Written by: Gail Simone
Art by: Elisa Romboli
Coloring by: Iolanda Zanfardino
Lettering by: Iolanda Zanfardino
Cover by: Oliver Barrett
Published by: Dark Horse Comics
Summary:
Ring: The Man Who Beat the Man is about a young man named Marcus “Mercury” King that had prowess and fortitude in the ring, as he fought and trained from a young age to now. The first scene starts with a flashback to his village, then it switches over to the boxing ring. In the boxing ring, he’s slammed to the floor in a knockout match, as he struggles to maintain on his feet. Later on, other fighters comment on his fight and call him names such as an “undercard” or “loser”.Later on, another boxer named Wei Zhang gives him an invitation to see his florist. He asks Marcus for a promise: to get back on his feet as a fighter. Marcus goes home and trains.
This issue seems to cut itself into two halves; after Marcus reunites with Wendy, his wife and goes home to train, Ring delves into a different point of view with two reporters named Cameron and Lisa. These reporters interview another boxer, named Ivan, about the last match between Marcus. They investigate and try to get more details on other boxers, such as the Mariposa vs Valkov match. The journalists are trying to investigate Marcus’s famous “left-hook” jab, but to their mystery, they interview Ivan instead, who is nicknamed “The Bear”.
I think readers and boxing fans will enjoy the start of this eight-issue series; being a boxing fan myself, I really enjoyed the setup to this first issue; we learn about the reign of “Mercury” Marcus and his rivals. The colors, dialogue, and the lettering looks great. Interesting start to the series; anyone should be able to pick this up and follow along easily.
Overall: 8/10
India Williams is a comic writer and reviewer based in Florida. She is a lifelong comics fan, with favorites including Thor, Conan, G.I. Joe, and Speed Racer. When she’s not writing comics or reviewing them, she enjoys toy photography.
