Whoa Nellie!

Writer(s): Jaime Hernandez
Artist(s): Jaime Hernandez
Publisher: Fantagraphics
ISBN: 978-1560973836
Price: $9.95
Page count: 80
Year Released: 2000
Status: in print
Original Source: Whoa Nellie! 1-3
Other Collected Edition(s): n/a
Genres: romance/relationships; teen/young adult
Recommended for Fans Of: The W.W.E.; Nacho Libre
Possibly Objectionable Material: some stylized, pro-wrestling-type violence
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Also in This Series: Preceded by Locas: The Maggie and Hopey Stories [or Perla la Loca]; followed by Locas in Love

Plot Summary
Whoa Nellie! is the story of Gina Bravo (that gal who had a crush on Maggie in Jaime's previous "Locas" volume) and her wrestling partnership with Xochitl, Vicki Glori's niece (and Maggie's cousin). Xo babysat Gina as a kid, and they bonded over their mutual love of wrestling. Years later they reunited under Vicki's tutelage and pursued their dream of becoming the next tag-team champions. They wrestle their idols, the Birmingham Lady Bashers (reigning tag-team champions since '72), and lose. Unfortunately, it's clear that Gina is a more talented wrestler than the older, slower Xo, but Gina is a team player and sticks to their plan--against the advice of Vicki. Later, when Xo is crowned the women's Texas title by committee, Gina starts to question if pro wrestling is the sport she thought it was. Her doubts are dramatically addressed in the climactic Battle Royale that concludes the book, in which Gina finds herself facing off against Xo, her former teammate.

My Own 2 Cents
Whoa Nellie!, Jaime's first book after the conclusion of Love and Rockets, is a minor entertainment (not unlike pro wrestling itself). There's a story here, but Jaime devotes several pages to dynamic (and wordless) wrestling sequences, in which strongly built women throw each other to the mat. But, as he proved with the (superior) Rena Titañon stories in Love and Rockets, Jaime has a genuine appreciation of the sport. If you don't, though, it wouldn't leave a gaping hole in your knowledge of the Love and Rockets oeuvre if you skipped it. Maggie makes a few early appearances in the book, but this is really Gina's story.