What do you think?
Rate this book
Lucha Loco
With his collection of over 120 portraits , Malcolm Venville intimately observes the complexity of the Luchadore by capturing both the human element and stage persona of each wrestler, through direct uncluttered photography.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2007
42 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 18, 2024
A rare glimpse into this cultural phenomena. This is a world where good and evil fight to control the balance of the world in a ring; so many elements of mythic reference here: would love to have heard what Joseph Campbell would have to say about the layered cultural identity behind each mask - a mystery mixed with pride.
August 20, 2014
A funny collection of photographs of luchadores, with short quotes from each. The photographs are all of the luchadores in their full lucha libre outfits, very few of which did not include a mask.
The photos are vivid, all taken just with a gray background, making the wrestlers mask and costume stand out boldly. While the photographs alone are striking, what makes this book of photographs interesting is the small quote from the luchadore. Often these had to do with their reason for doing lucha libre or about their chosen costume, but some just seemed like a random fact they felt like sharing, for example, Mano Negra says, "Music is the universal language, you have to know how to listen to it."
Some of the costume choices, the Nazi and the KKK looking guy especially, I wondered about, that would not be allowed in U.S. wrestling.
I also wondered if there are no women wrestlers, though Kumbia Kid's Jessy did mention that he is "from a family of wrestlers, my mom, my grandmother, my aunt..." so that would lead me to think that although there are women wrestlers they were not included in the photography. Why not?
The photos are vivid, all taken just with a gray background, making the wrestlers mask and costume stand out boldly. While the photographs alone are striking, what makes this book of photographs interesting is the small quote from the luchadore. Often these had to do with their reason for doing lucha libre or about their chosen costume, but some just seemed like a random fact they felt like sharing, for example, Mano Negra says, "Music is the universal language, you have to know how to listen to it."
Some of the costume choices, the Nazi and the KKK looking guy especially, I wondered about, that would not be allowed in U.S. wrestling.
I also wondered if there are no women wrestlers, though Kumbia Kid's Jessy did mention that he is "from a family of wrestlers, my mom, my grandmother, my aunt..." so that would lead me to think that although there are women wrestlers they were not included in the photography. Why not?
November 9, 2014
My boss read this out loud (except the R-rated bits) to us today. It was pretty hilarious. My favorite is the Panda one. Although the Liberace looking guy was kinda nifty too.
February 12, 2018
So I picked this up on a whim during a bike ride that ended up at a bookstore. I joked about not seeing any Mexican wrestling books in the Hispanic studies shelves but saw this book at the clearance table. I am finally able to admit that I really enjoy wrestling and watching Lucha Underground I have learned to love the lucha libre style more.
I know it probably seems lame to review a book that is mostly pictures of the wrestlers but the pictures were really like my least favorite part of the book. The introduction is so eloquent. It was an emotional roller coaster. The introduction covers why lucha libre is so popular in Mexico. What it means to the fans and what it means to the wrestlers. I've been a wrestling fan for a better portion of my life. And I've heard everything from it being fake, to being cheesy, or not a real sport. But whatever. I enjoy it. A lot of people enjoy it. The introduction is just masterful at setting up the book.
The rest of the book is portraits of wrestlers posing in front of a blank screen. The other page has the wrestler's name and a really short quote. It is very different but each one is amazing. The pictures are great but the quotes are all over the place. The quotes can be heartbreaking, heartwarming, or just plain off the wall. Each page I thought I found my favorite until I saw the next page.
I don't own a coffee table but if i did this would have a permanent spot on it. I absolutely loved this book.
I know it probably seems lame to review a book that is mostly pictures of the wrestlers but the pictures were really like my least favorite part of the book. The introduction is so eloquent. It was an emotional roller coaster. The introduction covers why lucha libre is so popular in Mexico. What it means to the fans and what it means to the wrestlers. I've been a wrestling fan for a better portion of my life. And I've heard everything from it being fake, to being cheesy, or not a real sport. But whatever. I enjoy it. A lot of people enjoy it. The introduction is just masterful at setting up the book.
The rest of the book is portraits of wrestlers posing in front of a blank screen. The other page has the wrestler's name and a really short quote. It is very different but each one is amazing. The pictures are great but the quotes are all over the place. The quotes can be heartbreaking, heartwarming, or just plain off the wall. Each page I thought I found my favorite until I saw the next page.
I don't own a coffee table but if i did this would have a permanent spot on it. I absolutely loved this book.
January 3, 2010
Not so much of a read, yet a great book of lucha libre images for those of us even slightly consumed with the concept of this sport. There is an interesting forward and some amusing quotes from the wrestlers in the book along with some fantastic images. The price tag is a bit hefty at 40 smackers, but sometimes a guy has to dish out some cash to fuel his addiction.
May 20, 2016
Collection of photos of some current Mexican Lucha Libre wrestlers, along with a single sentence from each, sometimes describing why they became wrestlers, or mentioning what they do in "real life," or something about their sexuality.
This is hilarious, colorful, insightful ... and just a lot of fun.
This is hilarious, colorful, insightful ... and just a lot of fun.
November 18, 2009
Love the photographs paired with statements from the luchadores.
November 28, 2014
Excellent! Enlightening. Confusing? Weird. Perfect! My favorites were the zombies & the Roman lol. A fun glimpse into the life of a luchedore. <-- probably misspelled but too lazy to look =)
July 17, 2024
A great roster of luchadores goes through these pages and you can see the imagination and fun (and tradition sometimes) that goes into the creation of these characters. With so much research going into it, is it too much to ask to use a name that makes grammatical sense in Spanish instead of a sensational sound bite?
January 31, 2019
Podría pensarse que es un catálogo de máscaras, pero va más allá, muestra un sinnúmero de personajes de alto reconocimiento, sus contextos y hasta sus familias. Me encantó.
March 8, 2021
An interesting and fun look at the wrestlers of Lucha Libre, the vibrant, campy style of professional wrestling in Mexico, with its superheroic and larger than life characters. Photographer Malcolm Venville presents a simple exhibition of some prominent wrestlers in their costumes (not all using the famous masks) along with a statement by the wrestler, with their original Spanish included in the back (an aspect I particularly appreciated). Lucha Loco provides a quick, entertaining view of Lucha Libre.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews