Super Pro K.O. Vol. 1

Super Pro K.O. #1

by Jarrett Williams

Joe Somiano is late to his first match in Super Pro K.O.!, and has no clue what awaits him in the rowdy ring! A seasoned sumo wrestler, a jolly luchador, a flambouyant tag team, suspicious executives, and a drunken Heavyweight Champion all stand between him and the superstardom that is his destiny. If the huge egos, clothesline take-downs, and broken chairs across the head don’t squash Joe’s dreams, he may just come out on top. But if he's going to take home the champion's belt, he'll need to bring his best moves against the likes of S.P.K.O.! stars Tomahawk Slamson, Yoko No-No, Mr. Awesomeness 2, and many more in this grand slamma jamma event of a graphic novel!

Genres: Comics, Manga, Graphic Novels, Sports, Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 3, 2010

About the author

Jarrett Williams was born and raised in New Orleans, LA where he spent way too much time in the Crescent City Comic Shop. He also played lots of Bomberman. He attended the Savannah College of Art and Design from 2002-2009 and loved every second of it.

He currently lives in Savannah, GA where he draws Super Pro. K.O.! , Lunar Boy, and all other sorts of retro-inspired comics. Favorite food: Pad thai or sushi

Reviews

[Nicolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing that came to my mind after reading this was; "where has this been all my life?" Super Pro K.O. is a potent brew of everything that makes pro wrestling or wrasslin; superb athletes, larger than life characters, management intrigue, legacy characters and fancy finishing moves.

Jarrett Williams draws with the energy of a high octane pay-per-view title match. His manga-inspired style facilitates the kinetic action scenes needed in this wrestling emulation.

This Oni Press book draws a lot of influences from its best-selling series Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley. O'Malley even wrote a foreword to this volume. The two have similarities, especially with its art style but SPKO is a love letter to wrestling as Scott Pilgrim is to video games.

A great fun read. Although there seem to be too many characters to keep track, the reader believes that this is going to pay off in a later volume.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of high intense energy from start to finish. The artwork compliments the story beautifully.

[Mikey the Blaster Master · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! So much fun to read if your a wrestling fan. I’ll be getting the second one for sure!

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently reconnecting with wrestling and this was just a great story that showcased all the highs and lows of the sport. Happy I picked this one up!

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a super fun book, made better by Williams superfreak drawing skills. For anyone who watched wrestling, especially back in the days of my youth (late 80s early 90s), this book recalls those glorious plotlines, and casts the action against real-life drama (in the world of SPKO all the action is real, but so is the business behind the action), and the result is a surprisingly emotional story set within the framework of clotheslines and bodyslams.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

wrestling meets manga in this first volume of an ongoing series. joe has his first match and we're introduced to a ton of characters.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

The graphics are great, but the story was a bit weak.

[Micah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this book, I wonder if it works better for people who still love wrasslin.

[Lukasz · Rating 2 out of 5]

An enjoyable introduction of a naive freshmeat wrestler into the world of professional federation tournaments. Sympathetic characters with funny, recognizable designs, dynamic art if a bit cluttered, making the fights sometimes hard to follow. Was sort of suprised when noticed none of the feuds or matches here are scripted, especially with the beginning simingly filling you in on behind the scenes workings of wrestling events. Presumably this is for the storyline to have a similar narrative to Dragon Ball, Bleach and other fighting mangas (or Scott Pilgrim). Mildly recommended for fans of such stories, or those who still suspend their disbelief and enjoy the drama of modern professional wrestling shows.