comics new wrestling-focussed comic book series, The Gimmick by writer Joanne Starer (Sirens of the City; Away From Here), artist Elena Gogou (Quests Aside), colourist Andy Troy, letterer Rob Steen, and editor Tom Peyer.
In the series, the now fugitive Shane Bryant flees to Tijuana, where he begins a career as a masked wrestler. But Shane’s life has too many loose ends to make a clean escape possible. His manipulative mother, his ex-girlfriend, his child, the friends he left behind, and the daughter of the man he killed all want a piece of him….”
Coming out Wednesday March 8th, 2023, Starer had this to add:
“THE GIMMICK is born from the wild, incredible, and sometimes terrible experiences I had in the world of pro-wrestling. I’ve seen it from many angles: as an in-ring performer, a promoter, and a wrestler’s girlfriend. I’ve got stories, y’all.”
AHOY Comics Editor-in-Chief Tom Peyer also interjected:
“THE GIMMICK gives every appearance of being about wrestling, but at its core it’s about people—like the ones you know, only larger and stranger and less predictable. And character is where Elena’s art shines, a perfect fit for a quirky tale of misfits thrown together and cast apart.”
Finally, Gogou concluded:
“The Gimmick combines three of my favourite elements in a story, comedy, violence and character drama. Shane is the human equivalent of a dumpster fire, going from one messy situation to the next in the most ridiculous ways. He makes a man’s head explode in the first pages of the first issue, goes on the run with his mentor, falls in love. It is an outrageous, fun and messy ride and I was immediately sold when I was approached about working on the book. The way Joanne has tackled this story perfectly encapsulates the over-the-top essence of wrestling, but remains grounded by its characters, who are distinctively flawed and human. I’m really excited for people to read what we’ve created!”