Bill Apter and Gary Morgenstein announce ‘The Last Wrestler.’
To names that are synonymous with professional wrestling journalism and well known authors, Bill Apter and Gary Morgenstein have joined forced with comic book artist Ian Anselmo merge their storytelling styles with their love of comics to bring forth The Last Wrestler.
There are no two men more qualified to write a graphic novel about professional wrestling than Apter and Morgenstein. Blending their passion for Science Fiction, we know that this is going to be one book that’s going to need to be on every fan’s shelf.
Here is the official press release:
In the not too distant future, wrestling is threatened by a brutal dictatorship for representing too much individualism. The repressive government controls all aspects of society, including banning all sports. Only wrestling remains. In a world where conformity is ruthlessly enforced, imagine how an evil paranoid regime would view larger-than-life ring personalities mocking authority, questioning, challenging, daring, rousing the people to confront tyranny.
From iconic wrestling journalist-personality Bill Apter (Is Wrestling Fixed? I Didn’t Know It Was Broken), acclaimed science fiction writer Gary Morgenstein (A Mound Over Hell) and comic book artist Ian Anselmo (Ian Anselmo’s Hero Team) comes The Last Wrestler, a new graphic novel series innovatively merging two powerful and popular genres – wrestling and science fiction – to build a dark and dangerous world where a female wrestling superhero and her reluctant daughter are the only persons who can save America and restore democracy.
The Last Wrestler is populated by memorable characters like the great wrestler Mastermind G, who risks her life to take on the government – and her former lover Tri Bain, the dictator; her daughter Cara Zemis, whose desire for a normal life battles loyalty to her family’s legacy; and an array of wrestlers such as El Teco, heir to the Lucha Libre tradition, masked wrestler Real Charming and powerhouse Headbutt Jenkins, as well as O.S. (Old School) Lewis, who promotes matches in the Mega-Wrestling Palace in New York.
After suffering devastating blows at the hands of the dictatorship, the brave resistance moves into underground wrestling clubs throughout the country to continue the fight, where the ruthless Tri Bain, bitter and lonely, is determined to crush freedom forever, aided by the immoral Juancho Dadi, head of the Internal Guardians secret police.
Unless they’re stopped by The Last Wrestler.
ABOUT THE CREATORS
BILL APTER – From his days as a magazine writer, photographer, broadcaster, wrestling convention host, and special guest on hundreds of wrestling TV programs, Bill Apter has become a legend in his chosen field in a career which spans an amazing 50 years and is still going strong. Most recently Apter published his fascinating autobiography Is Wrestling Fixed? I Didn’t Know It Was Broken.
GARY MORGENSTEIN — Gary Morgenstein’s new science fiction-baseball novel A Mound Over Hell, set in 2098 following America’s defeat by Islam in World War Three as baseball begins its final season ever. This is the first book in The Dark Depths series. His previous novels were Jesse’s Girl; Loving Rabbi Thalia Kleinman; Take Me Out to the Ballgame and The Man Who Wanted to Play Center Field for the New York Yankees. A playwright as well, Morgenstein wrote the critically acclaimed off-Broadway sci-fi rock musical The Anthem, as well as the sci-fi musical Mad Mel Saves the World. His stage dramas include A Tomato Can’t Grow in the Bronx, Right on Target, Ponzi Man and Saving Stan. He is a former editor-writer for Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
IAN ANSELMO – Ian Anselmo is the creator of the children’s comic, Ian Anselmo’s Hero Team, under the Wow-Wee comics banner and is also editor of the street and knife fighting book, How To Be A Modern Day Moro: A Little Book on Street and Knife Fighting and How to Get the Guts to Win. A science fiction and wrestling enthusiast, Ian is a student of the University of Central Florida, working toward his degree in Technical Editing.
