The story of Tony Schiavone, legendary wrestling commentator for promotions such as WCW, WWF/WWE, and All Elite Wrestling, is being told as only comics can tell it. BUTTS IN SEATS: THE TONY SCHIAVONE STORY is a ten chapter graphic novel retrospective of Schiavone’s whole life and career, and it’s launching on Kickstarter March 16.
“My story, especially my years growing up as a wrestling fan, has never been fully told. I went from a passionate baseball and pro wrestling fan to working in both sports. I also had a time where wrestling was not part of my life, and that story is interesting and deals more about perseverance and determination than it does about wrestling and sports,” says Sciavone.
BUTTS IN SEATS, named after a famous (and some might say infamous) moment in his professional wrestling career, is curated by Schiavone himself and written by Dirk Manning. Schiavone has never made a secret of being a lifelong comics fan, with his love for the medium and superheroes specifically dating back to him first seeing the Batman TV show in the 1960s when he was nine years old. His superhero themed home office is even known as “The Batcave.”
“BUTTS IN SEATS is a story about Tony, a true ‘everyman’ character, and his life among all these giant, larger-than-life personalities in the world of wrestling. As such, the comic medium is a perfect avenue to tell this story with these huge and colorful characters,” says Manning.
Each chapter of BUTTS IN SEATS details a different era in Schiavone’s life, and is illustrated by a different artist, including:
DJ Coffman (SECRET FORCES), Sally Scott (NIGHTMARE WORLD), John Marroquin (NIGHTMARE WORLD), Les Garner (APOCALYPSE GIRL), Jan Apple (BURIED BUT NOT DEAD), Colm Griffin (OCEAN CITY), Scott James (JUICEMAN), Josh Ross (TALES OF MR. RHEE), Austin McKinley (TALES OF MR. RHEE), and comic newcomer Riccardo Rosanna.
“People familiar with some of my previous work, such as NIGHTMARE WORLD, know that I love working with multiple artists to tell one large story, and this project lended itself perfectly to this format. Each of the ten chapters in this graphic novel is illustrated by a different artist with a different style that best visually compliments that part of Tony’s life,” says Manning.
The BUTTS IN SEATS team also includes colors on several stories by Sean Burres (LOVE STORIES (TO DIE FOR)), a cover by Marianna Pescosta (TWIZTID HAUNTED HIGH-ONS), letters by Justin Birch (CLAIM) and Drena Jo (BROKEN GARGOYLES) serving as editor.
BUTTS IN SEATS is about Schiavone first and foremost, but it also uses his unique perspective to give a look behind the curtain of the wrestling industry in an equally insightful and entertaining fashion.
“[Schiavone] has worked with just about every major professional wrestling promotion in the industry over the course of his career, and when you combine that with the fact that we’re telling this story in a prestigious original graphic novel format illustrated by an incredible array of diverse and extremely talented artists, you have something that any comic fan and/or wrestling fan should be looking forward to!,” says Manning.
BUTTS IN SEATS: THE TONY SCHIAVONE STORY is launching on Kickstarter March 16 from Source Point Press. Source Point Press is a division of Ox Eye Media, publishing books, comics, and graphic novels. Email josh@sourcepointpress.com for inquiries or interview opportunities.
Visit www.ButtsInSeatsComic.com to get notified on launch.
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