When I saw that The Legacy of Luther Strode released this week my first thought was, “Oh fuck yes!” Really that was my only thought. Unlike some I have been very patient in waiting for this book to debut because this is it folks, this is the last chapter in the trilogy for Luther Strode and I plan to savor every page of it. Kevin and I have been championing this book since the very beginning. At first we were just reading it as fans, but soon enough we were battling over who would review it and it’s made more appearances on our podcast than any other series (listen to the latest appearance below). To say that it’s been a break out hit is an understatement. It’s a series that comes along once a generation of storytellers and it’s been a fucking pleasure to see it play out from the very start. Seriously kids will be discovering this book in their parent’s collection and their minds will be blown. It will be the comic that gets them into comics as it should. My only wish is that there were more comics like it, because after you read it you’ll never find anything else like it and you’ll continue to chase that dragon.
The issue begins a long time ago and to keep it brief it deals with Samson’s story. It’s short, it’s great and builds the universe in a way that hasn’t been done on the series. It will be important later in the series so take notes. We also see a sequence showing how Luther and Petra got free and it is very awesome. The story then jumps ahead four years and shows Luther and Petra living off the grid in the woods, but their peaceful time is over as others are trying to bring Luther out of hiding. Then the story gets even more incredible.
There’s really only four plot moments in this issue, but the story moves ahead wonderfully even if you can bullet point it. Justin Jordan and Tradd Moore continue to be in sync on this series. It shows in the restaurant scene in which Luther and his opponent battle in their minds before Luther changes the game. It was very Kung Fu cinema feeling or I’ll even go as far to say Sherlock Holmes-ish, but the way that Moore executed it was wonderful. You have to give Jordan credit though because he doesn’t just slap some whatever dialogue on the page, but rather uses the opportunity to battle with the characters dialogue at the same time. The story continues to be great and the characters have developed into some of my favorite in comics… even if I forget names sometimes.
The art… goddamn the art. By now a lot of people have been exposed to Tradd Moore’s artwork with his Marvel stuff which I still say isn’t nearly as good as his work on Luther Strode. His work here on Legacy is magnificent. It’s the type of art that makes you want to create. It makes you want to read comics. It makes you… want. Because it’s so wonderful that you can’t help but have feelings and yell, “Oh shit” while reading it. This book is and isn’t a fast read because of the art.
I’ll never take anything away from Justin Jordan’s story, but this is Tradd Moore and Felipe Sobreiro’s book. They kill it on every single page. When people say the “art is alive” it’s usually bullshit or just hyper-fanboy-isim, which is to say its personal taste amplified to its max. But with Moore and Sobreiro’s artwork it’s not hype, it’s not bullshit, the movement is fluid and you can see it. It’s right there on the page. The minute The Legacy of Luther Strode #1 hit the shelves it became the best series on the market. Nothing can touch this series because it has everything working together in perfect harmony to produce the. Best. Comic. On. The. Market.
If you haven’t read the first two volumes you can actually start here. You’ll be a little lost sure, but the story and art should suck you right in so that you don’t care. You’ll just want, more that is. Then you should go and track down the other two volumes and read them and love them and appreciate that a comic that comes around once a generation has just appeared and it’s so damn wonderful that buzzwords are used to describe it because you finally understand why buzzwords exist and it’s for something incredible like The Legacy of Luther Strode.
Score: 5/5
The Legacy of Luther Strode #1 Writer: Justin Jordan Artist: Tradd Moore Colorist: Felipe Sobreiro Publisher: Image Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 4/8/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital
Hear more about The Legacy of Luther Strode #1 on this week's episode of the CBMFP!