Strange and Wonderful

"That man has another man's severed arm stuffed down his throat."

That was just one of the figures portrayed in a two-page spread at the beginning of the comic. It only got better from there.

 I'm not normally a fan of the ultra-violent, but the funny pages do it so much better than the movies. This is no more evident than in the hit new series The Strange Talent of Luther Strode. Only two issues in of a promised 6 issue story, the comic is already making a name for it's creators. And I'm already praying to the mighty geek gods for more from this series. Written, drawn and coloured by Justin Jordan, Tradd Moore and Felipe Sobreiro respectively, the story centres on scrawny, bespectacled teenager Luther Strode who upon the ordering of a fitness book, The Hercules Method, gets what he paid for and then some when he develops muscles, reflexes and abilities that rival the big name heroes from other publishers. Suddenly the cliché becomes a reality for Luther as all eyes turn to him along with that of a cute girl...and some with a more sinister gaze.

The cover drew me in way before the synopsis.

 Arriving from Image Comics who are fast becoming a fresh story goldmine, I was blown away by the quality of the book from the get go. The writing is spot on, giving you hints of back-story that seem to flow naturally from the conversations and make the characters seem believable. Information isn't forced down your throat (like severed limbs) and leaves enough mystery to satisfy you until the next hit. With the gorefest that is the opening pages set in the present, the story leaps back to when Luther Strode had just received his fitness book that had me begging to know how he got from there to playing here-comes-the-aeroplane with another man's arm. Justin Jordan couldn't have a better big debut than this and has hinted to future stories that I'm sure will eat my money before it knows what happened.
 The art is a treat to look at as well. Fantastically designed characters and environments that Tradd Moore has somehow managed to make both simple at first glance, yet filled with little details upon closer inspection. From tight profile shots to room-wide views. This is all brought to a high by the colours of Felipe Sobreiro, who makes the characters pop out of each panel and instils each page with life. Before I even knew what the story was about (and I'm a glutton for a good story) I was drawn to the book by the cover alone; a testament to the skill of Moore and Sobreiro.

The first issue has already gone in for a second printing as everyone hungrily snaps up each one. With an aim to appease fans of superheroics, old-school slasher flicks or just plain ol'fun, this series is well on it's way to doing just that. No doubt there are some suits in Hollywood ready to get into a bidding war over the movie rights. I can't recommend this enough. Available in both printed and digital formats, there's no excuse for not giving The Strange Talent of Luther Strode a try. Well, unless you have an arm in your throat.



For more details visit www.thestrangetalentoflutherstrode.com