You may have noticed from my previous reviews that I very much enjoy wrestling. So when I noticed the Kickstarter for Joe Ryan: Big in Japan by Chido Comics, who also produced the Lucha Underground comics, I knew I needed to throw some money behind it. Written by Tres Dean with art by Jamie Jones and editing by Ivan Plaza, Joey Ryan: Big In Japan is exactly the over-the-top and a little bit lewd romp you’d expect from wrestling.

For those that don’t know, Joey Ryan the actual wrestler partners with Candice LeRae across the indie circuit as the World’s Cutest Tag Team. That’s not giving them a nickname or making some kind of statement; that’s what the team is genuinely called.

In Big In Japan, ostensibly LeRae (who is never mentioned by name) was injured in a match years ago where an opponent ended up dead. It drove Ryan out of wrestling and into empty glasses and bottles… until his arch-nemesis comes back around. Unlike the current WWE ongoing, this isn’t entirely what happened and Big In Japan is much further from the kayfabe-as-life story you might be used to there. This is closer to the wackiness of bygone eras of wrestling kept alive throughout independent promotions.

This comic isn’t for everyone, given that Ryan’s character is built on sleaze and crude humor. He has multiple suplex variations that are decidedly not PG and is also known as the King of Dong Style. Still, it’s a little weird and a lot of fun, just like a bunch of independent wrestling out there. The art is fun, colorful, full of movement, and unafraid of being a little ridiculous. All in all, the package works very well and I’m excited to see more tales from the indies in the future.

Joey Ryan: Big In Japan was first funded through a Kickstarter campaign that ended on May 4th with the PDF released to backers on June 9th.

Keep an eye on Chido Comics via their site, Twitter, and Facebook for more info and different ways you can pick up a copy for yourself if you missed out.

 

 

Story: Tres Dean Art: Jamie Jones Edited: Ivan Plaza
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Pick it up when you can