Mike Kingston on Headlocked, Jerry Lawler and Why Most Wrestling Comics Fail

Fred: This is Fred Richani of TSC News. Check out our exclusive interview with Mike Kingston, author of the popular wrestling comic series “Headlocked.” What’s “Headlocked” about?

Mike Kingston: “Headlocked” is about a kid who’s a theater major in college and unexpectedly falls in love with wrestling. He quits school, and it follows his journey through the business, starting on day one. We’re examining the craft of wrestling through the eyes of a performance artist, but at the same time, he’s navigating the underbelly of the wrestling business, trying to get to the bright lights and the big stage. There are a couple of different themes there. It’s kind of a coming-of-age story.

Fred: Very cool. You’re working with Jerry “The King” Lawler, who is your cover artist, and you have a number of wrestlers contributing art and stories. The funny thing is, you told me off the air that you have more wrestler artists than actual comic artists.

Mike Kingston: One of the big themes of “Headlocked” is wrestling as an art form, so to that end, we use a lot of wrestlers as artists. Jerry “The King” Lawler does the covers, and my interior artist is Michel Mulipola, a wrestler from New Zealand. He wrestles under a mask, sort of a Tiger Mask kind of thing. He’s a really talented wrestler, and he runs a comic book store on top of that, so I couldn’t think of a more perfect person to be the artist on this book. He understands the business, and there are nuances in his art, in terms of positioning and things like that, that even I don’t get but workers would. It’s been a real great collaboration.

Fred: What came first for you, your love for wrestling or your love for comics?

Mike Kingston: They both hit about the same time, but I think I was harder into wrestling early. The first Saturday Night’s Main Event got me hooked. Oddly enough, George “The Animal” Steele was the man who caught my attention enough to hook me for life. I always had comics as a kid, buying them at drugstores, and I got into collecting kind of hardcore around the same time, maybe 8 to 10 years old. They’ve both been very big influences on me for the bulk of my life.

Fred: It’s very tough to break into the comics industry, let alone be successful in it. How did you break in?

Mike Kingston: Everything we’ve done has really been on our own. I started a studio, Visionary Comics, and we’re all trying to get our stuff out there. The comic book industry is a tough nut to crack, and there’s been a history of really bad wrestling comics. People who don’t understand wrestling think wrestling comics don’t sell. I’ve heard “wrestling fans don’t read” and all kinds of nonsense. I was told no for a long time, but as we’ve progressed, people are starting to see us in a different light. It’s definitely an uphill battle.

Fred: What’s helped you, of course, is your affiliation with all these wrestlers. How did you originally get hooked up with The King and the other guys who ended up contributing?

Mike Kingston: When I started out, it was just me and my book, setting up in artist alleys at conventions. I met Shane Helms and Rob Van Dam at Comic-Con. They were just there as fans, they happened by my table and bought copies of my book, and both of them reached out later to tell me how much they liked it and to ask if there was anything they could do to help. That started the ball rolling. As far as Jerry goes, it’s the craziest thing. I just emailed him through his website. It was such a lark that I forgot I did it. Then one day I got an email back, and I thought it was probably his webmaster, but it was him. I sent him some books, and he said, “Yeah, I’ll totally do it.” He’s done three covers for me, he’s the regular cover artist on the book, and we’ve done probably 20 conventions together. I’m proud to call him a friend now.

Fred: He’s got an amazing story himself, coming back to life, literally, in 2012. A lot of people thought, “My God, are we going to lose The King?” Now he jokes about it almost daily. What’s it like being around him now that he’s got a new lease on life?

Mike Kingston: He’s a great guy. They always tell you not to meet your heroes, but I’ve met a lot of my heroes, and they’ve all been really awesome. People see his public persona, but he’s one of the nicest, most generous guys I know. He says yes to so many things he doesn’t need to. He’s super talented in a variety of things. He’s acted, he’s drawn, and he’s got a record out there from way back. He’s literally done everything, but he’s still a super down-to-earth, humble guy. My association with him has put me in places I probably never would have gotten, so his generosity has made my life better.

Fred: Have Comic-Con and Wizard World helped you guys out?

