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Step into the ring with beau Smith… if you dare!
by beau Smith
Like many little boys, I grew up viewing professional wrestling on TV. In the 1960s, professional wrestling was populated by men that were my dad’s age and even older. rarely would you find young men doing it, at least young in my grade school eyes. These were big, bombastic, bruisers that looked like they could chew concrete and spit out buildings. men like Dick The Bruiser, Bobo Brazil, Bruno Sammartino and the mysterious Infernos, with their cunning manager, J.C. Dykes.
Professional wrestling was mesmerizing to a young young boy like me. I didn’t know any young boy my age that didn’t view it. For me, it was like having a marvel or DC comic book story come to life. There was good vs. evil played out by real people with practically superhuman powers ever week on TV with old ladies in the audience trying to smack them with an umbrella. The storylines weren’t complicated, but then they didn’t have to be. There was the good man and he was out to stop the bad man from doing bad things. Why complicate that?
As I got older, I viewed less and less. Your teenage years are filled with your own adventures, so I needed less of what was being provided on TV. Granted, in a spare moment, I would view what was being presented, but I no longer had the time to dedicate to the TV screen. It wasn’t until I was in my 30’s, married and had three sons of my own, that I was brought back to professional wrestling. My sons, like every other little young boy that had come before, were entranced with professional wrestling. This was the mid-1980s to the 1990s, the new golden Age of wrestling with the then WWF (WWE) and Georgia championship Wrestling. It was the era of Hulk Hogan, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, Tommy Rich, King Kong Bundy and so numerous more. My young boys were as thrilled as I was as a kid, only they had cable television TV , so it was much much more available to them.
I’ve gotta say, I delighted in the new golden Age of professional wrestling a lot. once again, it as like a comic book come to life and being played out. The difference now was that the budget and SFX were bigger and better. At this time, I had been writing comic books for quite a while as well as having been VP of marketing for Eclipse Comics, image Comics and Todd McFarlane Productions. I really felt that there was a place for professional wrestling in comic books. I had suggested it a few times to some of the publishers I worked for, but it just didn’t quite seem to fit into the company plan of that particular time. I had made my thoughts on the subject known in the comic book circles at the time. during the ‘90s there were very productive retail and distribution seminars as well as trade shows where a lot of really good topics were discussed across the publishing aisles. It was not blocked off like it is today.
The Undertaker #7
In 1998, Brian Pulido, founder and publisher of Chaos! Comics, spoke with me about the possibility of writing some WWF/WWE comic books based on some of the current wrestling stars. I was stoked. Not only did I feel the time was right, but Brian had a line up of outstanding characters from the WWE as well as creators to do these comic books. I was much more than pleased to join this crew. I also knew my editor was going to be Brad Gould, who I had worked with before. A terrific man who really cared about the comics and the characters.
Right off the bat I was wondering just who I would be provided to write. stone cold Steve Austin was already taken, so could it be The Rock, Mankind? Or maybe Bret Hart? I remember Brian calling me and telling me to sit down, because he was pairing me up with none other than The Undertaker!
That bit of news made my day. Not only did The Undertaker have a terrific look and back story, but HE WAS also THE UNDERTAKER!!!!
The Undertaker #1
Brian and Brad provided me a 6 issue run with the possibility of it going into another 6 if sales and reaction required it. I was good to go.
I was told that WWE, as well as The Undertaker, wanted a dark, scary, storyline for The Undertaker. That was the current storyline they were choosing and heading to on TV for him. I asked if I could use some of the other WWE Superstars in the story. They said yes, upon approval, but they wanted characters that related to The Undertaker either in character or on the current TV story line. I liked the way they had everything coordinated and planned. It wasn’t going to be some “throw it against the wall and see what sticks” plan. I had been though that stuff before.
Dark & Angry
I was put in touch with a couple of the folks at WWE as well as The Undertaker himself, mark Calaway. due to his travel and performance schedule, I was told he wouldn’t be that easy to talk to. I figured that, so I left that in his court for the most part. I got calls from him on the road at some really strange times, but he was always a professional and a gentleman. He cared about this.
The comics came out, they were dark and I was asked to do even darker stuff from both the WWE and The Undertaker. Chaos! Comics was already in the dark comic book business, so it was all good for them as well. I have to say, the WWE as well as Chaos! were all outstanding in how they received my stories and ideas. Out of the 10 issues I did, none were turned away and the only changes that were asked, as I mentioned, were “Can you make it a little darker?”
I have to admit, other than Spawn The Undead #9, this series is probably the darkest that I’ve ever written. always good to stretch out your range.
The comic version of Paul Bearer.
During the process of writing The Undertaker, I got to meet some of the WWE Superstars involved. At Wizard world Chicago, I did a signing with Paul Bearer (William Alvin Moody), who was The Undertaker’s long time manager, as well as in my comic book. Mr. Moody was a super, polite and good man. We were about the same age and found that we had read a lot of the same comic books growing up. I really delighted in talking to him about that. Mr. Moody was fantastic with the fans and especially the young kids that concerned get their books signed. He was funny and when the kids asked him to talk like Paul Bearer, he went into it with gusto and made their day. While we were doing the signing, another professional wrestler came by to see Mr. Moody. It was Kevin Nash, probably the most significant human I have ever seen. You could tell these two men were long time friends. They chatted a while and I really delighted in listening and being a part of their conversation. Kevin spoke with me about his love of reading comics as a kid and said that he would love to be a part of one in the future.
