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Josh Hicks is a cartoonist from Wales, UK. Born in 1991, he was raised in a small ex-coal-mining village and has since moved to a city that is twenty minutes away by train. He has been making comics since 2015, working with anthologies and independent publishers in the UK and self-publishing his own minicomics. Glorious Wrestling Alliance is his debut full-length work. When not making comics, Josh is usually thinking about them. He also works in animation as an art director, animator and storyboard artist. Josh Hicks is a cartoonist from Wales, UK. Born in 1991, he was raised in a small ex-coal-mining village and has since moved to a city that is twenty minutes away by train. He has been making comics since 2015, working with anthologies and independent publishers in the UK and self-publishing his own minicomics. Glorious Wrestling Alliance is his debut full-length work. When not making comics, Josh is usually thinking about them. He also works in animation as an art director, animator and storyboard artist.
Glorious Wrestling Alliance is a tongue-in-cheek homage to pro wrestling that will have readers rooting for a scrappy crew of misfit athletes. Great Carp, who has a fish for a head, is the current champion, but he's having an existential crisis ('I just feel . . . empty. And lost. And overwhelmed. All the bad feelings'). Other team members are grappling with identity issues: Miranda Fury resents being seen as a lesser wrestler because of her gender; Gravy Train, who has a gravy boat for a body, wants a different persona; and tortured poet Death Machine wants his writings to be taken seriously. A traveling tour results in comedy and mayhem as they all struggle to move into new roles. Cult classics in some circles, Hicks's comics have been collected and colorized for the first time. His straightforward six-panel format, with occasional breaks for amusing maps or sidebars, capably brings to life the characters. The story has a 'Scott Pilgrim' vibe, with witty dialogue and spot-on satire poking fun at the world of pro wrestling. Miranda Fury and Death Machine appear to be white; Gravy Train is cued as Asian. VERDICT This campy graphic novel is a knockout; sure to be popular with older youth and adults, who will enjoy the quirky illustrations and humor.--School Library Journal -- Journal (10/1/2021 12:00:00 AM) When even suplexing people can't cheer you up anymore, what's an unhappy professional wrestler to do? Cartoonist Hicks delivers an affectionate body slam to the world of pro wrestling with this compilation of graphic episodes chronicling the ups and downs (mostly the latter) of a struggling troupe of ring warriors--led by fish-headed veteran Great Carp, who's feeling the existential depression more than the pain these days. He's accompanied by frustrated Miranda ('If you can't beat 'em, join 'em . . . and then beat 'em to death!') Fury, who secretly adopts a new persona as Hyper Mask so she can take on men too; and struggling poet Death Machine ('I gaze upon her beauty, her flowing, glistening hair / shimmering in the moonlight, like a reflective steel chair.') Great Carp's departure to find himself (and make a fortune selling branded vodka and housewares) nearly causes the Great Wrestling Alliance to founder, but in a properly rousing climax that underscores the spectacle's timeless appeal, he returns in the nick of time for a final, torch-passing Ultrabrawl XXVI bout that will have sweaty readers pounding their seats and saluting a new GWA champion. The art's cartoon style (not to mention the costuming) make it hard to distinguish racial identities, but the cast does show a range of skin tones. Spine-crushing fun.--Kirkus Reviews -- Journal (9/1/2021 12:00:00 AM)
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