FIGHTS: Review - Sonambulo fights crime in 'Sleep of the Just'

 EX-LUCHADOR TURNS DETECTIVE IN THE RAFAEL NAVARRO TITLE
by
Bowie V. Ibarra

Rafael Navarro is one of America's most talented independent comic book artists.  I recently had the opportunity to pick up his title, 'Sonambulo in Sleep of the Just'.  It was a real find.  The story is a noir-style mystery mixed with elements of lucha libre.

The story revolves around our hard-boiled hero, Sonambulo, which is Spanish for 'Sleepwalker'.  Sonambulo was once a lucha libre star until he had a fateful run-in with the mob, who beat him down, shot him, and left him for dead.  Instead of dying, however, he fell into a kind of hibernation state, waking up years later.  When he woke up, he never went to sleep again and was afflicted with the superpower to 'see' other people's dreams.  It's that ability that helps him put puzzle pieces together to solve crimes.

The story itself is a lot of fun.  But the best part of the title is the art.  Navarro has a very distinctive artistic style that brings its characters to life.  The black and white story helps add to the spookier elements to the story, and also give you that 1950s TV feel of the story.

If you have the opportunity, find this graphic novel or the individual copies of each chapter.  'Sleep of the Just' is not only well-crafted story with dynamic art, but a fitting tribute to the tradition of crime fighting luchadors.  This title is ZBFbooks.com approved!

You can pick up a copy of 'Sleep of the Just' and other works from Rafael Navarro at his official website HERE.

And if you like lucha libre stories with zombies, pick up the ZBFbooks.com title, 'Sword of the Angel'.  It's about a Mexican luchador who faces the zombie apocalypse with spectators after a pro-wrestling event in San Antonio.  It's a great title you can find HERE in paperback or kindle.

BOWIE V. IBARRA is the author of the 'Down the Road' zombie horror series from Permuted Press.  Bowie likes to refer to his works as Tex-Mexploitation, as they all feature strong cultural elements of south Texas, where Bowie was raised.  Some titles include 'Codename: La Lechusa', 'Tejano Star and the Vengeance of Chaplain Skull, and Alamo Rising.

Network with Bowie at his official website ZBFbooks.com.

FIGHTS: Review - 'Fight Card's 'Rise of the Luchador'

A PROUD VALE TUDO CHAMP SWALLOWS HIS PRIDE TO ESCAPE HIS PAST IN THE FIGHT CARD PULP TITLE

by

Bowie V. Ibarra

  

I don't think I've ever read a book that drew the kind of heel heat Fight Card's 'Rise of the Luchador' did as I read it.  There was a kind of contempt for lucha libre, pro-wrestling, and such legends as El Santo throughout the book, reflected through the protagonist, Carlos.  But by the end of the title, I realized where the author, Jason Ridler writing as Jack Tunney, was going with it and completely appreciated the finish.

The story revolves around Carlos, a former Vale Tudo champ from Brazil on the run from a violent drug lord.  It turns out Carlos killed the drug lord's son in a street fight, and Carlos finds sanctuary in a traveling carnival as a bouncer.  But when the big hero of the carnival's pro-wrestling show becomes seriously wounded by a crazed crowd member, Carlos is encouraged to don the mask and take his place.  But the attention his character draws brings him to the attention of the drug lords, still seeking him out.

As a fan of both combat sports and pro-wrestling, I really understood the perspectives of the folks in the story.  And though there was an underlying contempt for lucha libre and pro-wrestling and its fans in the book, Ridlerdid a fantastic job of balancing the strengths and weaknesses of MMA as well as pro-wrestling.  

Again, Ridler was drawing some serious heat from this avid pro-rasslin' and MMA fan.  And like a classic heel, the author's story was making my blood boil at how disrespectful the story appeared to be for the craft of pro-wrestling.  I was so mad, I kept reading to see where it was going, like the heel making me want to buy a ticket to a show to watch him get stomped.

Yet as the story developed, there was a method to the madness. 'Rise of the Luchador' built to a fantastic finish. In the end, it was a title that gave respect to the art of pro-wrestling and the art of combat sports.

Get your copy via kindle HERE.

You have got to explore the Fight Card titles HERE.

Check out more of the great combat sport-themed titles of Jason Ridler HERE.

BOWIE V. IBARRA is the author of the combat sport series 'Pit Fighters' from ZBFbooks.com.  It's the adventures of several fighters from around the world who form a stable to compete in the early days of MMA competition.  You can pick them up today in paperback or Kindle HERE.

 

Network with Bowie and check out all his other cool books featuring zombies, blood, and fights at his official website, ZBFbooks.com today.

 

FIGHTS: Review - "Santo Diablo vs. The Albino Alligator' initiates a new pulp superhero

STEADY TONE SHIFT, DARK PROTAGONIST HIGHLIGHT THE PULP-STYLE ACTION PIECE
by
Bowie V. Ibarra

Holy crap! What a short story!

