Ian Douglass, who worked with Buggsy McGraw on his autobiography, is using Kickstarter to publish The Incredible Brute, a new book inspired by McGraw’s career: This literary project is intended to create an appreciation for the early stages of the professional wrestling career of Michael Davis. Years before he entertained thousands of fans as Buggsy McGraw, Davis made his debut under a mask in Detroit as The Big O. From there, Davis would remove the mask and wrestle as Beautiful Brutus before enjoying the most productive years of his career as The Brute and Buggsy McGraw! Set primarily in the Detroit wrestling territory of the late 1960s, “The Incredible Brute” is a comic-style coloring book that transforms the early career of Davis into a superhero’s origin story. This fantastical professional wrestling parody will be a great collector’s item for fans of Detroit’s Big Time Wrestling era, and also for fans of any of Mike Davis’ colorful wrestling personas. This book is written by Ian Douglass, illustrated by M.W. Leitzel, published by Darkstream Press, and is included in the ongoing Bledtime Stories line of collectible pro wrestling coloring books
Pro wrestling in Douglas Clark’s era was an often muddled blend of reality and fictionalised drama, as indeed is this book. Clark certainly had a life worthy of chronicling. He was among the pioneers of rugby league, winning numerous championships with Huddersfield and England, and is among just 25 members of the sports Hall of Fame. While a rugby professional, he was also a perennial top contender in Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling, a legitimate contest where grapplers aim simply to trip or throw an opponent to the ground. Following an eventful stint as a supply driver on the battlefields of the First World War he was given a disability discharge and ordered to give up professional sport. Instead he continued winning rugby championships throughout the 1920s before turning to pro wrestling where the addition of submission holds helped revive the business. Now in his 40s he claimed a British and later world championship, touring Australia and New Zealand. Author Steven Bell has amassed a wealth of source material including newspaper archives, Imperial War Museum records and even Clark’s own diaries and memoirs. Sadly Clark died before chronicling the pro wrestling years, so we don’t get his direct insight in this…