LUCHAVERSE: CATALYST Review | The Supernatural get 619’d
Wrestling comics are having a moment—the sport has seen a resurgence and so has wrestling comics. In the past few years we’ve seen the popularity of the sport and books like Do A Powerbomb spark a gold rush of wrestling comics and now it’s the Lucha Libre’s turn with Luchaverse: Catalyst.
Written by Ivan Plaza and Marco Lopez, Luchaverse: Catalyst features the adventures of WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio and Tinieblas Jr. Meant to be an introduction to this new universe of wrestling comics that follow luchadores adventures outside of the ring.
The first issue features two stories, one with Rey Mysterio that sees him on mission in the jungle that is like Commando is Arnold was landing 619s and the second story features Tinieblas Jr as he faces a supernatural threat.
Now, both stories are set in the same universe and even though the Rey Mysterio one is more grounded with its 80s action vibe—it does features undead cat people and a magical mask that grants Rey supernatural abilities. These stories are heavily influenced by films from the 60s and 70s that saw luchadores in horror or sci-fi settings. And as cool as Rey Mysterio and Tinieblas Jr are, both stories don’t take themselves too seriously—there is a moment in Rey’s story where a young version of him is getting put in a figure four leglock, which that moment alone is worth the read.
Tinieblas Jr’s has him as almost like a Lucha Libra John Constantine, fighting strange creatures and exploring strange lands. The art by Diego Simone in this story is a highlight as the story goes between different settings and creatures that give you something you would not expect from a story starring a Luchador.
Rey Mysterio’s story is a fun and has that Cobra vibe that makes you wish they found a way to get Rey to star in a Machete like film. Of the two stories, I have to say Tineblas Jr stole the show and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact I don’t have any preconceived notion of who Tineblas is—he is literally a man in a mask. Rey, I’ve known since I was a kid so as fun as his story is— I know he is a real person.
Comic universes and wrestling comics are a dime a dozen these days, but Masked Republic’s Luchaverse is mashup of the two that hopes to have comic readers in a headlock.
Luchaverse: Catalyst #1 from Massive Publishing and Masked Republic Comics hits comic shops 7/17/24.