What started out as a sweet little fantasy/superhero story with a luchador as the protagonist turned into a gritty and dark story of a lost soul searching for redemption.  Andrew Crevier's 'Santo Diablo vs. The Albino Alligator' from Grind Pulp Press is a fast-paced story of a crime-fighter seeking internal peace in a violent world.

As a fan of El Santo and his crime-fighting legacy in film, this title piqued my fancy.  With a luchador as its lead, how could I go wrong?  And it ended up delivering more than I bargained for.

I was immediately drawn in to the way the story was constructed.  When it starts, you think its going to be some kind of superhero-style tale.  But as the story progresses, you come to realize things are more real than expected.  I was impressed with how the story started with a fun vibe before being skillfully transformed into a gritty crime-fighting story.

Since it's a short story, I don't want to give to much away. But just know the crusade of St. Devil against The Albino Alligator is a solid superhero story, from the disgusting location of the final fight, to the final pages that reveal the hard truth of the story and the life of Santo Diablo that will pull the readers arm behind their head before punching them in the heart.

Whether you're a fan of crime-fighting luchadors or not, get Andrew Crevier's short story now here.  Network with Grind Pulp Press at their official website here.

And if you dig masked lucha libre superstars, check out this 'lucha libre vs. zombie' themed short story from ZBFbooks.com.  'Sword of the Angel' is available now in paperback and kindle here.  If you loved the story of 'Santo Diablo', you will enjoy 'Sword of the Angel'.

Here's the book trailer and book cover:

 

BOWIE V. IBARRA is the author of the acclaimed 'Down the Road' zombie horror series from Permuted Press.  He earned a BFA in Acting and a MA in Theatre History from Texas State University.  His latest titles explore superhero themes, including 'Codename: La Lechusa', 'Room 26 and the Army of Xulhutdul', and 'Tejano Star and the Vengeance of Chaplain Skull'. 

 

Network with Bowie at his official website, ZBFbooks.com, the leader in Tex-Mexploitation literature.

ZOMBIES/FIGHTS/BLOOD - REVIEW: 'High Midnight' the epitome of eloquent mayhem

A WEIRD WESTERN WRITTEN LIKE A CLASSICAL MASTERPIECE OF LITERATURE
by
Bowie V. Ibarra

 

 

'High Midnight' by Rob Mosca is an outrageously wild 'grindhouse pulp'-style weird western.  The story was amazingly eloquent in spite of its violent and spooky supernatural setting.  When I saw a luchador sheriff on the cover at a horror convention, I had to grab it!

 

The story is about a group of homicidal clowns who lay siege to the town bar of the haunted south Texas town of Unity.  Unity is a seedy western-style town in a modern world, which brings in the tourists, but is still lost to the progress of the state because of infestation with killer cryptids, ghosts, and the living dead.  But the town has a charm and allure that houses the world's vagrants and vagabonds looking for solitude in its creepy streets.

 

Laredo Beaumont is the sheriff of the town.  And as you might imagine, he's the right man for the job in the bizarre city.  He's a drunk and former money fighter who found, among other things, who found some peace in the city for him to drink his pain away.  He's in love with the ghost of a dead prostitute in the local brothel and managed by the mayor and her husband.  And when he's ready to lay down the law, he puts on his old money-fight luchador mask.

His only deputy and help is a bonabo chimpanzee named Cicero, whose habits are even worse than Laredo.  But they're the defenders the strange city needs.

 

The clowns who lay siege to the city are just as outrageous.  They range from the traditional buffoon to the modern juggalo.  When they hold a local bar hostage, its up to Laredo to figure out what their problem is and save its citizens in danger.

 

The reason for their assault on the city and the final battle is amazing.

 

The book is easily one of the most enjoyable I've ever read.  I was immensely pleased with the ease of eloquence that Mosca sculpted the tale.  Mosca is one of the most poetic writers I've ever read.  His prose is beautiful, even as he describes the violence and bloodshed, its a book that follows in the eloquent tradition of the classics.  There's even a human/ghost love scene that is a testament to Mosca's imagination.

 

The story is linear, but places flashbacks throughout to fit in the missing puzzle pieces to the story and build to a very enjoyable climax. The finish to the story was surprisingly touching, filling a 'love story' element to the book that readers will appreciate.

 

'High Midnight' by Rob Mosca is a weird western/'grindhouse pulp' masterpiece.  The book is completely ZombieBloodFights.com approved.  I encourage everyone who reads this review who hasn't picked up this book yet to get it today in kindle or paperback here today.

 

For more weird western reading, check out 'The Cruel Fate of Dr. Brewster McGill' from ZombieBloodFights.com.  It's the story of a snake-oil salesman who grows envious when he discovers a rival has discovered an ancient Aztec relic that creates an elixir that not only cures all, but raises the dead.  It's available in Kindle and Paperback here.

 

 

BOWIE V. IBARRA earned a BFA in Acting and an MA in Theatre History from Texas State University.  Network with Bowie and explore the ZombieBloodFights library at ZombieBloodFights.com.