(Albany, NY) Beginning on July 15, 2013, the acclaimed comic book drama, Headlocked launched a Kickstarter in support of its latest story arc, The Last Territory.
The story centers around a college theater major that unexpectedly falls in love with professional wrestling. Headlocked chronicles his journey through the underbelly of the wrestling business as he tries to make it to the bright lights and the big stage. It very much has the feel of a prime-time cable drama but there is much more to Headlocked than just a “girl gets off the bus in Hollywood” story.
According to writer Michael Kingston, “One of the big themes in the book is the examination of wrestling as an art form. A lot of people have a lot of pre-conceived notions about wrestling and by making our character a theater major, as he learns the business, you can see it through the eyes of a performance artist. I think for people who give it an honest read, they might just come away with a new appreciation for wrestling.”
In keeping with that theme, the interior artist on the project, Michel Mulipola, is actually a professional wrestler from New Zealand. For Kingston, Mulipola represented the missing piece to the puzzle. “When I met Michel at San Diego Comic Con two years ago, I knew he was the only guy for this story. His art is fantastic and with his experience on both sides of the equation, he brings a certain something to the book that no one else could.”
With Mulipola attached, they decided to take their project to a bigger stage.
“In the comic book industry, there’s only a certain level you can get to as an independent…especially if you’re doing something outside of the box. We sell a lot of books at conventions and are digitally published by Visionary Comics. But I know there’s a larger audience out there for this book. So we thought we’d take a big swing at it. We decided to bring Headlocked directly to the people by way of Kickstarter.”
And to help get the word out, Kingston recruited some talented individuals from the wrestling business that shared his passion for comics and art. They had been impressed with Headlocked and offered their services to help bring more notoriety to the project.
To that end, the Headlocked Kickstarter offers a variety of Kickstarter exclusive content generated by wrestlers themselves. WWE Hall of Famer, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Impact Wrestling’s Ken Anderson, superstars Beth Phoenix, and Sinn Bodhi are contributing art to the series, while WWE’s Rob Van Dam, Impact Wrestling’s Christopher Daniels, and superstar Shane “Hurricane” Helms are penning short stories for the collection.
It’s not just wrestlers that love comics, the admiration definitely goes both ways. Its no secret that there is a lot of love for wrestling among comic book creators. So Kingston was able to recruit some heavyweights from the comic biz as well. Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother, Sandman, Beasts of Burden), Mike Borkowski (Scooby Doo, Iron Man: Armored Adventures), and Mark Poulton (Savage Hawkman, Avengelyne) are among the artists slated to bring their talents to this 150 pg. graphic novel.
Kingston hopes that the passion that these creators feel about their respective art forms will shine through in their work. “This book isn’t about a particular promotion or anyone’s affiliation. We’ve got guys from WWE, Impact Wrestling, and guys from the independents. It’s about wrestling and comics and people that are passionate about them both!”
According to Kingston, even if you aren’t a wrestling fan, Headlocked has something for you. “At the end of the day, it’s the story of a boy chasing his dream against some pretty long odds. Who can’t relate to that?”
Check out Headlocked: The Last Territory on Kickstarter for more information!