Mike Kingston: Definitely. In the comic book business, no matter who we have attached, sometimes who’s in the upper left-hand corner of your book in terms of a publisher means more than what’s between the pages, and in the comic book world, we’re still independent. But at these pop culture shows, people are more open to trying new things, and we’ve had a lot of success. There’s been talk about how comic cons aren’t necessarily just for comics anymore, and I’ve heard a lot of old-guard comic people complain that they don’t make money at San Diego anymore. We do really well at San Diego. I made a lot of money there this year, and New York was insane. From bell to bell, we were tearing it up. We wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere without those shows.

Fred: So the explosion has helped not only big brands like Marvel and DC but independents like yourself.

Mike Kingston: Absolutely. The media can be fairly impenetrable when it comes to comic books, and they cover the big publishers. For us to be able to bring our stuff right to the masses is huge. People come to see Jerry, Shane, Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian or Rob Van Dam, and then they discover my book and become fans. It’s the perfect storm, where we all benefit.

Fred: What’s the biggest misconception about your career?

Mike Kingston: There’s a perception of wrestling comics, and that’s really why I wanted to write this book. I’ve been a fan of both my whole life, and I’ve never really enjoyed a wrestling comic. Most of them were licensed books that came out during wrestling’s hot streaks, when people thought they could sell a bunch to wrestling fans. They weren’t really about wrestling, and you could tell they weren’t written by wrestling fans. Wrestling is very polarizing, and you can tell when people are trying to make a buck off of it, like “The Mullets” on UPN, where the main characters were idiot wrestling fans, or “Ready to Rumble.” Wrestling fans have been pretty savvy over the years about realizing when people are selling at them.

“Headlocked” is a book about wrestling, and I don’t make a dime off of it. All the money we raise through Kickstarter pays for our art, printing and production costs. This book is a passion of mine, and all the guys who contribute are passionate about wrestling, comics and art. We’re not trying to put anybody over. Wrestlers sometimes ask if I can put them in the book, but I’m not trying to sell action figures. We’re trying to tell a cool story about something we love. When you hear the phrase “wrestling comic,” you might think of Kevin Nash as Mad Max or the Ultimate Warrior stripping Santa Claus naked, some of the less successful attempts. This is a character-driven, coming-of-age story about a kid in the world of wrestling. For people who like cable dramas, there’s literally something for everyone.

Fred: “Headlocked” is very engaging, and you did a great job with it. Since you have this character-driven story, have you ever tried to get involved in the creative process of professional wrestling, or has anybody approached you about it?

Mike Kingston: I haven’t. I’ve been backstage a couple of times with Jerry and met a lot of people in WWE creative, and I feel like it’s an avenue I could try, but you kind of see the defeat in their eyes. I don’t want to do something if I can’t do it all the way. Everybody knows that when you write for WWE, you’re writing for Vince McMahon, and ultimately he’s going to edit whatever you write, so it doesn’t sound like a fruitful thing. In a perfect world, it would be amazing to book a wrestling show or a promotion, but my time is so limited that I wouldn’t want to waste it if I couldn’t have any kind of creative control.

Fred: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give any artist or writer?

Mike Kingston: Just don’t give up. It’s tough every which way. I’ve been doing this for six years now, and I’d say way more people don’t know about us than know about us, but you’ve just got to keep plugging away. People come up to me all the time and say, “I had this idea for a story just like ‘The Walking Dead.'” Take that for whatever it’s worth, but the difference between them and “The Walking Dead” is that Robert Kirkman put pen to paper and did it. If you want to do something because you’re passionate about it, you can’t go wrong. If you want to be a writer, write. If you want to be an artist, draw. Do it every day, and you’ll get there at some point. It’s a slog, but it’s totally worth it in the end.

Fred: Well said, sir. Mike, we really do appreciate the time. Where can fans find you?

Mike Kingston: “Headlocked” is online and on Twitter, and we’re in the middle of a Kickstarter for our next book. Kickstarter is what has allowed us to be big boys. We have 19 days left. Booker T is doing art for it, and John Morrison, Frankie Kazarian and AJ Styles are doing stories. We’ve structured the campaign so you can pledge for the first book or both books, so it’s accessible and affordable for anybody who wants to jump on the train and see what we’ve got cooking.

Fred: Very cool. Mike, thanks so much for the time, and best of luck with your Kickstarter.

Mike Kingston: Thank you very much. I appreciate you having me on.