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ARN ANDERSON: MY LIFE AS THE ENFORCER

Created by Dirk Manning

A graphic novel memoir co-written by Arn Anderson detailing his life leading to -- and then forever changing -- professional wrestling.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

A new wrestling comic!
3 months ago – Sat, Jul 27, 2024 at 10:02:50 AM

If you've been waiting for a new wrestling comic... your time is now!

Hello friends!

I hope this update finds you all well – especially given how much we’re living in a new “golden age” of professional wrestling in so many ways.

Many of you out there have been asking if/when I’ll be doing another wrestling graphic novel, and while I’m not in a place to announce another graphic novel fully committed to professional wrestling yet… I do have a new graphic novel with a professional wrestling story in it that’s live on Kickstarter at www.LoveStoriesAboutDeath.com right now!

LOVE STORIES ABOUT DEATH is a collection of seven full-length genre-hopping stories that explore the intersections of love and death with gorgeous art and plots that will tug at your heartstrings (and then tear them out), and one of the stories is a dynamic and emotionally investing pro wrestling story!

“A Rush of Blood to the Head” is a full-length story about an aging professional wrestler who finds himself literally fighting for his life in front of a sold-out live audience when he discovered that former tag-team partner turned opponent has agreed to a Mafia hit to kill him in the ring and make it look like an accident.


This is one of seven full-length stories in the book, with others ranging from science fiction to vikings versus vampires to pirates versus mermaids to zombies and more!

If you’ve yet to read any of my creator-owned work, this graphic novel is a great stand-alone place to start, and as an added bonus, we’ve already unlocked the “I Saw Red” super stretch goal which upgrades every Kickstarter Exclusive Hardcover Edition of LOVE STORIES ABOUT DEATH to a red leatherbound-style cover with red gilded pages, a sewn-in red ribbon bookmark and an autographed bookplate all at www.LoveStoriesAboutDeath.com!


I’m exceptionally excited about this new book (which includes FREE U.S. SHIPPING) and hope you’ll consider pledging to get a copy if you haven’t already!

Thanks all! Again, I’m exceptionally excited about this new book (as the wrestling story is one of my favorites I’ve ever written), I hope you’re all doing well, and I hope you’ll consider pledging to get a copy of LOVE STORIES ABOUT DEATH on Kickstarter at www.LoveStoriesAboutDeath.com if you haven’t already!

Your friend in comics,
Dirk Manning

Can we get the ARN ANDERSON graphic novel nominated in the RINGO AWARDS?
7 months ago – Mon, Apr 08, 2024 at 03:49:26 PM

WE BELIEVE WE CAN WITH YOUR VOTES!

Hello friends!

Award season is upon us in the comic industry, starting with prestigious RINGO AWARDS – and we'd like to get ARN ANDERSON: MY LIFE AS THE ENFORCER nominated in all the categories for which it’s eligible, as shown on this graphic:

We encourage you to download the graphic for reference and then head over to www.RingoAwards.com to nominate ARN ANDERSON: MY LIFE AS THE ENFORCER and the creative team in all these categories in order to help us get ARN ANDERSON onto the final ballot in as many categories as possible!

(IMPORTANT: Please note that when you're finished and submit your picks you'll get a follow-up email to confirm your vote – you'll just have to click the confirmation link to finalize your selections!)

We very much believe in the quality of this book, and sincerely hope you’ll take a few minutes to show that you believe this book in this nominating phase of the Ringo Awardsto show it's deserving of consideration on the final ballot.

Thanks everyone! On behalf of myself, Arn, and the whole creative team, we appreciate your nominations so very much!

Your friend in comics,
Dirk Manning

PDFs are sent, that's a wrap, and here's what's next!
9 months ago – Tue, Feb 06, 2024 at 07:00:37 PM

All packages have been delivered!

Hey all! After a long stint of the book being trapped in customs, I'm happy to announce that every package we have addresses for has officially been delivered! If you haven't gotten yours yet (or at least the tracking number), please email [email protected] to check the status of your pakage's shipment.

