Chopping Block Review: The Legend of Luther Strode #1

Last year, the world was introduced to the world of Luther Strode. The Image Comic series was a critical hit, as it was the perfect blend and violence and intrigue, with an ending that left readers in awe. Justin Jordan and Tradd Moore had created something special, something we wanted to revisit since we all first saw the teaser at the end of the last issue that foretold the release of The Legend of Luther Strode. Now, here we are, with the first issue of this new miniseries already on the stands, but does it stand up to the tall shadow of its predecessor?

For those that don’t know, this book focuses around Luther Strode; a skinny, nerdy high school student that mailed away for a body building book, the Hercules Method, in order to try to bulk up and get noticed. Boy, does he get noticed. The book’s methods transform Luther into something far more than he ever expected: he bulked up, but he is also super strong, fast, and just about unkillable among other skills. Like the old saying goes “with great power comes great responsibility”, and the weight of the world from his family and friends gets shifted to his shoulders. His life was torn apart, and at the end of the first arc, we see a very different man. Now, fast forward to this issue, and we see that Luther has been busy. The ultra violence we know and love is back, as Strode dispenses his foes with blood spilling by the gallon. At the end of the issue, we are hit with another huge reveal, one that is sure to be felt throughout the whole story.

If there is a gripe I have with this book, it is that we don’t get much time to see what’s going through Luther’s mind. Sure, we get him killing people, which is awesome, but I would have liked to see where his mind is at with everything that has been going on. But I appreciate that Jordan threw us right back into the thick of battle, leaving no time to mince words. This book shows that the magic from the first series is still alive and kicking, and shows why fans of violent, great storytelling should all be reading Luther Strode. Highly recommended, I give The Legend of Luther Strode #1 a solid @@@@ out of FIVE.