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“WWE” #7

By | July 27th, 2017
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

Mad Uncle Deano and the Legit Boss continue their road trip and run afoul of the most hairy family in WWE, the Wyatt Family. How will they get out of this? Let’s find out.

Cover by Dan Mora

Written by Dennis Hopeless & Andrew Stott
Illustrated by Serg Acuna & Andy Belanger
Colored by Doug Garbark & Serge Lapointe
Lettered by Jim Campbell & Serge Lapointe

Dean Ambrose is drawn into the conflict between Sasha Banks and the Flair Family – and there’s only one way to settle it!

I like Dean Ambrose. In my time this year getting back into wrestling after such a hiatus, he has been a highlight of my going back and binging. His current work with The Miz has been, while good, getting a bit stale and they both really need to find new stories, but I enjoy the madman of the Shield, both in the ring and in promos. So I was totally there for a story with him in WWE’s comic, alongside Sasha Banks, on a road trip from arena to arena, hitting up the backbone of America. But it seems that trouble is following them, whether it’s Big Behemoth Beast Brock Lesnar or Charlotte Flair’s belt smashing skills. And now, it gets even worse with their encounter with the Spoopy McSwamp People, Bray Wyatt and his nasty cohorts.

And you know what? It’s a load of fun. It isn’t deep or introspective. This isn’t a book I’m hyping up there with books like “Monstress” or “Tokyo Ghoul”, but credit where it is due: Hopeless, Acuna, Garbark and Campbell know what this book is and they do revel in it. Fair warning: There isn’t actually a lot of “wrestling” in this “World Wrestling Entertainment” book, and that actually works to its advantage; allows us to get to know the characters a little bit more. Dean’s been our narrator through this story, and between “Serious Dean” and “Wacky ‘using condiments like at the O.K. Corral’ Dean”, the version Hopeless is writing is closer to the Serious side with a deft touch of the the more mouth-runny nature. He bounces well of Sasha Banks, very confident in her abilities, even if she did get a bit “damsel in distress” in this issue.

That’s not to say there hasn’t been action. When you’re going up against the Wyatt Family, things tend to get a bit violent. Serg Acuna and Doug Garback do a good job on providing that, with Ambrose sneaking into the Wyatt compound. Combat flows smoothly, but with proper impact. One such example being Ambrose taking Luke Harper’s head and smashing it into the side of a car. The artwork provides such a sickening impact (complete with a good ol’ “krrnch!” from letterer Jim Capbell), albeit no blood because WWE continues to insist that they’re PG-13. Another stand out being when BRAAAAAAAAAAAUN Strowman (sorry, have to pronounce it like that) rams Dean through a barn wall. Just great catharticness.

I have to give a special nod to the work done with Bray Wyatt. Poor Bray Wyatt, he has had some of the worst time lately. There was that time of hope where he won the WWE championship, swiftly dashed by Randy “The Death of All Interesting Things” Orton and now floating a bit driftless in Raw. Here though, Hopeless one ups WWE creative by actually providing a reason Wyatt kidnapped Sasha. He wants to expand the family into the WWE Woman’s division. Sure it’s not The Count of Monte Cristo but it’s something! Bray tries to play up the mind games, playing up Charlotte Flair’s nepotistic advantages over Sasha. He even manages a teleport without the lights going crazy, so he upgraded! The art does provide a bit of atmosphere for Wyatt, with a good use of shadow and creepy smiles to emphasize his deviousness.

This is where I’d talk about faults, but aside for some art flubs (Acuna does try to go for photorealistic faces for the characters and sometimes drives off the Wyatt compound into Uncanny Valley) but the real big thing is, as I’ve said, it’s not a deep comic. It’s a romp in the backwater of America including creepy cultists and fun action. If that’s not your cup of tea, then it simply isn’t. I appreciate the confidence this book has. It knows what it wants to be: provide a good bit of fun.

Continued below

The back-up is a two page story called “Damien’s Dinner Time”. Sadly, it wasn’t a comic about Damien Sandow describing what wine to go with his Coq Au Vin, but about the legendary Jake “the Snake” Roberts and his pet python, describing the hunger Damien has. The victims he’s devoured. It’s a very simple comic, with a look at a legend’s career. It also gets points for its title being a double meaning, with it’s initials “DDT” being Jake’s signature move.

“WWE” #7 -and the series as a whole- is a very simple book. That doesn’t equal bad. The entire team wants to provide you the same kind of entertainment you get from professional wrestling, even going outside of the ring to provide whole new scenarios. If you’re not in the mood for heavy, philosophical books, this is a nice chaser to such fare.

Final Verdict: 7.0 – Hopeless, Acuna et. al. provide a nice, light, fun book with some of the best WWE superstars.


Ken Godberson III

When he's not at his day job, Ken Godberson III is a guy that will not apologize for being born Post-Crisis. More of his word stuffs can be found on Twitter or Tumblr. Warning: He'll talk your ear off about why Impulse is the greatest superhero ever.

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