Writer: Justin Jordan
Artist: Tradd Moore
Published by Image Comics
When last we watched our hero Luther Strode we were walking through a number of heroic cliches that the writer attempts to put into a new light although not with quite the panache or breadth of an Ellis or a Moore. But we are introduced to some great truths about what the superhero experience would be like, especially when you’ve just started and haven’t attracted purple suited psychopathic jokers to your nightly adventures.
Here’s a scene that illustrates his first nightly patrol with apologies to a Dark Knight that we all know and love:
A truer thing was never said. There just isn’t that much serious crime here in the United States. I suppose that would be a different thing in some of those cartel towns in Mexico but most cities just don’t have that much crime. You certainly wouldn’t catch a lot of criminals while watching from a high place. He should probably invest in a police scanner and a motorcycle. But this next scene is even truer and seems to be lifted from the not so daring exploits of real life Seattle superhero and mixed martial artist Phoenix Jones:
“Ha” and “Har”. This actually happened in what we laughingly call the real life. superhero movement, which I speculate on with this review of Kick Ass Vol. 2 Issue 1. Here’s the youtube video of Phoenix Jones getting chased down by a drunken woman. Not one of his best moments.
I guess we can look forward to comic book writers borrowing or stealing from the real exploits of the so called real superhero movement. I have to admit they don’t usually look cool and they more remind me of a portly middle aged Nite Owl playing at heroes. These last two scenes remind us that dressing up and beating up bad guys is possibly not the smartest way to go about changing things in this complicated world. I still think investigative journalists like Julian Assange and Greg Palast are far more effective at fighting and uncovering Real Crime than anybody dressed in a Spawn wannabee vigilante costume.
But later in the book he confronts a real villain oe the abusive father of his hot yet sexually aggressive girlfriend, as written about in the last review. (Where were girls like this and the blonde predator teachers when I was growing up…) He then proceeds to beat the guy to a pulp. This issue then ends with the other person who has either written or read the “Hercules Method”, which really works as opposed to the Count Dante/Charles Atlas ads. Here’s the dude:
I’m trying to figure out whether this guy wrote the Hercules Method or is just its oldest student. This guy is also a killer. In fact, he doesn’t just kill people he literally rips people limb from limb. In fact, during the last two issues this guy has murdered just about everyone who’s even dared to challenge Luther Strode, whether its criminals who try to rob a convenience store or the entire family of the high school bully (We’re still not absolutely sure he killed the school bully, though. Something to watch.) Well it would seem that if he’s training Luther Strode to kill indiscriminately then he would be the bad guy. Its also clear that this guy seems to be policing other members or students of the Hercules method. Of course, now it doesn’t seem that he captures them because they’re too violent but in all probability they’re not being violent enough.
As always the art is worth 4.75 stars but the writing only rates a three or so. Overall, its still in the 3.9 out of 5 stars range. On the other hand, I intend to keep reading so the writer is doing something right.
Related: Good trailer for Luther Strode. I don’t think its the “baddest fucking comic” ever. It’s not even as interesting conceptually as the Scify channel’s “Alphas”. But the trailer is good. Even has a good beat…
