Very much a scene-setter, this initial instalment of a graphic novel series has promise, though it’s hard to draw too many conclusions about where it’s going.

Without wanting to go into too many spoilers, on the face of it the initial issue is about “Rock ‘n’ Roll Rory Landel”, a fast-talking heel from the territorial era who loses his spot when the business switches to a family-oriented style. Passed over for world title status, he declares himself the galactic champion, something that we later find out has attracted the attention of an alien lifeform that is (presumably) 15 light years away.

Alien elements aside, the storyline is plausible enough from a wrestling perspective and there’s some nice references to real world characters and locations to watch out for. The problem with recommending future instalments is that there’s no real indication of how much the focus will switch from the world of grappling to science fiction elements.

The artwork is effective enough, with the style closer to caricature that cartoon, and the use of colour is particularly striking and atmospheric. (Obvious as it may seem, while this is available on Kindle as well as print, it’s best saved for either tablets or the web viewer rather than the standalone monochrome devices.)

(This initial instalment is no longer available on Amazon but the series, now up to three volumes, has been reprinted by a new publisher. Check out https://www.suspiciousbehaviorproductions.com/ for details.)