When Pro-Wrestling Inspires Non-Wrestling Comics, Part 5

Professional wrestling in comics recently made headlines when Bleeding Cool reported that a 1951 comic, Police Comics #104 (Quality Comics), featuring a wrestling story, was auctioned as part of a 12-issue lot of Police Comics. According to Bleeding Cool, the comic’s author, Joe Millard, “was a professional wrestling fan because his Ken Shannon story in Police Comics #104 (Quality Comics, 1951) seems to have been inspired by the 23 May 1950 Gorgeous George vs Cyclone Anaya Game at the Chicago Coliseum and the May 26, 1950 Gorgeous George vs. Chief Don Eagle Play at the International Amphitheater in Chicago.”

Police Comics #104 featuring Luscious Louie, inspired by Gorgeous George.

I don’t own a copy of this comic (yet), but I think it’s very cool that this hidden gem could possibly be the earliest reference to professional wrestling in an English-language non-wrestling comic, and that there are still great examples of wrestling to be discovered in non-wrestling comics.

In a previous article about Hunting for Wrestling Collectibles at Motor City Comic ConI mentioned that I had a copy of The mighty Thor #290 (Marvel) from 1979, which features the first appearance of a relatively minor character named El Toro Rojo. As mentioned, I’m not a fan of Thor in general, but this comic has a great cover featuring Thor and El Toro Rojo in a wrestling ring, with El Toro Rojo charging at Thor while Thor’s hammer bounces off El Toro Rojo’s back, so I had to add it to my collection.

The Mighty Thor No. 290 featuring El Toro Rojo.

This episode of Motor City Comic Con featured Danhausen, who himself is featured in several comics, which leads me to the recent purchase of a comic that has been on my wishlist since last fall. The 2023 New York Comic Con variant of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (IDW) is a very special comic, because the cover was drawn by Do a powerbomb! Creator Daniel Warren Johnson, but in addition to that, the cover features cameos from Danhausen and Brody King engaged in a wrestling match with TMNT foe Shredder while Splinter referees and all four Ninja Turtles look on. This comic was limited to just 500 copies, so I’m pretty happy that I was able to snag a copy for my collection recently, and for significantly less than they sold for last fall.

Daniel Warren Johnson NYCC The page contains the lyrics and the German translation of the song “TMNT” by The Movie. Variant with Danhausen and Brody King.

Another item I recently added to my collection was found in an antique shop while visiting family in La Crosse, Wisconsin. In my first part of this series of articles, I wrote about how often MAD Magazine it used to feature and parody professional wrestling, with a series of fantastic covers by Mort Drucker, and in early June I found a copy of the February 1999 issue of MAD Magazine #378, which featured a caricature of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on the cover. As a kid, I always dreaded trips to the antique store with my mom, but now that I often find wrestling collectibles there, it’s one of my favorite places.

MAD Magazine #378 with Stone Cold Steve Austin.

And speaking of antiques, while recently helping a friend evaluate his Silver and Bronze Age comic book collection, I found two more non-wrestling-related comic books in which professional wrestling plays a major role. The first may not be a true antique (unless that means I’m an antique too), but it is an issue of Captain America #271 (Marvel) from 1982. Like so many other wrestling-related comics, this issue features a short-lived supporting character, this time known as Mr. X, who wears nothing but boots, trunks, and a mask with an X over his face. As usual, the cover is the real attraction for me, and this cover features Captain America in a wrestling ring, getting dropkicked by Mr. X.

Captain America No. 271 with Mr. X.

A real antique and, if you ask me, a real discovery is a comic book that I found at the very bottom of a friend’s stack of comic books. Bobby Benson’s B-Bar-B Driver #9, published by Magazine Enterprises, is a beautiful golden era comic with a stunning cover by renowned artist Frank Frazetta. The cover caption reads “The Lemonade Kid meets the Monster!” and features a blond, Buddy Rogers-esque figure (The Lemonade Kid) locked in combat with a hairy beast of a man (think George “The Animal” Steele). It’s a truly spectacular cover, a real work of art, in my opinion. My friend’s copy is old and worn beyond repair, but in a way that adds to the charm, even if it does diminish the value for potential buyers. Another interesting detail is that this comic is from 1951, as the issue of Police Comics This is one of the two earliest mentions of professional wrestling in a non-wrestling English language comic book, and the oldest copy I’ve ever held in my hands.

Bobby Benson’s B-Bar-B Riders No. 9

I find it extremely satisfying that I can still find references to professional wrestling in non-wrestling comics. While the examples are becoming increasingly obscure, as long as there are boxes of old comics to dig through and as long as contemporary artists like Daniel Warren Johnson continue to find inspiration in professional wrestling, I believe my collection will continue to grow and I will continue to share my finds with SlamWrestling.net.

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