Being one of the most accomplished women’s MMA fighters of all time, Ronda Rousey has achieved just about everything in her career. From ruling the UFC as bantamweight champion to becoming a WWE main-event star, her career is a dream run for many. Often hailed as the GOAT of WMMA, Rousey earned a permanent place in Dana White’s heart and the sport’s history. Now retired from both fighting and wrestling, she’s turning the page, literally. Her long-teased comic book project with former Marvel editor Mike Deodato is officially live, with the first edition finally released.

Last June, in a press release, independent developer Artists Writers and Artisans (AWA) announced that they are collaborating with Ronda Rousey on her new graphic novel debut, “Expecting The Unexpected.” Rousey herself completely wrote the story, and it has been edited by AWA Chief Creative Officer Axel Alonso, formerly the Editor-in-Chief at Marvel.

A year later, AWA released the first edition of the comic book. Taking to their Instagram handle, the independent organization announced. Sharing the first five pages of the comics book, AWA wrote: “Preorder EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED from Ronda Rousey and Mike Deodato. EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED is a raw, action-packed graphic novel about motherhood, survival, and the fight to protect what matters most.”

The opening pages depict a pregnant Ronda Rousey entering a bar at midnight, requesting a glass of wine. With only four people present—including the bartender—Rousey engages in a brief conversation before suddenly shooting everyone inside, including the bartender. She leaves the bar with nothing but dead bodies surrounding the scene. As soon as her comics news dropped, the MMA community took to the comment section to celebrate the new chapter of her life. Let’s have a look at what the fans had to say.

Ronda Rousey’s comics debut gets immense appreciation from the community

To kick things off, a curious social media user asked, “Interesting, what’s the plot?” But how would you know the plot if you haven’t read the story? Reacting to the buzz last year, AWA Chief Creative Officer Axel Alonso stated, “A potent blend of dark comedy, romance, and over-the-top action, Expecting the Unexpected delivers a knockout punch on every level. You’ll laugh, you’ll wince, you’ll cry, and you’ll be thrilled by the action scenes.”

Moreover, a social media user has already written a screenplay for Rousey — but will the former bantamweight champion acknowledge it? “Yeah, I wrote a screenplay, you are the first person I thought of.”

Furthermore, another fan has made a request to Ronda Rousey and the stakeholders of AWA, “Can I get a signed copy?” Moreover, one fan suggested that the frames closely resemble and give off strong Max Payne vibes, “Max Payne vibes, I love it.” 

One of the fans even revealed the final boss of the comic — and of course, it’s just satire, “Final boss is @HolyHolm.” Holm defeated Rousey back in 2015, taking the belt from her and marking the beginning of her retirement phase. Last but not the least, a fan stated, “Entertaining book.”

With the latest release of her comic, Ronda Rousey enters a new phase of her career beyond the UFC, WWE, and movies. If it performs well, Hollywood likely won’t miss the opportunity to approach her for a live-action adaptation. But for now, we’ll have to wait and see how it performs in the market.