Courtesy of Comixology, AIPT can exclusively share character designs for the upcoming pro-wrestling crime drama Hard Style Juice!. Written by Clay McCormack with art by Ricardo López-Ortiz, colors by Heather Moore and lettering by AW’s DC Hopkins, the series drops into Amazon’s Comixology Originals exclusive digital content line on April 16, 2024.
“Pro-wrestling and comic books have always felt like two sides of the same coin for me, so combining the two was a no-brainer,” says writer Clay McCormack. “Hard Style Juice! is a crime drama, but instead of organized crime the family is dedicated to the glitz and spectacle of professional wrestling.”
So what’s Hard Style Juice! about?
Wrestling is big business in arenas across the country, and for the Castros, it’s the family business. “King” Castro is the patriarch of the family, he’s also the manager, booker, promotor, MC, and owner of the local independent wrestling promotion KCPW. His daughter, Ramonita “Mona” Castro, has dreams of going to business school, but also has a penchant for wrestling. And his son, Rey Castro, is the star. A real showman, Rey is known as the “King of the Death Match,” and he’s on the verge of getting a contract to go pro.
But when a shocking in-ring death occurs, it sends the family spiraling out of control, and down the path of revenge as one big question looms: Was it an accident or was it murder?
“Hard Style Juice! is the underdog sports story I’ve always wanted to tell,” says artist Ricardo López-Ortiz. “I’m bringing all the high-octane energy and fluid motion you’d expect from a comic with the title Hard Style Juice!”
Check out the designs below along with bios for each!
Candy Rockets – A buxom beauty whose great wrestling ability was steamrolled by the superficial beauty/physique demands of her era, Candy is King’s right hand. She handles all the technical aspects of running a wrestling show, while King handles all the applause. She has a much more realistic, if often cynical, view of wrestling, and is tough as nails mentor figure for Kris.
Jack Renault: A young wrestling promoter with a big bankroll and an even bigger ego, who treats wrestlers more like toys than people. Jack is a gold plated snake, and gets mad when he doesn’t get what he wants. But does he get mad enough to kill?
King Castro – The patriarch of the Castro dynasty, King’s wrestling days are long behind him, but he can never truly let it go, reliving his glory days through the success of his superstar son Rey. Seeing no other option, after Rey’s death he quickly pushes his daughter into the ring to take his place. Only King knows how far he’ll go to protect his business, his dream, his legacy.
Mona “Kris” Castro – A highschool senior who loves her family, but wants more for her life than just the family wrestling business, Kris’ world is shattered when her brother Rey dies in the ring. Mona has to put her life on hold to take Rey’s place in the ring, using wrestling as the only outlet she has to deal with her grief, until she realizes she might also be able to use it to solve the mystery of Rey’s death.
Rey Castro – The “King of the Deathmatch.” He’s the shining star of his family’s promotion, much to the jealous detriment of a number of his fellow wrestlers. His in-ring death at first seems like a violent wrestling spot gone horribly wrong, but could he actually have been murdered? Why? And by who?
April 4, 2024—New York, NY—The worlds of pro-wrestling and family crime drama collide in Hard Style Juice!, a new comic book series from writer Clay McCormack (Batman White Knight Presents: Red Hood, Redline, Poser) artist Ricardo López-Ortiz (The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1, Black Panther vs Deadpool). This hard-hitting crime series features colors by Heather Moore and lettering by AW’s DC Hopkins, with edits by Jasmine Amiri. Hard Style Juice! enters the ring April 16, 2024, from Amazon’s Comixology Originals exclusive digital content line.
Wrestling is big business in arenas across the country, and for the Castros, it’s the family business. “King” Castro is the patriarch of the family, he’s also the manager, booker, promotor, MC, and owner of the local independent wrestling promotion KCPW. His daughter, Ramonita “Mona” Castro, has dreams of going to business school, but also has a penchant for wrestling. And his son, Rey Castro, is the star. A real showman, Rey is known as the “King of the Death Match,” and he’s on the verge of getting a contract to go pro.
But when a shocking in-ring death occurs, it sends the family spiraling out of control, and down the path of revenge as one big question looms: Was it an accident or was it murder?
“Pro-wrestling and comic books have always felt like two sides of the same coin for me, so combining the two was a no-brainer,” says writer Clay McCormack. “Hard Style Juice! is a crime drama, but instead of organized crime the family is dedicated to the glitz and spectacle of professional wrestling.”
“Hard Style Juice! is the underdog sports story I’ve always wanted to tell,” says artist Ricardo López-Ortiz. “I’m bringing all the high-octane energy and fluid motion you’d expect from a comic with the title Hard Style Juice!”
Wrestling built the Castro family, and now it’s about to tear it apart. The 5-part Comixology Originals series Hard Style Juice! makes its entrance this April.
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