Ringside Takes Action Outside the Ring

In the older days of wrestling, leaving the ring was sacrosanct. The ref would 10 count and a wrestler would lose the match, prompting many to keep the action in the ring. A lot of that changed during the Attitude era of WWE, culminating in what was perhaps one of the greatest matches of all-time in Undertaker vs. Mankind and a giant cage. Those two wrestlers proved that exciting things could happen outside the ring and from that point forward it was never safe to sit at the Spanish announcers' table. Image Comics must be wrestling fans, because they also know that frenetic things happen outside the ring, which is why they're launching Ringside on October 14 as a sneak peak in The Walking Dead #147. The issue is written by Joe Keatinge and illustrated by Nick Barber and is an ensemble drama set around the world of professional wrestling.

"Ringside’s set in the often brutal crossroads between what people do for the things they love most and what they're willing to sacrifice for them," said Keatinge. "While Ringside's certainly a dramatization, you would be hard pressed to find a group of women and men who give up their lives for the entertainment of millions across the world as much as those who enter the ring."

Ringside explores the diverse relationships within professional wrestling as art conflicts with industry, fact conflicts with fiction and, overall, delves into how far people are willing to go for what they believe in, no matter how violent the result. As the series progresses perspectives will shift from the wrestlers themselves, the staff they work with, the suits in charge, and the fans cheering them all on.

Barber added: “As over-the-top as a wrestling match can get—the world outside of the ring can be even more compelling. Ringside is about the personal struggles and conflicts of those involved in, and around the sport (and business) of professional wrestling. While wrestling is the landscape, you certainly don't need to be an expert to enjoy this epic story.”

Ringside #1 (Diamond Code SEP150595) hits stores on Wednesday, November 25th. Final order cutoff deadline for retailers is Monday, November 2nd. Full press release below.

RINGSIDE TAKES THE ACTION OUTSIDE THE RING THIS NOVEMBER

The new drama series set in the world of wrestling exclusively revealed in 

THE WALKING DEAD

The next Image Comics ongoing series from writer Joe Keatinge (SHUTTER, Adventures of Superman), RINGSIDE, introduces artist and co-creator Nick Barber for an ensemble drama set around the world of professional wrestling. An exclusive teaser trailer featuring all-new material from RINGSIDE #1 will debut in THE WALKING DEAD #147 in stores on October 14th and will outline the new series' characters and storyline for the very first time.

First announced at Image Expo in July, the noir-inflected RINGSIDE explores the diverse relationships within professional wrestling as art conflicts with industry, fact conflicts with fiction and, overall, delves into how far people are willing to go for what they believe in, no matter how violent the result. As the series progresses perspectives will shift from the wrestlers themselves, the staff they work with, the suits in charge, and the fans cheering them all on.

"Ringside’s set in the often brutal crossroads between what people do for the things they love most and what they're willing to sacrifice for them," said Keatinge. "While Ringside's certainly a dramatization, you would be hard pressed to find a group of women and men who give up their lives for the entertainment of millions across the world as much as those who enter the ring."

Barber added: “As over-the-top as a wrestling match can get—the world outside of the ring can be even more compelling. Ringside is about the personal struggles and conflicts of those involved in, and around the sport (and business) of professional wrestling. While wrestling is the landscape, you certainly don't need to be an expert to enjoy this epic story.”

RINGSIDE #1 (Diamond Code SEP150595) hits stores on Wednesday, November 25th. Final order cutoff deadline for retailers is Monday, November 2nd.

ABOUT IMAGE COMICS

Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.