Wrestling is full of larger-than-life personalities, made more extraordinary by the sheer amount of rumors, secrets, controversies, and myths that surround them. Canadian wrestler Vampiro is perhaps one of its most complex. He’s essentially fought in every promotion in existence at one point or another, been the subject of his own documentary (Nail in the Coffin: The Rise and Fall of Vampiro), partnered with The Misfits and Insane Clown Posee in the ring, and has been involved with the citizen crime patrol organization the Guardian Angels.
To say Vampiro is a legend is an understatement. He’s a phenomenon that took Mexico’s wrestling world by storm throughout the 1990s and then continued to eat, breathe, and bleed wrestling for years to come. Now, he can add an action horror comic to his ever-expanding resumé thanks to Michael Kingston of Headlocked Comics, artist El Terrorífico Dr. Napalm, and letterer Jacob Bascle, titled Vampiro: Rockabilly Apocalypse.
The comic follows an amateur podcaster called Everitt Holden as he attempts to get a mysterious and elusive rock guitarist (whose skill is comparable only to Hendrix) on his podcast. That musician is Vampiro, an imposing presence that lives up to the classic monster his name alludes to. Everitt is quickly thrust into a world of blood and violence as an Elon Musk-like tech bro called Maddox Mars reveals himself to be a kind of demon that’s using his social media platform to sow rage and division amongst its users.
Vampiro, Everitt, and a masked luchadora called Estrella go on the hunt for Mars, but not before a few key revelations up the stakes for everyone involved. Chase scenes ensue, monsters get decapitated, and the fate of the world starts becoming a more serious worry.
Rockabilly Apocalypse is not a wrestling comic in the full sense of the word. It’s an action horror comic that features a wrestler along with visual elements associated with lucha libre. This isn’t a knock on the story in any way. It’s like when Roddy Piper went on to star in John Carpenter’s They Live (1988), a movie which went to become a classic. Difference is, Vampiro keeps his own name in the comic, and he’s legit vampire as well (I mean, why not?).
The Carpenter reference fits the comic well. Like They Live, writer Michael Kingston lets Rockabilly Apocalypse play out like an epic horror blockbuster that features impressive action sequences and badass banter, both of which are plentiful and gratifyingly violent. There’s a sense of fun in its excesses that really makes the story unravel with the ferocity of a hardcore wrestling match made up of high-fliers and daredevils. Kingston keeps the dialogue tight and lean to move things along without bogging down the excellent pacing all of this establishes early on.
Furthermore, hot rod muscle cars along with leatherjackets and old rock’n’roll guitars call out some of the most recognizable elements of the Rockabilly stylings the story goes for to great effect. Artist Dr. Napalm does a great job of making them come off as defining character traits that set apart the good guys from the bad guys. Villains are more modern, tech-bro suit guys that represent not just a clash of styles but of values. It’s an approach that harkens back to the ways heroes and villains were presented and coded in 90’s action movies. One look is all you need to tell who’s on which side of the struggle. This, along with some great monster designs by Dr. Napalm, rounds out what is in essence an in-your-face celebration of wrestling, high-octane energy, and horror.
Vampiro: Rockabilly Apocalypse ends with the promise of an even bigger fight to come, and it damn well earns the anticipation. Kingston and Dr. Napalm have crafted an explosive world with characters you want to root for whether you’re a fan of wrestling or not. In addition, it’s also a great appreciation of Vampiro, a legend of wrestling that one can easily see taking up the fight against real monsters should the need ever arise.
Headlocked Comics will by at NYCC ’24, in booth 1034. Copies of Vampiro: Rockabilly Apocalypse will be available for purchase. Vampiro will be there Thursday only.
English (US) · 