VAMPIRO: ROCKABILLY APOCALYPSE #1 (MASKED REPUBLIC/MASSIVE PUBLISHING)

Wrestling and comics. The relationship has been seeing a strong return at the comic shops. Both tell amazing stories. They also allow for many different styles and themes to be on full display. One company leading the recent resurgence is Masked Republic.

With their “Luchaverse” initiative, they are bringing some of the most legendary luchadores to the LCS. In their latest venture, the story centers around a one of a kind persona that is set to make a loud opening statement.

VAMPIRO: ROCKABILLY APOCALYPSE #1 by Michael Kingston, Martin Pouso aka El Terrorifico Dr. Napalm, and Jacob Bascle (created by Kingston and Kevin Klienrock) features the iconic luchador in a horror based crisis.

Let’s not wait any longer and dive right in!

VAMPIRO: ROCKABILLY APOCALYPSE #1 by Michael Kingston, Martin Pouso aka El Terrorifico Dr. Napalm, and Jacob Bascle (Masked Republic/Massive Publishing)

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

The story is walked through Everitt Holden’s eyes. Holden is a music vlogger trying to dive into the mystery of Vampiro. His journey leads into an unlikely meeting. From here, Holden becomes the unlikely sidekick to Vampiro and Estrella Nocturna as they take the fight to Maddox Mars. If you’re looking for a high octane, wild ride, this is up your alley.

Kingston brings out the best of the Vampiro persona. The rock ‘n roll aura never eludes the main character. This plays well off Holden’s fan admiration. Kingston spaces Vampiro’s early moments out enough to make significant. The tactic works to build up the mystery as the action comes in fast and loose. Readers watch as the slow reveal of Mars leads into a furious standoff and close. The fallout leaves with more questions raised as the door to the apocalypse is about to explode. Brace for impact.

Pouso never shies away from delivering on bold action images. This stems from the full page image of Vampiro revealing his true self. At this moment, the blood starts splattering. Bascle’s lettering elevates these panels tremendously. They go to the extreme but that’s where the story wants to go. One prime example is Mars’ reveal. The near full page image throws the story into a fast paced frenzy with its’ closing showdown. Add in the parting image and the art welcomes readers into a world that is truly one of a kind.

FINAL POINT: 8.8

Welcome to the wild side! The enigmatic persona of Vampiro flies off the pages with an electric debut. Kingston’s writing constructs the daring take of action and horror. Pouso and Bascle crank the volume to 11 with the ferocious visuals fitting for the fight to stop the apocalypse. This will be one not to miss!

Hit me up on ODPHpod social media and let me know your thoughts on VAMPIRO: ROCKABILLY APOCALYPSE #1. Thanks for reading!

LUCHAVERSE: CATALYST #3 (MASKED REPUBLIC/MASSIVE PUBLISHING)

Rey Mysterio. Tinieblas Jr. The Lucha Bros. Solar. Super Astro. Luchadors who have amazed fans inside of the squared circle for years. These individuals have now opened up the doors on a brand new comic universe. For its’ final chapter, another star that always “keeps it 100” has entered the game.

LUCHAVERSE: CATALYST #3 by Marco Lopez, Ivan Plaza, Kevin Klienrock, Diego Valenzuela, Puis Calzada, Javier Caba, Bryan Arfel Magnaye, Jacob Bascle and Micah Myers (Masked Republic/Massive Publishing) welcomes KONNAN into the lead story of the event finale.

LUCHAVERSE: CATALYST #3 by Marco Lopez, Ivan Plaza, Kevin Klienrock, Diego Valenzuela, Puis Calzada, Javier Caba, Bryan Arfel Magnaye, Jacob Bascle and Micah Myers (Masked Republic/Massive Publishing)

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

The first story of this finale gives readers a crystal clear picture of what Konnan is bringing to this universe. From the start, it’s big action. Lopez and Plaze give a greater context of the previous issues fallout. Readers watch as the threat hits Konnan and his team directly. The action spirals through his base of operations. During the sequence, there’s a quick flashback before bringing the timeline back with a bang.

Fans will be very excited to see the battle unfold with many surprises. The writing mixes in various looks before coming to a thunderous boom. After the smoke clears, the closing act ties up events cleanly as the next phase takes over.