PDFs have been uploaded through BackerKit!

If you pledged for a digital copy of ARN ANDERSON: MY LIFE AS THE ENFORCER it is now available for download via your BackerKit as we speak!If you can't access it for some reason, please email me directly at [email protected] and I'll help you get it. (Please don't email me directly if your physical package hasn't shipped yet, though, because I'll just have to refer you to Whalebacker for that.)

Seriously... thank you.

I know I've said it a lot, but now that we're at the end of the campaign, on behalf of me, Arn, Shawn, Colm, Justin, Drena Jo, Source Point Press, and the whole team behind this book -- THANK YOU. We see your kind words, reviews, and posts on social media, and we all appreciate them all so much! If you're so inclined to review or rate the book on Amazon, GoodReads, etc., feel free to do so! It all helps!

(And, by the way, did you all catch that bit in this book about Arn's early career that he's never  really mentioned anywhere else before? That... "Canadian" bit? Who knew, eh?)

What's next?

After both this book and BUTTS IN  SEATS, a lot of you have been asking if I will be involved with some more wrestling-based graphic novels in the near future... and the answer it yes, I will, to some degree, at least.

In the meantime, though, for my next graphic novel I'm returning to my horror roots with a Native American/Western werewolf graphic novel titled HOMESTEAD... and here's a sneak peek at a page from it:

How far will two families from different -- and now opposing -- cultures go to defend their families and their way of life? Find out in this "one-in-done" horror graphic novel launching on Kickstarter later this month!


HOMESTEAD will be launching on Kickstarter later this month, and I'd sincerely appreciate it if you'd consider heading over to www.HomesteadComic.com to see the Kickstarter pre-launch page and click the "Notify Me On Launch"  button so you'll get a one-time notification when the campaign goes live!

I'm exceptionally excited about this book, which -- like ARN ANDERSON: MY LIFE AS THE ENFORCER -- is a very emotional story at its core. It just so happens to also be a story about Native American culture, the early American settlers, and of course a lot of action-packed werewolf action.

Thanks all! Again, I appreciate you all very much, I hope you're all enjoying your graphic novel (and all the extras), and I look forward to joining you again for more graphic novel Kickstarters to come!

FOUR-ever grateful,
Dirk Manning

Scheduling "Talk Time with Arn"
9 months ago – Thu, Jan 25, 2024 at 07:45:28 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

All packages have been sent! Here's what's next...
9 months ago – Sat, Jan 20, 2024 at 07:38:43 AM

Hey... thank you.

Hello friends!

First and foremost, again, on behalf on myself and our whole team on this book, THANK YOU for the patience you demonstrated while we waited for the books to be released from customs and delivered.

Also, THANK YOU for all the kind words you've been sharing on social media about the book! This was a huge labor of love, and your kind words are seen and appreciated.

As of today, according to Whalebacker all packages have been sent, meaning they've either been delivered or are otherwise en route!

Next steps, shipping issues and questions.

At With this campaign completed, I'll be slowing down on direct updates in this fashion -- but I'll  of course keep you all posted as new projects of potential interest are launched. I know for many of you this was your introduction to graphic novels I've written -- or perhaps even graphic novels as a whole -- and I hope you'll enjoy this one enough to check out some of our future projects!

While Whalebacker offers excellent shipping services, if you have any issues or questions with your package delivery or shipment, please email [email protected] with any questions or concerns. Also, please note, if you're emailing Whalebacker about anything that was damaged despite all their care , please include a photo to make the process quicker for you and them.  :)

Again, friends, THANK YOU for your support on this book. ARN ANDERSON: MY LIFE AS THE ENFORCER is my 20th graphic novel, and in my opinion it is among the most heartfelt and beautiful books in my library to date. I appreciate you all making it possible, and look forward to your continued support on future projects.

Your friend in comics,
Dirk Manning