Review of "Hell is a Squared Circle"
November 14, 2022
Hell is a Squared Circle
By Chris Condon, Writer
Francesco Biagini, artist
Mark Englert, Colorist
Dave Sharp, letterer
Image Comics Sept 2022, 48 Pages
Though Hell is a Squared Circle is contained within a world of wrestling matches, with visuals of the muscles and costumes of the competitors and the shouting mass of fans, a large part of the tale is a meditation on rage and the slippery practice of avoiding responsibility. In a more human-sized way, it is also a paean to the powers of sheer knuckle-headed stupidity.
Our non-hero star of the tale is an often confused but hard-working wrestler named Ted Walsh who has an expert skill at making bad choices, especially when under stress or in a panic. Since many of his choices provoke situations of additional stress and chaos, it all accumulates until his solutions take on a more lethal nature.
Walsh's inner-monologue introduces us to him with simple insight into his character :
"They say 'Hell is other people," right? That's the saying. I don't think that's right. Other people weren't the problem. My problem was a guy named Ted Walsh. He kept getting in my way. He was my curse. Only problem was... He was me."
As Walsh relocates himself but continues to be dogged by his practice of avoiding the past, Hell is a Squared Circle expands like a well-fleshed out short story visually depicted by the dynamic, muscle-bound art from Francesco Biagini and colorist Mark Englert. The professional wrestlers often look like human mountains, and Walsh seems to never see an opponent or other human that he can't beat in a fight, and in general he's right, but though he can give up alcohol (the use of which only exaggerates his malfunctioning self-control) and though he can discipline his body, he can't make himself change his own character.
None of this grows tiring in Condon's story as Walsh moves through his roles as a wrestler and occasional bar bouncer, often fantasizing about reliving past glories while also striving to build a respectable future. His deepest desire is to reconnect with his estranged daughter, Daria. Though mostly a peripheral figure in the tale, we watch the little girl grow into a young woman over the story’s 48 pages, and she becomes one of the few people who truly matters to the self-absorbed ring fighter. His reunion with her in Canada, where he is competing, provides an emotional highlight. Yet Condon’s script does not allow us to accept it as the triumphant payoff Walsh believes it to be. By this point, we understand that the amorphous power of circumstance has become the tightening vise of consequences, closing in steadily and inevitably.
The oversized magazine format of Hell is a Squared Circle allows for richly populated pages of panels, and Bagini’s artwork conveys the ferocity of the ring with ferocity and intensity. At times, however, the transitions between panels are less clear than they should be, leaving the storytelling slightly uneven. The coloring is bold, often depicting characters in states of purple or red fury, their oversized expressions bursting with emotion. Visually, this pairs well with Condon’s writing, since so much of the narrative unfolds inside the wrestler’s head, delivered through monologue, it is as if no one else truly exists and Walsh is locked in a 48-page battle against himself, one he is steadily losing.
Early in the tale, Walsh shows us that within him is the desire to stop being a "heel" character in the ring, and to "go over" to being a "face," which is a heroic good guy who battles evil and triumphs. The ideal is there in his head, but Walsh will not make his hands obey, and they are dangerous, vicious weapons.
Page at Aftershock Comics about Hell is a Squared Circle
"Is wrestling noir a genre? It is now!" Blurb on the back cover
Artwork samples on this page used by permission of AfterShock Comics.
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Original page November 14, 2022