Wrestling fans have known for years that WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio is a big superhero fan, based on the numerous times he’s dressed up as Wolverine, Captain America, Flash and more at big events. But now a new comic will imagine the world’s most famous luchador as a superhero himself.
Massive Publishing and Masked Republic, a company that represents luchadores outside of Mexico, are teaming up to launch The Luchaverse, a new line of comics starring luchadores like Mysterio and Tiniebelas Jr. By day they might be fighting in the ring, but at night “those with an ancient secret lineage serve humanity as monster hunters and world protectors.” Which I kind of already suspected Mysterio was doing in his off hours.
“Being able to bring some of today’s biggest names in lucha libre into our original story world and break the mold of what lucha libre films were, and what wrestling related comics have been, is a dream come true for me,” said Ruben Zamora, Masked Republic founder & CEO, and the co-creator of the Luchaverse.
The line will launch with Luchaverse: Catalyst #1, a 48-page issue featuring two stories written by Ivan Plaza (Chido Comics) and Marco Lopez (Puerto Rico Strong, The Nightcrawlers).
The first story, with art by Ben Harvey, features Rey Mysterio leading a group of commandos on a mission to find a magical mask:
Kicking off the Luchaverse: Catalyst event, Rey Mysterio, the most recognized luchador on the planet, discovers his legacy outside the ring as the next in line to take on a great evil prophesied to return and plunge the world into darkness. It’s all action and adventure as Mysterio, aided by the clandestine military group known as “The Ambassadors,” heads deep into the jungle to an arcane ancient temple with one mission in mind: retrieve the inconceivably powerful MASK OF THE FIRST MYSTERIO. Interior art by Ben Harvey (Marvel Comics’ cover artist) and colourist Bryan Magnaye.
(Let’s hope Mysterio’s son, Dom, turns out to be the villain!)
The second story features Tinnieblas Jr., who probably isn’t as familiar to American wrestling fans as Mysterio, but he’s the reigning Legends of Lucha Libre Champion and his father was the first luchador, after El Santo, to have his own comic book series in Mexico in the 1970s. It’ll feature artwork by Diego Simone:
In the pages of The Luchaverse, Tinieblas Jr. is the supreme monster hunter, heir to a legacy as protector of both the human and monster realms forcing him to take on the legions of the damned and all manner of creatures that go bump in the night. The actions of Rey Mysterio & The Ambassadors have set off a chain of events most in The Luchaverse are still trying to connect, but Tinieblas Jr. and his assistant Ramona are working to remain one step ahead as they race to solve mystery at the heart of where the two worlds meet before both realms are changed forever!
“As a kid, my mother introduced me to the work of the classic Lucha Libre film actors Mil Máscaras and El Santo. I loved their larger than life pulp hero personas that transcended the ring. It’s awesome to see Masked Republic giving that treatment to the modern stars of Lucha Libre and getting to debut with a story featuring Rey Mysterio feels special as I remember obsessing over his early matches and to this day consider him one of my favorite wrestlers of all time,” said Michael Calero, CEO/Co-Publisher, Massive Publishing.
Luchaverse: Catalyst will run for three issues, and Massive promises a “sprawling cast of legendary luchadores in each issue.”
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