Dark Horse Comics has announced a collaboration with boxing magazine The Ring, which will begin with The Ring: The Man Who Beat The Man, an eight-issue series by Gail Simone, artist Elisa Romboli, and colorist/letterer Iolanda Zanfardino. The book will tell the story of a veteran journalist and a TV commentator chronicling the stories of different champions from around the world.
The full synopsis elaborates, “The story follows veteran Ring Magazine journalist Cameron Duggan and rising broadcast personality Lisa Wolfe, a former podcaster who has transitioned into television commentary. As the pair travel the boxing world covering a new wave of contenders chasing championship glory, they encounter the ambition, rivalries and politics that shape the sport at its highest level.
Each fighter approaches the pursuit differently, but the goal remains the same, reach the top of the sport and prove himself as the man who beat the man. As Duggan and Wolfe document the journey of these fighters, they also find themselves navigating the pressures and personalities that surround the sport.”
The creators are not quoted in the press release. Simone’s last work at Dark Horse came in last year’s Minor Threats spin-off Welcome to Twilight, and her other books at the company consist of Tomb Raider, Leaving Megalopolis, and Conan/Red Sonja. A Colossal Edition featuring her Tomb Raider run will be released on April 28. Romboli’s work there includes Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures, and You Never Heard of Me. She and Zanfardino worked together on the latter title, as well as on Alice in Leatherland, A Thing Called Truth, and The Least We Can Do.
Issue #1 will be released on June 3. The book comes a couple of years after The Ring, which was founded in 1922, was acquired by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, and co-founder of Zuffa Boxing. Dark Horse’s parent company, Embracer Group, invested into Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in 2022, and the publisher holds the license for several games from Electronic Arts, which was acquired by the PIF last year.
