GLOW vs The Star Primas

by Tini Howard, Hannah Templer (Illustrations)

The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling are ready to take on the world--or at least LA--in this graphic novel based off the hit Netflix series!

When the unthinkable happens and the women of GLOW find themselves ahead of schedule, Sam ruins the promise of a wrestling-free weekend with... more wrestling! Robbed of blissful relaxation and forced to raise money to fund their way to the event, the GLOW team is less-than-prepared for their opponents: real gorgeous lady wrestlers. What could possibly go wrong?! Zoya the Destroya, Liberty Belle, and the rest of your favorite Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling take to the pages for new fights, new tights, and new drama!

Written by Tini Howard ( Rick and Morty , Euthanauts ), with art by Hannah Templer ( Cosmoknights ), from executive producers and series creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Historical, Graphic Novels Comics, Adult, Fiction, Collections

104 pages, Paperback

First published October 29, 2019

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saddened by the premature cancellation of the Netflix TV show, I take a little consolation in this silly but enjoyable comic book tie-in. Our TV wrestlers butt heads with some serious and seriously athletic female wrestlers from another organization at a wrestling convention. It falls apart a little in the end as the wackiness piles up, but I like the art and a chance to visit with the characters.

And apparently there is a sequel comic series I can pursue at some point for one last hit of GLOW.

[Shelbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love GLOW on Netflix , and thought this did a perfect job translating the tone from the show to a comic format! The storyline is a cute interlude between the plot of seasons 2 and 3 I think, and a sweet addition to girl-power comics that value female friendships. Also the art and coloring is stunning and fresh!

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly nowhere near as entertaining as the show (you really can’t translate Brie, Gilpin, and Maron to the page like this), but for an adaptation TPB especially in the wake of the show’s non-renewal, this still scratches the same itch. Several of the core characters feel almost absent or play such small roles as to barely impact the narrative, but this isn’t the equivalent of a whole season so much as maybe 1-2 episodes worth of content. The art was also notably fun and reminded me a fair bit of what I’ve seen in things like the Scott Pilgrim comics of yore.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

*****Mandatory part where I mention I received a free copy of this product and that in no way effected my review***********

GLOW Vs The Star Primas is a pretty good little story that fits well within the GLOW TV series and does a good job keeping things kosher with how characters and relationships work within the show. This story is easily inserted at almost any point in the show and, while is doesn't really change anything, it is a solid story that offers a few laughs. The issues here are the artwork and the lack of consistency in the story. Hannah Templer does pretty good with close-up, but i find them a little too cutesy and that is magnified when someone isn't in the foreground, where it gets far too Kawaii and kind of ruins the scene. The story is very simple and plays out fine, but the new characters (The Star Primas) get almost no character and the relationship between them and the GLOW girls is wildly unpredictable in a very bad way. One second they all hate each other and then the next they are BFF's. We vacillate between two absolute extremes so fast and for no discernible reason. For what is basically a filler episode, GLOW Vs The Star Primas is quick and doesn't break any established rules within the GLOW series and it's pretty fun.

[Lanae · Rating 5 out of 5]

This truly feels like it could be en episode of Netflix’s GLOW. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a fictional version of the real life Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling.

The characters from the show are all here. The men are more in the background in this one than they usually are in the show. This one finds the ladies going to a wrestling event. There they learn that they will be fighting REAL wrestlers. That’s how the Star Primas see the match anyway. They’re real wrestlers who are being forced to fight actresses (GLOW). The main story in this one is ladies trying to figure out if they can make a match work when they don’t really like one another and cannot possibly imagine there two very different styles combining.

The art work is stellar. More look pretty close to the actresses from the tv show. The story is very much in line with how the show works. No complaints. If they make more of these, I’ll keep reading.


*Disclaimer* I received an advance copy for review. I try to only request items that I think I’ll like, but I also give my honest review.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun read! It's like an episode of the Netflix show. The art is great and I enjoy the art of the comic and the pictures between the "chapters". It definitely feels like you can read it in the characters voices, although this seems to take place before the newest season.

Overall it's a quick and enjoyable read!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would definitely watch this episode of GLOW. If it were canon (I have already accepted it as canon) it would happen between seasons 2 and 3. Great art, the likenesses are there so you can definitely tell who's who. I would absolutely read more GLOW comics if they're all written like this. A big issue I have with other wrestling comics (and wrestling in general) is that all the women are viewed through the male gaze, and that's just not what's happening here and it makes me so happy.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and it did hit the right atmospheric notes, but too bad this wasn't a two-volume miniseries, as there were way too many characters and it didn't allow the GLOW cast to shine, let alone the new Star Primas cast. They did get Zoya perfectly though.

Cute art style but I wonder if they'll go for this younger tone for the continuation series. It might trick fans of series like Lumberjanes that it's for them and it really shouldn't be!

[Grace Arango · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

Can't believe I found a copy of this at my library but boy I miss GLOW so much (and I'm still devastated Netflix canceled it!)

I couldn't help but want to pick this graphic novel up! It wasn't exactly the same experience as watching the show but it captured the heart and essence of it as best as it could. It was a fun read overall!

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the continuation of the TV series I was hoping for. This is like if GLOW was translated into an animated sitcom.

Not bad, it has nice art and some good written and visual humor, it's just not what I was hoping for.

[Punkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!

Absolutely delightful! Even though Netflix has done the unthinkable and cancelled this terrific series, here's to hoping that IDW is smart enough to keep GLOW alive. Pleeeeeeeeease say we'll see Sheila and her "wolf pack" again!😁

[claud.]

i was mostly bored and disappointed. i looooved the tv show on netflix and thought the graphic novel would hold up to it but it's such a sanitized and boring version of the characters i love. the art style was generic and not too great either. i'm glad i didn't buy a copy of this.

[Tom Hazelden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this series and was super sad that it got cancelled.
Great to see these characters living on through this book and thought the writing was great.
Lots of humor and heart, genuinely felt like it could've been an episode of the show.

Also, the art is beautiful!

[Sam Nicholson · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

[no elle]

cute!

[Lisa Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and funny!

[goodbyewaffles]

this is cute although i would not say it sated my desire for another season of glow

[jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

ruth wilder you little dyke. but this was so cute and fun i miss glow always

[Angie Reiber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This started strong but didn’t entirely stick the landing. Still, the art and dialogue/banter were enough to fill the GLOW-shaped hole in my heart for a little while.