Graphic Novel Review: Wrassle Castle Book 1: Learning The Ropes by Colleen Coover and Paul Tobin, illustrated by Galaad

Posted on January 6, 2022 at 6:30 am by Gene Ambaum

Wrassle Castle Book 1: Learning The Ropes by Colleen Coover and Paul Tobin, illustrated by Galaad. Wonderbound, 2021. 9781638490098. 96pp.

Lydia wants to be a professional wrestler like her famous older brother but her parents want her to go into the family business. So she has to hide her training — she wrestles in street matches and even against wildlife in the forest. (Her friends have formed an underground alibi network to help, though they’re running out of excuses for her parents.) There’s a lot going on that sets up book two: Lydia’s brother is arrested, the kingdom is under attack, and Lydia is trying to win a tournament to become an entry-level wrestler at Wrassle Cassle.

It’s a bit of lighthearted, inclusive, coming-of-age fun in a medieval setting, and I’m looking forward to the next two books, which will be published in 2022.