It was a terrific signing, and I really delighted in my time with “Paul Bearer”. I’m sorry to say that he passed away in 2013 from some health conditions he had been dealing with.
My next signing was with the ever joyful Mick Foley (Mankind). another enjoyable experience. Mick was such a fantastic person with charisma to spare. So polite, so creative and a wealth of knowledge on any subject. We got to spend some time talking before the signing, and I really got a kick out of that. Mick knows comics inside and out. We talked about past and present comic books like we were two little young boys on the front patio trading comics on a summer afternoon. Mick also talked about his desire at that time to write children’s books (which he has because done). just spending time with Mick, I could see that as a writer and creator, he had a world to offer.
Darker & much more Anger.
At this point, I still had not met The Undertaker. San Diego ComicCon was coming up and Brian informed me that they had set up a signing for me and The Undertaker there. What better place to meet and talk with The Undertaker, the most significant comic book stage there was at the time. (It has because grown well beyond even that, as you well know.)
It wasn’t long before SDCC time rolled around. I was working for Todd McFarlane productions and McFarlane toys at the time, so my SDCC schedule was stacked like jets at O’Hare. Todd and I worked around some meetings that we had so that I could make the time to do the signing with The Undertaker. Todd and Brian were both working out of Arizona/Phoenix at that time and were pleased to help each other out.
I showed up where the signing was to be. There was much more than the typical amount of con safety and security there. I met with The Undertaker’s handler, a very good woman, and she took me behind the curtain to meet “Mark”. I walked in and there he was sitting at a table pre-signing photos for press. We’re introduced. He stood up…and he kept on standing up…I knew he was a little over 6 feet 10 inches tall, but still had no idea what that would be like face to…well, belt buckle.
I’m 5 feet 10 ½ inches tall. He went well beyond that. His hand engulfed mine like a catcher’s mitt. His voice was not the voice you hear on TV, it was calm, and his Texan accent flowed easy. He cocked his head and asked me if I was from Texas as well. I told him nope, West Virginia. He smiled, and said “I’ve rode my bike through there a few times. good mountains and scenery.“
Impressive man.
We sat and talked with the handler about the signing, the typical how long to spend talking, keep the line moving, that sorta thing. She left to get things ready. mark leaned down and said “Ignore that. We’ll roll with the flow.”
Now I’ve done my share of signings through the years, especially working with Todd McFarlane and the other image owners. I’ve seen lines. The line waiting for us matched those lines. Remember, this was SDCC in the late ‘90s. things were not as well oiled as they are today, cut off lines hadn’t really begun. We had around 1,000 people waiting I was told by the handler.
Mark Calaway “The Undertaker” & beau Smith-“Last real man In Comic Books.”
Before we sat down, mark pulled me over and said, “You sit before me. That way they speak with you about the comic book, you make new fans and readers for the book. You don’t wanna get swallowed up in my shadow today, Beau.”
In wrestling terms, he was “Putting Me Over”. He was doing what he is known so well for in wresting. He was helping me look good and that in turn makes everything look good. I was impressed. The Undertaker has always been talked about by his peers as the most professional man to work with. He puts you over, he makes you look good, he makes sure nobody gets hurt, he knows his stuff!
As we worked the line, he shown that over and over. We bounced off each other with the fans. We worked our humor in. He put me over time and time again with telling the fans. “I’m working with beau Smith-Real Man, comic books don’t get any better than this!” I loved it.
Afterwards, we had a few minutes to talk about the comic book and the story line. He told me how much he delighted in it, and there was no BS (other than me). He recited lives and panels. I could tell he really read these and delighted in them. The part that made my day was when he asked, not told me, that he would love to see a humorous story with him and Paul Bearer. That made my day because after doing practically 9 dark issues I was itching to have some fun.
When I got back, I wrote out the outline for a humor filled Undertaker/Paul Bearer story where both lose their powers and transportation and have to essentially hitch hike across Arizona. think about that. who the heck is gonna pick these two men up on the side of the road, powers or no powers? Kane was also gonna be in that particular story. (I had used Kane in an earlier Undertaker issue, but this time he got to be fun.)
Mark loved the outline and the WWE did as well, BUT….as things happen in comics and entertainment, that last issue didn’t get to come out. I believe the contract with WWE got shortened or something, and we never got to do that issue.
Jezebel, Kane’s sister. A character I created for the series.
I loved working with artist Manny Clark on the issues. He was a true workhorse and loved what he was doing. He was fast and delighted in all the action. He is another very polite person. I was very happy. I got to work in professional wrestling, feel like I was a kid, and also got to create a few characters in the issues as well. Life was good.
Most of all, I got to work with and meet Mark, Mr. Moody and Mick. What terrific guys. Brian and Brad at Chaos! were a blast to work with. It really could not have gone better….except for that last, fun issue. J
I hope you delighted in this little peek behind the curtain. I sure delighted in having you here.
Always in your corner,
Beau Smith
The flying Fist Ranch
www.flyingfistranch.com