- Expecting the Unexpected
- AWA Studios
- Written by Ronda Rousey
- Illustrated by Mike Deodato Jr
- Colors by Marco Lesko
- Unleashed in the Wild, October 07, 2025
UFC, WWE, and Judo champion, multi-ESPY award-winner, and Hollywood actress Ronda Rousey has stepped out of the ring and into the world of comics with her debut graphic novel EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED!
Teaming up with award-winning artist Mike Deodato, Jr. (Avengers, Not All Robots, The Flash), Rousey’s action-packed title follows a newly pregnant mom with a bounty on her head as she fights off waves of assassins.
If you were looking for an action-packed story, a modern shoot-em up & beat-em down thriller, you’re reading a review for the right book. Backing the Kickstarter campaign for Expecting the Unexpected, I figured that freshman comic writer Ronda Rousey would stick to the basics in her hitperson on the run debut. Having followed her career through MMA and done some reading on her background, it was to be expected that she’d approach this new avenue with meticulous attention to detail and a strong work ethic.
What I didn’t expect was how damn funny this book is. I mean, watch one of her walkouts… she’s fierce, and looking to hurt some folk. But after reading this comic, I have to think that Ronda Rousey is also kinda hilarious, her writing more dry humor and movie quotes than I saw coming. More impressive than that, there’s great character work being done in the quiet moments, and the editor in me would love a look at the script for this book to see how many of the dialogue-free pages were scripted in from the start. Some writers have been at it for years and don’t have this subtle grasp of “show, don’t tell” in their work, and again Rousey surprised me.
Honestly, I thought the known quantity in this one would be Mike Deodato Jr. His artwork is always outstanding, always with a fine eye for detail. Turns out I was more familiar with Deodato’s cover work than his work on interiors. All the detail is there, but the way he sets up the layouts, with odd panel breaks across the page and action continuing through those breaks, almost creates a sense of motion. With this level of action and gorgeous illustration, Mike Deodato Jr has helped create one helluva comic book.
A thing that adds that last layer of awesome to Expecting the Unexpected is the authenticity in the fight sequences. Choreographed by Rousey and drawn by Deodato (a 2nd dan in karate), there’s a great sense of dynamics in play, and a grasp on the body mechanics of a round house kick that you don’t always see in comics. All taken in total, I’m hoping we get more from Ronda Rousey, because this was a very solid start and I’d be stoked to see where her writing goes from here.
Final Score: 11/13
