The artist currently known as Romazenk sent me this batch of “comix” he created which really capture the vibe and allure of pro wrestling. He presses all the right buttons with his images and the quotations he inserts to tell the story. One thing we can tell right away from his work is that he really digs men with muscles. All his jobbers (and most of his heels) are ripped body-builders, or “studhunks” as he called them above.
And Mr. Romazenk seems to enjoy participating (virtually) in the confident studhunk’s humiliation and defeat by adding descriptions that prolong and intensify the torture. He inserts himself into the fight by pasting terms like “bashed“, “hurt“, and “mercilessly” into the photo which effectively add his own punishment to the victim. He also joins in the verbal degradation by calling the suffering man emasculating names like “prettyboy,” “bigtits,” and “BITCH“. I wonder if Mr. Romazenk was bullied by studhunks as a teen and now he wants revenge?
Just like the classic pro wrestling matches many of us enjoyed with our Saturday morning milk and cereal, Romazenk presents the cocky and powerful Alpha Male in all his glory, and then displays his painful destruction.
Here is a confident stud showing off before he battles some fat creature with sharpened fingernails, used to claw the studhunk’s best asset, his gigantic chest.
One technique Romazenk uses often to emasculate the studhunks is to compare their large pectorals (intended as a sign of strength and masculinity) to female breasts or “manjugs” or “meatmelons.”
The bodybuilder has worked hard to develop a massive chest, and Romazenk uses that same body part (ironically) to emasculate and feminize the man. The chest becomes the focus of the attacker’s assault, and transforms the Alpha Male into a female.
Also, the artist depicts the big suffering He-Men as clueless and naive — foolishly getting in the ring with criminals and rough-necks that WE understand will inflict major destruction, but the ignorant lamb of a body-builder seems to not grasp. This scenario played out week after week on the old Wrasslin’ programs on television and was a source of great frustration and excitement for young viewers watching their gorgeous (but fool-hardy) heroes forever getting tricked, trapped, and then tortured in the ring.
Romazenk also understands the allure of contrast in pro wrestling — the stark differences between the combatants that fuel the eroticism and help to tell the story.
Here is a “milky” white dude tangled up by a black man, with the black man firmly in control, confidently working his holds and talking trash.
Meanwhile the wimpy studhunk bitches and cries pathetically for mercy (a contrast in power and control.) These striking contrasts are what transform pro wrestling from a fun and entertaining show of athletics into raw, effective, heart-pounding eroticism, and Romazenk’s artwork takes it to a higher level than we will ever see in the typical pro wrestling performance.
Another technique the artist uses is to present the catcalls and rude comments being made by unseen audience at ringside, which further degrade the studhunk through their insults and name-calling. In this way, he captures the sadistic thoughts of the viewers — exposing their dirty ideas.
This technique actually inserts all of us, the readers, into the torture scene. We are all thinking these naughty thoughts, so the chorus of insults are presented as our own comments and ideas. We are all culpable, we all tuned in to see the studhunk harmed, so those speech bubbles are our own contributions to the studhunk’s abuse.
Romazenk’s jobbers always wear bright, colorful little briefs to emphasize their vulnerability and flamboyance. If their actual trunks were not colorful and outrageous enough, the artist will dress his doll in something more jobberific like neon green briefs or yellow speedo. He may even add brightly colored stars to a wrestler’s trunks (and how did he know that seeing stars on a wrestler’s gear is a little fetish of mine?!)
Great job, Mr. Romazenk! As a famous wrestler once said: “Feed! Me! More!”
