The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling are ready to take on the world-or at least LA-in this comic based on the hit Netflix series! When the unthinkable happens and the women of GLOW find themselves ahead of schedule, Sam ruins the promise of a wrestling-free weekend with… more wrestling! Robbed of blissful relaxation and forced to raise money to fund their way to the event, the GLOW team is less-than-prepared for their opponents: real gorgeous lady wrestlers. What could possibly go wrong?!

Netflix’s GLOW was a surprise hit to me delivering a series that was a bit unexpected in its mix of drama, humor, some history, and wrestling. GLOW, the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, is based on the real sports entertainment that has a cult like following to this day. The comic spin-off takes a much more comedic spin to the material as the ladies must raise money to go to Wrestlefest.

Written by Tini Howard, the first issue acts as an intro for those who might be new to the characters and series. Through the need to raise money, we learn each of their personalities getting a good idea of how each stands out. That aspect of the comic is solid and really smart. Through the situation, and story, we organically learn about each character. For those expecting wrestling, that’s sparse in the comic which instead is more segments as we see how each raises their needed money.

The art by Hannah Templer with color by Rebecca Nalty and lettering by Christa Miesner plays off of the comedic tone of the series. It reminds me a bit more of a style geared more towards kids, which is odd since the show is absolutely not aimed at kids. But, there’s no reason the comic can’t be and the humor of much of the comic is driven by the art which creates an exaggeration by so many of the characters that there’s an almost anime like quality about it all.

GLOW the comic features the same characters as GLOW the television show but the two feel like two very different entities in their focus and tone. The television show is a much more serious adult drama with comedic elements while the comic focuses, at least for now, on the more comedic aspects of it all. And it still works. For those coming in from the show, the difference might be a bit jarring but for those new to it all, this debut issue is a fine introduction to this slice of entertainment history.

Story: Tini Howard Art: Hannah Templer
Color: Rebecca Nalty Letterer: Christa Miesner
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review