Today we’re doing something new on Shadowgirls and plugging a comic that has long been a friend of ours. And that is Rival Angels by Alan Evans (Albone). I actually received a copy of a convention special of Rival Angels at Wizard World Chicago and I was really interested even then. When I was a young lad, my father, brother and I would look forward to Friday Night’s Main Event from the WWF and watch it every Saturday morning too. There was nothing about wrestling that I didn’t know or wouldn’t watch. I EVEN watched G.L.O.W…which was this totally badass, all-female, wrestling show. (Oh Farmer’s Daughter, how I miss you.) And Rival Angels manages to invoke the best of that show and WWF and all the memories of Friday Night’s Main Event.
The series centers on a young Wrestler who’s been called up from the “farm league” to the Rival Angels league, named Sabrina Mancini (aka Ultragirl.) The owner of the Leauge thinks that Ultragirl has huge marketing potential and she plans to give her a big push. This has caused friction with some of the veterans and the 3 rookies that Sabrina is bunking with. The personalities of the characters are appropriately broad considering the subject matter and I found myself completely enthralled with Sabrina’s rise to superstardom in the league. (Not to mention her spunky asian roommate Sun “Lil Dragon” Wong. Who I suspect is related to Lindsey.)
While the out of ring stuff is interesting and makes you root for your favorite, what Rival Angels really captures is the feel of the ring. From the good announcer/bad announcer, to the managers, to the cheaters, the crazy moves the back and forth matches, out of the ring and the KICK OUT’S! Just when you think it might be over someone freaking kicks out at the end of the end of page and challenges Shadowgirls for most aggravating page endings!
Alan does a great job of capturing everything that wrestling is about. He has created larger than life personalities given them signature moves and factions and put them to work in the webcomic ring. Oh, and its all girl wrestling. ALL GIRL. So…yeah. That does it for me. It’s time for a return to G.L.O.W. and I give Rival Angels a thumbs up and hope you check it out too!