Caldaza and Magnaye creates the earth shattering fallout instantly in the opening pages. This is capped off with a full splash page starting the conflict off right. Pacing moves the action along at a solid speed. Readers never get lost in the shuffle as Konnon shows off his skills. Once the smoke clears, a full page image sets the epilogue in gear. The result leads perfectly into the companion story.

“Interludium” completes the loose threads of the previous two chapters to set forth the next phase on a strong note. The writing gives just enough page time to the Luchaverse leads to weave their stories into one cohesive path moving forward. The pacing helped to balance out the moving parts extremely well. Readers should be very energized about where things lead from here.

FINAL POINT: 8.6

Phase one of the Luchaverse leaves readers on a high note as their next favorite universe is now complete. Solid writing introduces a definite fan favorite into the mix while capping off separate stories along the way. Readers will have their fill of action due to the action panels crafted by the art teams. This is truly the start of something special at the comic shops.

Hit me up on ODPHpod social media and let me know your thoughts on Luchaverse: Catalyst #3. Thanks for reading!

LUCHAVERSE: CATALYST #2 (MASKED REPUBLIC/MASSIVE PUBLISHING)

Welcome to an all-new edition of Parlay Points!

For this entry, a new universe is expanding. Combining the world of Lucha Libre wrestling and superheroes, the “Luchaverse” kicked in the door at the LCS. Rey Mysterio and Tinieblas Jr. led the first charge. Their stories gave readers a dose of adventure and horror.

Now it’s time for the next wave of luchadores to move the universe forward! Readers will be excited to see a certain pair of brothers jump into the fray for this next go around.

LUCHAVERSE: CATALYST #2 by Marco Lopez, Ivan Plaza, Javier Caba, Alessandro Micelli, Bryan Arfel Magnaye, and Micah Myers welcome the Lucha Brothers (Rey Fenix & Penta Zero M - Currently wrestling in AEW), Solar and Super Astro into the heroic ring.

Let’s see how the latest heroes weather the storm!

LUCHAVERSE: CATALYST #2 by Marco Lopez, Ivan Plaza, Javier Caba, Alessandro Micelli, Bryan Arfel Magnaye, and Micah Myers (Masked Republic/Massive Publishing)

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

The Lucha Bros. story kicks off events in this chapter. It gives readers a fair mix of action and supernatural elements. Penta and Fenix’s relationship is defined b their distinct personalities. Penta is more aggressive and cunning. Fenix leans into the more heroic aspect. Readers are given a solid backstory before the main event starts.

In this portion, Lopez and Plaza set up great action while dabbling in the mystic realm. This builds up the closing act where readers get more than they bargained for. Pacing goes move briskly through this section. Ultimately it leads to a few key moments before the conclusion. Once at the final stop, the writing indicates the layers haven’t been pulled back enough to decipher where these two are heading next.

Solar and Super Astro’s story stretches into many different areas. The writing dabbles into various time areas to off a more global feel to their tale. Adding in the time jumps helped to make this stand out more. Events are spaced out for a good duration to lock in with readers. The closing act throws a solid curve into the mix. With the last page surprise, this story is anything but over and done with.

The art mixes in a fair amount of wrestling into each story. Caba brings forth the conflicting personalities of Fenix and Penta to show off their differing opinions. There’s a great full page splash of the brothers standing off with Heaven and Hell that plays out more as things progress. This is also complemented once the brothers come in contact with its’ mystic ending.

Micelli mixes in reactions with the building chaos for some entertaining visuals. Seeing Solar and Astro in heroic fashion suits well for the latter conflict. The Roswell scenes are overflowing with disdain for their capture. Art moves into their new adventures with ease. Stepping into the closing moments, the main adversary is given a big full intro page spread, This can also be said for the final page. Both art teams handled the challenge presented for an easy win here.

FINAL POINT: 8.6

The next wave of luchadores pick right up with a sense of the dramatic blended with action. Penta and Fenix’s quest brings out the tense nature with the writing. Solar and Astro carried a more traditional superhero feel built by the art. Factor both together and fans won’t want to kick out at 3 for this fast rising universe and line.

