Wrestling

San Diego Comic Con is without a doubt the biggest event on the industry's calendar, and people will be flying from around the world to attend panels, watch trailers, meet creators, and make friends. This year's event is bigger than ever, with so much going on every single day that it can be difficult to sift through all that information and decide how to spend your time. With the event only days away, we've looked through the schedules and hand-selected some of the best events happening on Thursday and Friday for fans of comics, collectibles, TV and film, so you can be sure you don't miss that must-see panel or signing.

The similarities between comic books --- especially superhero comic books --- and professional wrestling are nearly endless. Everyone loves to see larger-than-life heroes and villains battle in contests of good versus evil, often with a lofty prize at stake for the victor. However, comic books about wrestling have always been a somewhat tricky proportion, especially licensed ones that are expected to feature the adventures of real life wrestlers that you see on TV. Undeterred, Boom Studios has partnered with WWE to produce new wrestling comics based on their characters and storylines and knowing their pedigree and success rate with licensed comic books, there's every chance they'll be the ones to pull it off.

Writer/artist Jarrett Williams loves pro wrestling as much as anyone can. If you’ve read the first two volumes of his Super Pro K.O. graphic novel series, you can see his love for the sport on every page. The long-awaited third volume, Super Pro K.O.!: Gold for Glory, is finally out this week, so I sat down to talk with Jarrett about the book, the series, and of course our shared favorite topic, pro wrestling.

Here at ComicsAlliance we’ve noticed a huge overlap between superhero comics fans and wrestling fans; wrestling is basically superhero theater. This Week in Spandex is a new weekly feature, in which longtime wrestling fan Kieran Shiach and enthusiastic recent convert Elle Collins summarize the week that was in WWE. This week (in spadex) it's Money in the Bank time! We've got two new World Champions in the space of three minutes, possible mind control from The Wyatt Family and the return of The Boss.

Here at ComicsAlliance we’ve noticed a huge overlap between superhero comics fans and wrestling fans; wrestling is basically superhero theater. This Week in Spandex is a new weekly feature, in which longtime wrestling fan Kieran Shiach and enthusiastic recent convert Elle Collins summarize the week that was in WWE. This week (in spandex) another former authority figure returns, Kofi Kingston gets roasted for his weak shoe game, and Shinsuke Nakamura makes an entire building explode with the utterance of one world.

Here at ComicsAlliance we’ve noticed a huge overlap between superhero comics fans and wrestling fans; wrestling is basically superhero theater. This Week in Spandex is a new weekly feature, in which longtime wrestling fan Kieran Shiach and enthusiastic recent convert Elle Collins summarize the week that was in WWE. This week (in spandex), NXT takes over again with another live special, Teddy Long returns for ​some​ reason, and WWE finally understands how to build a meaningful feud.

Professional wrestling has a lot in common with comic books. Up front, both feature spandex-clad larger-than-life heroes fighting despicable baddies, sometimes for an ultimate prize that declares them the most powerful. Behind the scenes, both businesses have a tendency to chew people up and spit them out, without much care for what they become. Image Comics's Ringside follows the darker side of professional wrestling, and ComicsAlliance chatted to writer Joe Keatinge and artist Nick Barber about Ringside's universal themes of unrelenting passion, their exploration of the underbelly of professional wrestling, and the series' focus on LGBT characters.

Here at ComicsAlliance we’ve noticed a huge overlap between superhero comics fans and wrestling fans; wrestling is basically superhero theater. This Week in Spandex is a new weekly feature, in which longtime wrestling fan Kieran Shiach and enthusiastic recent convert Elle Collins summarize the week that was in WWE. This week (in spandex), AJ Styles was secretly a baddie all along, the McMahons continue to drag down the whole show, and we're graced with the presence of The Perfect 10.

Here at ComicsAlliance we’ve noticed a huge overlap between superhero comics fans and wrestling fans; wrestling is basically superhero theater. This Week in Spandex is a weekly feature, in which longtime wrestling fan Kieran Shiach and enthusiastic recent convert Elle Collins summarize the week that was in WWE. Things got extreme at Extreme Rules, Charlotte fired her own dad, and our lord and savior Crossfit Jesus returned to us in our hour of need! It's just another regular week in the world of professional wrestling.

Here at ComicsAlliance we’ve noticed a huge overlap between superhero comics fans and wrestling fans; wrestling is basically superhero theater. This Week in Spandex is a new weekly feature, in which longtime wrestling fan Kieran Shiach and enthusiastic recent convert Elle Collins summarize the week that was in WWE. This week, women's wrestling continues to be the best kind of wrestling (when they let it be), The New Day go back in time, and cage matches are all the rage.