Smark Out Moment

Released in 2004, Tales From Wrescal Lane is one of the lesser-known works by Mick Foley and illustrator Jill Thompson. It is a children's book that imagines the stars of WWE as children and the adventures they would get up too.

The A4 sized book comprises of 64 beautifully illustrated pages, with two main stories.

The first focuses on the pre-Authority pre-school Stephanie McMahon and her determination to make money to buy the doll she so desires. The second tale focuses on the boastful Kurt Angle and roller coasters—the inclusion of which won't surprise any fans of Foley's autobiographies.

The writing style is not dissimilar to Dr. Seuss, with the entire book being told in rhyming couplets. In contrast to Foley's other lengthy tombs, each page is relatively sparse, with only around 2-3 sets of couplets per page in large font—but again, remember, this is not surprising given the target audience.

Long term adult WWE fans will not fail to be amused by the subtle inclusion of wrestling lore and legend hidden throughout. Sometimes it is in the text itself, other times in the illustrations, with the likes of Farooq's helmet at Stephanie's yard sale, or the WWF Winged Eagle belt in Vince's house. Many of these are going to be lost on children, but I feel they are for the amusement of Foley and the WWE fan parents reading along with their child.

The illustrations are all beautiful. It is very obvious which wrestler is what child, and it is plain to see a lot of detail has gone into these creations. The "Roster" of wrestlers included is relevant to the time of publication, and include the likes of Stacy Keibler, Al Snow, Matt Hardy, Lita, The Dudley Boyz, Little Mick Foley himself, Triple H, and The Rock.

All a delight to see, but sadly some of the inclusions may not be familiar with children a decade on from it's publication.

I did find it a little odd that the WWE theme park the children visit included an Edge roller coaster, splattered with pictures of an adult Edge, yet all his contemporaries are all aged 10 and below, but at this point I reminded myself that I really probably shouldn't be applying the same analysis I would normally give an adult's book.

But this being said though, one anomaly I must point out: young Mick Foley is nice to young Al Snow!

Overall the book is an enjoyable, albeit short read. Every page is a visual delight with the inclusion of hidden wrestling jokes tucked away in the images.

It is by no means an essential purchase, but 6 year old WWE fans familiar with the past will certainly get a kick out of it, as would any adult fan of Foley's writing style.




CRITIQUE RATING SCALE: 2- COUNT (Near Fall)