Liam Hoofe reviews Boom! Studios’ WWE #24…
Boom! Studios continuse to chronicle AJ Styles’ excellent WWE title run in this latest issue, this time choosing to focus on his long rivalry with Shinsuke Nakamura from last year.
The comics have done an excellent job of portraying AJ Styles as a fighting champion, and this latest edition is perhaps their most enjoyable yet. Following Shinsuke Nakamura’s Royal Rumble victory, the former NJPW star is painting as a clever little prankster, who knows exactly how to push Styles’ buttons and use that ability to earn himself numerous title shots.
The comic documents the matches that took place between the two men between WrestleMania 34 and Money in the Bank, and also focuses on the fact that their whole rivalry seemed to have been built on Nakamura hitting Styles in the nuts. The comic does a great job at poking fun at both the ridiculous nature of the storyline and the fan’s subsequent reaction to it, with Nakamura telling Styles late on that despite it all being a bit silly, fans will remember it for years to come.
As usual, the artwork from series regular, Serg Acuna, is excellent, and Shinsuke Nakamura, in particular, is an absolute delight to look at; his cheeky mannerisms and facial expressions are one of the best things the comics have done in some time. The artwork does an excellent job of bringing the rivalry to life, and the bright colourwork and attention to detail really help sell the matches themselves as well.
The supporting story, BFF, is a quick piece about the relationship between Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss and is one of the stronger supporting pieces in a while. Kendall Goode does an excellent job at bringing the characters to life, especially Nia Jax, while the stylised dialogue boxes also help the story feel unique.
On the whole, WWE #24 is another strong outing from Boom! Studios and does an excellent job at continuing AJ’s story. Shinsuke Nakamura is a sheer delight and providing he sticks around in the WWE, I would love to see more of him in future issues.
Rating: 8/10
Ricky Church
