OVER THE ROPES: BROKEN KAYFABE #4, from Mad Cave Studios on September 7th, 2022, enters the calm before the climactic storm as Phoenix makes amends to the people who matter most and prepares for the most important match of his life.
The Details
- Written by: Jay Sandlin
- Art by: Antonello Cosentino
- Colors by: Francesco Segala
- Letters by: Justin Birch
- Cover art by: Antonello Cosentino
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: September 7, 2022
Is It Good?
OVER THE ROPES: BROKEN KAYFABE #4 is a methodical, cathartic housecleaning issue that wipes away all the bad blood between Phoenix and the loved ones in his inner circle. As a penultimate issue in this arc, Sandlin made the right move by cleansing the drama palettes of the readers to focus everyone’s attention on the big fight to come. Truly, this issue feels like the calm before the storm.
Why does this issue work so well as a penultimate chapter? Because the subplots are wrapped up, distractions are removed, and little bits of information are dropped with increasing frequency to build momentum heading into the finale. In truth, not much progress is made on the main plot, but this is a case where preparation and setup develop tension. It feels like the string on a bow is slowly being pulled taut in anticipation of the snap.
Removing distractions is important, and the issue is elevated further by his natural depiction of the emotions of characters in conflict. In contrast to the over-the-top bravado of the character personas in the ring, the characters outside the ring are human and authentic. You believe the characters are genuine and respond to their arguments with authenticity. For a wrestling-themed comic, this issue has a surprisingly nuanced drama under the covers.
The art from Cosentino and Segala is fine in this issue. The plot mostly concerns characters talking with each other and very little action, so the art is responsible for making dialog scenes visually interesting. In large part, Cosentino succeeds, however, the few panels that don’t work look crude. In particular, Cosentino struggles with noses, so when you have so many scenes focused on character faces, the poor nose design sticks out like a sore… nose.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
The big match to come will end one wrestler’s career. Find out how the deal was struck in our OVER THE ROPES: BROKEN KAYFABE #3 review.
We begin with pundits and commentators discussing the magnitude of the big match’s outcome. The winner is named the SFW and AWF champion. The loser leaves wrestling for good. The stakes have never been higher.
Now, Jason/Phoenix practices in the ring while he considers how much his grudge with Buddy Peacock has already cost him. Soon, his friends arrive, one by one, to set things right and support him in any way they can. Meanwhile, we learn Buddy Peacock put measures in place to ensure his victory.
We conclude the issue with engagements, leaving legacies behind, and an old enemy turned ally.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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OVER THE ROPES: BROKEN KAYFABE #4 is a rock-solid penultimate issue that clears away the emotional baggage, builds excitement, and gets readers focused on the climactic finale. The human character interactions are the star attraction in this issue, but the art is average.
Related Information
Is wrestling and WWE the same?
WWE is one form of performative wrestling but all wrestling is not WWE. Think of WWE as theater that takes place in a wrestling fantasy.
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