An athlete dying during a match isn’t something that’s new. A horrific physical act too isn’t something that’s all that uncommon (watch some MMA and the horrible leg breaks). But, what if you mix that with superpowers? The Gimmick #1 introduces us to Shane Bryant. After a run-in with a racist opponent, he punches through their brain… in front of 2.4 million viewers. Bryant has super strength and it’s resulted in a wrestler’s head exploding on television. Now, he needs a new gimmick and a new life.

Written by Joanne Starer, The Gimmick #1 is an entertaining and somewhat tragic start of a series. Starer does an excellent job of giving us a victim that we don’t feel bad about at all. In doing so Starer also sets up Bryant as a main character we can feel fine with being a murderer. Yeah, it’s weird to say but, it works and works really well since the victim is such a shitheel.

Starer also teases the world but doesn’t give much away making it all the more intriguing. Bryany has super strength, at least that, but is this a world where heroes exist? Where did it come from? While everyone seems surprised he has it, they’re not surprised it exists which hints this is a world where people have these powers and may or may not hide them.

The comic stumbles a little in Bryant’s fleeing and those pursuing him. He crosses the boarder into Mexico which feels a little “too easy”. He just killed a guy on television, he’s not getting flagged? Then there’s agents looking for him, again, they wouldn’t know he crossed the border? It’s small details but distracted me a bit from the much stronger story of Bryant’s next steps.

The art by Elena Gogou is good. With lettering by Rob Steen, there’s a style that feels like a lot of AHOY Comics‘ releases. It doesn’t go over the top in its flash and focus in on that nature of wrestling. And in some ways, that’s smart. The big “pop” should be Bryant putting his fist through a head and the way the visuals are presented works that way. Go too flashy in the wrestling gimmick and that shocking moment is diminished and becomes one over the top moment among many. It feels like there’s been a decision here to keep things focused more on the dramatic aspect of the comic.

As with AHOY releases, there’s more material in the form of two prose entries by Kevin Credo and Kirk Vanderbeek with art by Rick Geary and Ameilee Sullivan. As always, they feel like the icing on an already delicious cake, a bonus to enjoy in a comic that was already enjoyable.

The Gimmick #1 is a solid start and really entertaining. Even with a few elements that are best ignored, or downplayed, it’s an interesting concept and with multiple directions it can go, a series that’s a solid mix for fans of superpowers and wrestling.

Story: Joanne Starer, Kevin Credo, Kirk Vanderbeek
Art: Elena Gogou, Rick Geary, Ameilee Sullivan
Letterer: Rob Steen
Story: 8.15 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.15 Recommendation: Buy

AHOY Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle