When I picked up The Wrester by John Kenn Mortensen, I was instantly blown away. From his breathtaking gothic art, to the fantastical, heartfelt Faust story about a father who sells his soul to the devil to become the ultimate wrestler — it transported me into another world. The graphic novel is pretty short, but it packs a massive punch.
The premise of The Wrestler is strange, but simple. It follows freestyle wrestler The Sledgehammer, a seasoned, feared fighter who’s never once lost a fight in his career. He simply doesn’t lose, not even to the notorious Painkiller, Handsome Jens, Fezzik the Giant or the Angel of Death. However, there’s a reason he never fails. Earlier in his life, Sledgehammer made a deal with the devil… and the past is catching up to him. In our review, we gave Mortensen’s debut graphic novel a perfect score.
Mortensen takes readers on an exquisite yet inherently abnormal and mystifying journey. So how did he come up with such a unique tale? “I was approached at a heavy metal festival based in Copenhagen about doing something for their 10th anniversary,” he told Comics Bulletin. “And we landed on the idea of doing a comic. They gave me complete creative freedom, it just had to take place in Hell. So I came up with the idea of using the Faust story with a wrestler.”
The comic’s protagonist, known professionally as The Sledgehammer, balances his almighty career with being a family man. Mortensen crafted a narrative about a character who engages in not only physical combat, but other battles too. “I have been struggling with how much I am an artist and a father, a husband and a friend,” he says. “When I was younger it was important for me to be the artist first and most. It has changed. The artist is way down on the list. I need to be somebody for someone close… and that also makes me a better artist. So I just went with the path not taken for The Sledgehammer, selling your soul to become something and forgetting where and what is really important.”
When it comes to the backdrop of wrestling, Mortensen recalls the arrival of it in Denmark back in the 1990s. “I grew up here in Denmark and we didn’t have wrestling as you do in USA, but in the ’90s it came on cable TV here in Denmark,” he explains. “It was so exotic and fun, a theater of violence, I loved it!”
Mortensen’s work carries a very distinct signature style. He’s drawn to horror and the macabre, drawing all sorts of dark denizens. You can check out some of his unsettling works on his Instagram page. So what draws him to this style?
“I find it comforting,” he says. “It is befriending a monster you can’t escape. I also grew up being forced by older siblings to watch horror movies. The horror community is full of fantastic people that are fun to be around. Great minds!”
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Over the years, Mortensen’s work has been compared to the likes of Edward Gorey, but his creative influences stretch far and wide:
Stephen King is my number 1 influence. He has been there with me since my early teens. His books got me into reading. Music and reading are my two strongest inspirations. But Edward Gorey opened me up later in life. I have been hugely influenced by his work as an older artist in drawing. Junji Ito is also there. And of course all the heavy metal covers… and cheap paperbacks from the 70-90s.
With The Wrestler being a triumphant debut graphic novel, Mortensen has plans for more books in the future. In fact, he already has a story in mind. “The next one will be about home and dreams. The working title is Dreamhomes.”
Note: This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
The Wrestler is out now. You can find the graphic novel on Amazon here.
