Writer: Dave Scheidt
Artist: Scoot McMahon
Publisher: Oni Press
WHAT IS IT?
A sci-fi secret agent story featuring professional wrestlers.
Think ¡Mucha Lucha! meets Ben 10.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
(Minor spoilers)
Chairman Johnson of the SLAM wrestling organization has become the President of the United States and brought his wrestlers along as his secret service. Wrestling superfan and vlogger Katie Jones gets the chance of a lifetime when she’s granted an interview with the President. She even gets to meet her favorite wrestler, Bruno Bravado in the process! After the interview is commenced, the president asks Katie if she’d like to interview the whole team. That’s when she’s taken to a secret elevator leading to the underground command center of the Agents Of SLAM, the president’s wrestlers-turned-secret-agents team.
Their duty is to monitor the World Domination Society, a wrestling team who have turned towards crime. Somehow hacking into the team’s computer system, the WDS has found the location of the magical Golden Eagle championship belt, which gives the owner spectacular powers. Little do they know, stopping these villains will be harder than it looks and the team will have to undergo some personal turmoil before everything is done.
WHAT WORKS
Scheidt’s story blends genres and conventions without feeling bloated or having any part feel out of place.
McMahon’s smooth, thick lines give the story a playful feel while also allowing some epic action.
Colors are used masterfully by Heidi Black. Characters and objects seem to shine off the page due to their accents and shading.
The lettering is colorful and distinct for each character. Differing fonts distinguish how each person’s punches and crashes sound.
Each character’s design is sleek and distinct. They are instantly recognizable and their personalities immediately shine.
The many twists and turns of the story keep readers on their toes and maintain interest throughout the book.
The art makes excellent use of multiple figures within a panel to show movement and action.
The jokes are spread out well and excellently timed. Using both text and visual gags makes this book contain a wide variety of humor.
WHAT DOESN’T WORK
A big reveal later in the book has less impact because the relationship between characters wasn’t as fleshed out as it could have been. Some more personal interactions could have helped make this twist more dramatic.
The book’s thesis presented at the end could have been reinforced more throughout the story.
WHY SHOULD I READ IT?
Agents of SLAM is fast-paced and wholesome. There’s never a dull moment and the story flows smoothly largely thanks to a happy marriage of natural-sounding dialogue and well-constructed art. It’s incredibly fun to witness the interactions between the many different personalities from the country boy Tex to the dark and brooding Red Reaper. While the story is largely action-based, it does contain some touching moments, exploring the importance of a brother/sister bond and what happens when one’s heroes turn out to be different than perceived.
Visually, this book is loud and delightful. It’s a colorful treat and each character instantly has their voice established because of their designs. Each wrestler is distinct and explores the many different styles without paying heavy homage to anyone wrestler in particular. Making each character have a unique lettering color and style is a nice touch that adds additional information to their personalities.
Wrestling fans who want something fun to share with their little ones will be delighted by this book!
WHAT DO I READ NEXT?
If you like the writing:
Wrapped Up by Dave Scheidt & Scoot McMahon
Mayor Good Boy by Dave Scheidt & Miranda Harmon
WWE by Dennis Hopeless & Dan Mora
If you like the art:
The Mighty Super Kingz by Scoot McMahon
Tales from the Con by Brad Guigar, Chris Giarusso & Scoot McMahon
Destructor by David Lyons & Tayson Martindale
ABOUT THE CREATORS
Dave Scheidt (@davescheidt) – Writer
An accomplished writer of all-ages comics, Scheidt has written for multiple franchises including Adventure Time, and Trolls as well as his original series Mayor Good Boy.
In addition to comics, he has written for Cartoon Network, Dreamworks, Lucasfilm, and Nickolodeon.
Scheidt claims to be a pizza-loving sasquatch.
Scoot McMahon (@scootcomics) - Artist
A prolific creator, McMahon has drawn for Image, Dark Horse, Oni Press, and Action Lab with upcoming books for Source Point Press and DC comics.
He is also a writer penning such titles as The Mighty Super Kingz and Sami the Samurai Squirrel.
McMahon is also an illustrator of children’s books.
Heidi Black (@electricabyss) – Colorist
Black is an accomplished artist most known for their work on Sons of Fire and the Eisner award-winning anthology Puerto Rico Strong.
They are also an illustrator and have contributed to multiple children’s books.
Black has published two books of art that can be purchased on Amazon.
HOW DO I BUY IT?
The image(s) used in this article are from a comic strip, webcomic or the cover or interior of a comic book. The copyright for this image(s) is likely owned by either the publisher of the comic, the writer(s) and/or artist(s) who produced the comic. It is believed that the use of this image(s) qualifies as fair use under the United States copyright law. The image is used in a limited fashion in an educational manner in order to illustrate the points of the author and not for the purpose of entertainment or substituting the original work. It is believed the use of this image has had no impact on the market value of the original work.
All Agents of SLAM characters and the distinctive likeness(es) thereof are trademarks of and copyright of Oni Press or their respective owners. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.