Ringside, Vol. 2: Work

Ringside #2

by Joe Keatinge, Nick Barber (Artist), Simon Gough (Artist)

Writer Joe Keatinge (SHUTTER) and debut artist Nick Barber will bring their ongoing noir drama, RINGSIDE, into its explosive second act.
Previously in RINGSIDE VOL. 1, fans explored the crossroads of art, industry, and identity within the world of professional wrestling through a literary lens and the rotating perspectives of the wrestlers themselves, the creatives they work with, the suits in charge, and the fans cheering them all on.
Comic Bastards praised the series as having "a quiet poetry to the whole thing, like a Steinbeck novel, with frog splashes." In RINGSIDE VOL. 2, former professional wrestler Danny Knossos has made a Faustian pact to save the life of his beloved, but as his new arrangement crosses over with his past life in the ring, he's in for more than he ever bargained for. Danny's got what he's always wanted, but now the true work begins...and he may not make it to the end.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels

120 pages, Paperback

First published June 14, 2017

About the author

Likes Wu Tang Clan.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is as awful as Shutter is fantastic. The pace moves even slower than volume one if that's possible and the art gets even less detailed. I could barely tell who was who and considering the large cast that's a huge problem. I couldn't even give a synopsis of the plot because there's so little story here. It's time for Keatinge to cut this series loose and concentrate on the superb oddity that is Shutter.

[Yani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really do like this series... the first one kind of caught me by surprise with how good it was, and while this one lacks a little of the charm of that one, I'm still totally invested in these characters.

Having flicked thought the previous one before this, I was a little confused that the place the last book seemed to end (if that was happening chronologically) and this one started didn't totally match up. And while I adore the art style it does push itself further towards abstraction this time around, so there are moments where I didn't recognise returning characters right away, or always match up the flashback characters with the modern versions.

There's also a really nice sequence that mirrors the one in the first book where Danny leaves Teddy.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume continues the crime saga with a pro wrestling twist story started in volume one. One thing I can say for the series is that it's anything but typical. It's a reminder than the graphic novel medium doesn't have to be limited to traditional themes but can cover any subject matter. This is something that's been known for decades in Japan and Europe but for some reason never quite caught on in the states, but that has changed post 2000.

This volume was a little more crime than pro wrestling, but there's really plenty of both. I enjoy this mainly because it's different.

[Paul Allard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Better than Volume 1 – makes a bit more sense

This comic collection deals with the world of wrestling and the fate of washed-up wrestlers at the end of their working life. It also looks at the underside of the profession as the main character, Danny, gets involved with drug dealers. Less disorganised than Volume 1 and with far fewer flashbacks, it makes better reading although I'm sure that the illustrations could be clearer. I'll read Volume 3 and hope that it continues to improve.

[Ian Morales · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second installment was a fun continuation to the series with some new, but reasonable twists and turns. The reader finds out even more about the characters, both main and supporting. I love it when authors develop the supporting characters and seamlessly weave them into important parts of the developing story. I look forward to the third installment.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The series is still treading along at a slow pace but has finally found the stories it wants to tell.

[Alex Sarll]

I remembered the first volume of this feeling like a solid, gritty antihero cable drama, but in the two-and-a-half years since I read it either I'd forgotten how grim it already was, or it's got considerably grimmer.