As Juggalo Championship Wrestling is expands the world of JCW Lunacy, an official comic book featuring dozens of wrestlers from the company’s roster is now their latest project. JCW founder and one-half of Insane Clown Posse, Violent J, and comic book writer Desmond Ingram co-write the story, with artwork by Bryan SilverbaX, and colors by Damir Rosic. According to Ingram, the comic follows the persistent conflict between the Juggalo World Order and Big Vito LoGrasso’s crew.
Big Vito’s attempted takeover of JCW escalates into a full-fledged faction war when Violent J revives the Juggalo World Order to dismantle Vito’s Luciano Family. Big Vito’s crew is staunchly anti-Juggalo, while Violent J obviously represents a for Juggalos by Juggalos faction. This long-running attempted takeover is fruitful and ongoing territory but doesn’t require Lunacy loyalty to follow.
The project is headed by Ingram, a United States Marine Corps vet, musician, and founder of the independent comic company Henchman and Heroes, which has already released a series of single-page digital wrestling comics that will soon be available as a physical collection: SQUASH MATCH! CARNAGE VS DEATHKNELL.
In a July 27th post, Ingram said he was happy to announce the collaboration finally and that he thinks they cooked up an insane story. He went on to say that developing an official JCW comic in coordination with Violent J has been an honor. Expect appearances by a host of the eclectic JCW roster, including Willie Mack, EC3, 2 Tuff Tony, Nic Nemeth, Josh Bishop, and Caleb Konley, along with dozens of other JCW personalities.
The Don, Big Vito LoGrasso, is at the center of the story, and in his own announcement, he described it as another milestone in a career spanning more than three decades. “From the independent scene to WWE, ECW, WCW, TNA, and now JCW, it’s always been about entertaining the fans and leaving a legacy,” Vito wrote. “The Don has officially made comic book history.”
The comic is expected to be released around the time of the 26th Annual Gathering of the Juggalos, which will be held in Macks Creek, MO, August 19th-22nd. When I spoke with Ingram, he said physical copies of the comic are expected to be part of a larger bundle at this year's Gathering. Still, he cautioned that production delays are always possible. Although a digital edition has not yet been officially announced, those involved in the project expect one to be available.
The announcement represents another step in JCW’s effort to build Lunacy into a larger fictional universe. The promotional episodic weekly is already blending wrestling matches with serialized plots that borrow from ICP culture and beyond with hyperbolic characters and comic-book-style storytelling. There’s been no indication that the initial release will expand to a series, but moving these wrestlers into an illustrated narrative makes natural sense and gives JCW another format in which to develop its rivalries, factions, and increasingly elaborate mythology. More release information will be announced through JCW, during future episodes of JCW Lunacy, and through Henchman & Heros.
First look at the cover of the upcoming JCW Legacy Comic
Jenny Catlin is a writer and pop culture enthusiast based in the square states. She’s a contributing writer to The Athletic, a Lighthouse Writers Book Project Fellow, and an award-winning essayist obsessed with obsession. You can find her on Instagram or Substack.