Liam Hoofe reviews WWE #21…
After spending last month down in Full Sail University with NXT, Boom! Studios returned to the WWE main roster this month with their latest edition of the WWE series.
The 21st edition of their ongoing series tells the story of AJ Styles’ debut for the company at the 2017 Royal Rumble, documenting his career from his failed run in WCW all the way to his grand arrival in the WWE.
The edition is a fun story that paints AJ Styles as an underdog, and series writer Dennis Hopeless does a great job of getting AJ over as the determined rookie determined to make his way his way to the top of the pile. The fact that they choose to ignore his run in TNA is fairly amusing, but was likely a call from the WWE, as opposed to the writing staff themselves. They do, however, make a nod to his days in Japan as leader of the Bullet Club, with the IWGP World Heavyweight Title being gloriously brought to life by artist Serg Acuna.
Acuna is back on duty for Boom! Studios this month and once again he does an excellent job with his depiction of AJ Styles. Acuna really nails AJ’s transition from the young, short-haired rookie to the longer haired superstar he is today, and the brief glimpses we get of in-ring action and of some other superstars is spot-on as well. Acuna is easily the best artist working on these comics, and I hope we get to see more from him in the coming issues.
The supporting story, Once Upon a Mountain is a ridiculously entertaining story which depicts Braun Strowman as a giant terrorising a town until Roman Reigns shows up on a horse and saves the day, which is pretty much how I imagine Vince McMahon sees the WWE landscape.
WWE #21 is a fun entry in Boom! Studio’s on-going WWE series. AJ Styles’ WWE career is a good choice of narrative going forward, though, it would be nice to see the WWE recognise a little bit more of history outside of the company. This one is almost worth it for its outrageous supporting story alone.
Rating: 7/10
Liam Hoofe