Hit me up on ODPHpod social media and let me know your thoughts on Luchaverse : Catalyst #2. Thanks for reading.

LUCHAVERSE: CATALYST #1 (MASKED REPUBLIC/MASSIVE PUBLISHING)

Welcome to an all-new edition of Parlay points!

For this entry, the worlds of comics and pro-wrestling mark a new chapter in their vast joint history. From WWE adaptations, Do a Powerbomb to most recently Hard Style Juice, the two mediums have crossed paths to give fans of both something to remember. There are more similarities in the fandoms and creativity that most might not realize.

The latest entry into the cross-medium looks poised to carve its’ own place into that history. Mixing in the wrestling culture of Lucha Libre into a shared comic universe, Masked Republic and Massive Publishing present a fresh new concept for readers to jump on board with.

LUCHAVERSE: CATALYST #1 by Marco Lopez, Ivan Plaza, Ben Harvey, Bryan Arfel Magnaye, Diego Simone and Micah Myers sets the card for a main event debut!

Let’s see how things kick off for the Luchaverse!

LUCHAVERSE: CATALYST #1 by Marco Lopez, Ivan Plaza, Ben Harvey, Bryan Arfel Magnaye, Diego Simone and Micah Myers (Masked Republic/Massive Publishing)

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

Right from the start, the new Luchaverse gives multiple genres & wrestlers a new reader friendly spotlight. Rey Mysterio and Tinieblas Jr. are the featured leads for this issue. Each story gets a synopsis page before diving into their chapters.

Mysterio’s story is centered in adventure and mystery. The writing mixes in key flashbacks while walking readers through the big action. Anyone looking for in-ring action will get a very small dose. This makes for a better play to separate Rey the wrestler from Rey the Action Hero.

Mysterio being paired with “The Ambassadors” gives off “Expendables” vibes. Their mission appears very straight forward. Once the flashbacks start happening, the story becomes much wide-scale in danger and depth. The closing act speeds into a new stat quo for Rey and the Luchaverse as a whole. It plays into its’ strength: big Hollywood-esque action. With a impactful parting image, events are passed off to the next story.

The writing for Tinieblas Jr. carries a different feel than Rey’s story. Heading into a more supernatural detective feel, Plaza and Lopez puts the protagonist on an ever-twisting journey. Tinieblas Jr. comes across as a captivating enigma. This is raised up a few levels by the creatures he encounters.

Combining the fantasy aspect with some combat made this portion stand out. It’s something readers won’t be expecting as things progress forward. That said, it makes complete sense to the legacy it crosses with. The ending shifts gears yet again to a puzzling stop. Readers will have some theories forming before the next time they see Tinieblas Jr. but that’s always how you want to leave the audience: wanting more.

Harvey and Magnaye handle art duties for Mysterio’s chapter. They waste no time launching Rey into action with the opening page. Leading in with a strong start, the flashback sequences play into the youthful days of a hero in training. As previously said, there is a touch of pro-wrestling added in the adventure.

However, the chase of the first Mysterio mask locks readers in. The feel is tense as one wrong move could destroy everything. This builds into a direct full page splash redefining the lead’s role. Its’ fallout slowly reveals Rey’s new stat quo. Readers will be pleased with the action and the final image kickstarting the new era of hero in the Luchaverse.

Diego Simone gives Tinieblas Jr. a more eerie tone as he descends Las Vegas. Within a few panels, the unsettling feel quickly grows as Tinieblas Jr. begins his hunt. The full page image of his discovery of creatures jumps off the page. The art moves things swiftly into another flashback before quickly resuming.

Simone’s vision of Koreshan City is filled with despair and trouble. Solid fighting is thrown into the panels before a switch of direction. The final act is short but leaves readers with a full page close that will have them talking.

FINAL POINT: 8.7

With elements of adventure and mystery abound, the Luchaverse debuts on a strong foundation that will only grow forward from here. Solid writing and energetic art keep readers engaged as their combination of wrestling and heroes delivers a monster win. This universe has all the makings for becoming a new showcase of the immortals at the LCS and beyond.

Hit me up on ODPHpod social media and let me know your thoughts on Luchaverse: Catalyst #1. Thanks for reading.