Glorious Wrestling Alliance
Comic, Josh Hicks (author), 24 pages, JoshHicks.com, £3
Carp aren’t the most sympathetic of creatures, but in this new zine called Glorious Wrestling Alliance, some freak called The Great Carp is a seven-time champion and, apparently, a legend. The dude is only one of the many wrestlers identified in this really whack comic, full of bizarre battlers who primarily are half human and half… “other”.
The loose narrative is rooted in the machinery and interactions of this super fake wrestling company. The character have a human side even though very few of them are human in the traditional sense. It’s a study in character flaws and the aforementioned Great Carp is perhaps the most flawed of all. He seems to have an unreasonable degree of confidence despite having the face of a fish. But still, he/it grapples metaphorically with his/its deteriorating skills and the broken ego that goes with all that.
The Great Carp has some support in his life but also a lot of assholes in his immediate perimeter, all looking to capitalize on whatever fame and marketability he has left. That’s probably way too much of the plot already but maybe not since this comic is really jam-packed with content and top-notch drawings. Plenty of effort clearly went into creating the comic and artist Josh Hicks should be commended for his seamlessly blend of silliness and heart. (Cam Gordon)