CM Punk Will Rock Marvel With ‘Thor Annual #1’
I met CM Punk at the first, and last I recall only Wizard World in New York City last year. I always heard he was a bit of a grump, and should you encounter him at a Chicago Blackhawks game with his wife he’ll for damn sure give you the cold shoulder. But at Wizard World, where you pay obscene dollars to have TV stars smile at you for five minutes, he couldn’t have been nicer while I rambled why being straight-edge in high school allowed me to graduate with honors. Cool guy.
But before that, of course I’ve seen him wrestle for years on television, and a few times in person (WrestleMania 29!), so yeah, I’m a fan. I was delighted to learn that he has more or less found a new career after infamously walking out of pro wrestling for good: Comic book author! He might be a millionaire, but the guy has to still pay the bills.
In February, CM Punk (real name Phil Brooks) will kick (your head in!) start his career in comics with “Thor Annual #1.” His story will be of an early, younger Thor, when he was brash and arrogant and wanted to prove to the world he had what his takes. I wonder where he’s getting this character from?
From Marvel.com:
So the idea was, let’s do a story about young Thor as kind of a brash, bratty teenager who’s like, “I’m totally worthy of this hammer. My dad’s full of [expletive]. I don’t know why I’m not ‘worthy’ of the hammer. Look at all this cool stuff I did.” And it’s more or less like a drinking story. He’s gonna be sitting around with a few choice characters from the Marvel Universe, and they’re all gonna be drinking, and Thor’s gonna basically be complaining about essentially why his dad won’t give him the keys to the car.
It’s no secret CM Punk is a nerd in cool guy’s clothing. But in the aftermath of his tiff with WWE, fans were left to wonder what their favorite grappler would be doing. I thought he would fade into obscurity and lead a quiet life, going to Cubs games, train in jiu-jitsu with the Gracies, and do fun stuff for Chris Hardwick’s The Nerdist every blue moon. Comic book writing? That’s a damn near perfect fit.
I’m happy for the guy. Yes, he was my favorite pro wrestler, but when you’ve lost your passion for what you do, fucking quit that shit. Especially with something as dangerous as pro wrestling. When your head isn’t in the game, you not only perform to a lower standard, you’re also a liability and a danger to who you work with. CM Punk leaving means someone might not be paralyzed right about now.
The man has burned a lot of bridges in the world of pro wrestling, so even if he wanted to come back, he probably wouldn’t be welcome. Even Chris Jericho can’t get a single text message from him. So the nerd-friendly world of comic books is not only a great next step, but a logical one.
“Thor Annual #1” releases in February 2015. Other star writers are attached to the title, but I’m confident none of them have told off Vince McMahon like he has.
If you’re unfamiliar with the man they call CM Punk, see why he made such a splash a few years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2JC8saqnEA
