Chain wrestling transitions are the hardest goddamn thing to draw. Moves get easier through repetition, but chain wrestling is something that’s so fluid that it never really gets easier. Even though the anatomical elements get easier, figuring out how to convey the movement that’s happening never gets any easier, because it’s always a little different.
Next Week: The beers are as acrobatic as Bombard. Find out what that means a week early on Patreon!
I always really like these chain-wrestling sequences when they’re done, but the layouts and pencils are a nightmare (not Danny Davis).
In other news, my friend Dan and I are starting a YouTube show about wrestling, called Super Wrestling Funtime! We recorded the first four episodes last night, and should have an episode about the Cruiserweight Classic posted this week.
Next Week: Replace chain wrestling with FLIPZ. Read it now by supporting HEAT on Patreon!
And we have our first elimination! Rod Black is the first one out, putting Team 17E at a 4-3 disadvantage for the time being. Wait, the least-developed character is the first one eliminated!? It’s almost like there’s somebody writing this thing…
The viewing angle in panel 3 is brought to you by WWF Royal Rumble for Super Nintendo (and WWF RAW, and pretty much every wrestling video game until they started doing TV style cameras), which is an angle I really need to use more, since it looks neat and is relatively easy to draw. I also had a lot of fun drawing the lock-up to wristlock transition, which was a fun bit of technical wrestling that I really should do a little more often. I suppose it doesn’t help that most of the guys in this match are brawlers, powerhouses, and flyers.
Also, I still haven’t finished writing this match. In what probably isn’t a very surprising development, the 8 man elimination tag team match is going to be the longest one so far in the comic by quite a wide margin (and probably the longest one for a good long while, unless I do something crazy later on). I’m on page 214 or 215 in the script right now and there are still three guys left. So, uh, we’re gonna be here for a while.
On Saturday: Can Invincinator match Vinny’s technical skill, tag out, or generally do something productive? Come back next Saturday and find out!
