Closing off their second arc, Joe Keatinge and Nick Barber explore the darker side of life and wrestling in “Ringside” #10. As Danny finds himself at gunpoint and Reynolds facing the premature end to the push of his career, it seems the only way to go is down.
Read on below for our full, spoiler free review of “Ringside” #10.
Written by Joe KeatingeCover by Sandra Lanz
Illustrated by Nick Barber
Coloured by Simon Gough
Lettered by Ariana Maher
END OF STORY ARC
“WORK,” Part Five
RINGSIDE’s second act ends with everyone down for the count.
In just two arcs, it’s clear that Joe Keatinge and Nick Barber have come into their own on “Ringside.” Back in 2015, I called the first issue of “Ringside” #1 a “Coen Brothers-esque character drama” that used wrestling as a backdrop to explore violence, the creative industries and how people just get chewed up by life. I also noted that Nick Barber’s confident storytelling marred by unever linework showed that he had a lot of room to grow as an artist. Now, nine issues and two story arcs later, “Ringside” has become a powerhouse of a comic and Nick Barber’s artwork is one of the key elements to that.
From the opening two page splash of Danny kneeling with a gun to his head, cast almost in entirely shadow, and complimented by the dark, purple-toned palette of colourist Simon Gough, it’s clear to see what a difference two years has made for the art in “Ringside.” Barber’s layouts and storytelling on the page was always confident and crystal clear with effective blocking and emphasis, but it was let down in early issues by linework that was uneven and lacking in detail. In this issue, though, Barber’s style has grown and his linework has become just as confident as his storytelling. Using heavy inks and deep, black shadows, Barber carves the details of the world out of the darkness. It’s stark and angular and compliments the measured blocking of the comic throughout.
In it’s second arc, “Ringside” has started to focus more on the crime drama aspects of Danny’s story, with the wrestling world being a backdrop through which Keatinge and Barber explore Reynolds’s storyline. This is a dark comic and Keatinge’s writing and Barber’s artwork have really leaned into that. Barber drenches the pages in shadows, bringing this kind of angular, high-contrast chiaroscuro to the pages while Keatinge’s writing digs deep into the characters and their pain. An especially effective page in this issue is actually a callback to a flashback from a prior issue, setting up a rough breakup between partners that actually begins as word-for-word retelling of the scene only to take a much more hurtful turn for the characters involved.
It’s a harrowing tale of pain and the kinds of pain we will endure and inflict in order to get what we love. In just this issue alone, that love can represent a person or a place in history or fame and recognition or even just a bed frame and those levels of wants are all tied up thematically by a world that presents the creative industries as a meat grinder for talent. Keatinge and Barber have mentioned in the past that “Ringside” presents the wrestling industry as somewhat analogous to the behind the scenes drama and politicking of the comic book industry. If that’s so, then this issue represents a turning point in the series’s attitude towards the world and how it treats creative. As a character states in the issue, maybe it’s time for heel turn?
This issue closes off a story arc in which the world presents a path to what you want, to what you’re fighting for, only to snatch it away brutally at the last second and leave you with less than what you had to begin with. It happens to Danny and Teddy, it happens to Reynolds both in his career and in his relationship and it happens to Davis. The only response, it seems, is to look life in the eye, say “fuck you” and hit it over the head with a steel chair. That’s how the issue leaves off and it leaves Keatinge and Barber in a real interesting place to in the next arc. This issue is a real turning point for the series and if you’ve missed out so far, this is definitely the time to start paying attention.
Continued belowAll in all, Keatinge and Barber close out their second arc on “Ringside” with grace, leaving the reader to ponder the weighty themes and questions at play until their return. What started off as a comic about the lives of wrestles outside of the ring has become a comic about the lives of creatives and how they try to navigate the labyrinthine complexes of their industries. Even when you go out on top, you’re doing so on your back. It’s a somber, harrowing kind of comic that explores characters and their pain and Keatinge’s writing explores that with style. It’s hard not to feel for these characters, even when they’re forced to do awful things to survive.
As I’ve mentioned, though, the real MVP of “Ringside” is Nick Barber. The leaps and bounds the artwork has taken in just two years is staggering and the style Barber has cultivated is riveting. It’s one part Mazzuchelli, one part Mignola and entirely captivating. It’s a major level up and being able to chart Barber’s evolution as an artist issue by issue adds another layer to just how readable “Ringside” is.
Final Verdict: 8.8 – Underneath the joy of seeing an artist evolve on the page is a fantastic comic that explores the real world pain of the creative industries through fascinating characters.
