The masked warriors of Lucha Libre have been hiding their true selves behind their in-ring accolades, but the truth is about to come out! Your Major Spoilers review of Luchaverse: Catalyst #1 from Massive Publishing awaits!

LUCHAVERSE: CATALYST #1

Story: Ivan Plaza and Marco Lopez
Scripter: Marco Lopez
Artist: Ben Harvey/Diego Simone
Colorist: Bryan Magnaye/Micah Myers
Letterer: Micah Myers
Editor: Ivan Plaza
Publisher: Massive Publishing (Masked Republic Comics)
Cover Price: $5.99
Release Date: July 17, 2024

Previously in Luchaverse: Catalyst: Rey Mysterio, the world’s most recognizable luchador, discovers his legacy outside of the ring as the next in line to take on a great evil prophesied to return and plunge the world into darkness. Meanwhile, heir to his own legacy as lead luchador monster hunter, Tinieblas Jr. takes on the legions of the damned and all manner of creatures that go bump in the night while trying to prevent ancient forces of the monster realm from conquering the universe!

INTO THE FRAY

The latest member of the Misterio family, Rey Misterio, has been dispatched to a jungle in South America to find a legendary artifact of great power… a power only a true Misterio can wield. At the same time, Tinieblas Jr., the son of a legendary monster hunter, has been sent to investigate a desert cavern beneath the city of Las Vegas, searching for a nexus between dimensions. Both men have been given their missions by Konnan, the leader of a team known as The Ambassadors, a group of whom have come with Rey into the jungle. It’s a good thing, too, as their path is full of zombie jaguar-men, all of whom are ready to tear the Master of the 619 to shreds. Their path leads to an Indiana-Jones-style temple, where they discover that the secret artifact is, in fact, the Mask of the First Misterio! As for Tinieblas Jr., his path is more complicated but in no way easy, as he ends up battling a nest of vampiric goblins, all of whom are ready to drain his blood! And when he manages to clear that obstacle, he ends up in the Himalayas, facing down a group of what I can only call kung-fu yeti.

REMINDS ME OF SATURDAY NIGHTS ON CHANNEL 57

This issue comes from the Masked Republic Comics imprint, whose leadership includes some of the names behind Wrestling Society X and whose roster of characters also includes Rey Fenix, Penta Zero M, Los Cadetes Espacio, Solar, and Super Astro. That’s a lot of real-world luchador talent, and I also appreciate that this issue’s back matter includes an acknowledgment that the traditional lucha libre experience involves their film adventures as well.

I like this issue’s art quite a bit, especially Harvey’s work on Rey’s adventure, during which Rey discovers that the legendary mask gives him an array of superhuman powers, including colorful visual effects to define whether he’s using his speed, strength, agility, or ghost power set. Simone’s work on Tinieblas’ adventure features looser pencils and a much darker palette than Rey’s, befitting a hero whose name literally means “darkness.” Both stories deliver in terms of action, and while Harvey’s art has more expression to it, neither story is difficult to follow.

Also, kung-fu yeti makes for a killer go-home splash page.

BOTTOM LINE: EL SANTO WOULD BE MUY ORGULLOSO

Though lacking in mujeres vampiro, Luchaverse: Catalyst #1 promises a shared universe wherein capital-L Luchadores have special powers and mystical purviews all their own, one which harks back to the lucha films of the mid-20th century, features strong art and a premise that could be epic, earning 4 out of 5 stars overall. I’m not sure how wide-ranging their interactions with the heroes of Lucha are, but it’d be really cool to see even more masked wrestlers represented in these pages.

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