Slasher Comic Makes Use Of Dynamic Tension

Do you have a favorite slasher film; Nightmare On Elm Street, Friday The 13th, Halloween, Child's Play? I wasn't the biggest fan of horror films and very few have ever caught my attention and were maybe a once in a while kind of watching but when it comes to comics, I have a soft spot for certain stories that are a little slice and dicey. One comic in particular really caught my attention that I never thought I'd see and that's the use of Physical Culture.

Many kids of yesteryear knew the legend of Charles Atlas and the story surrounding the idea of turning a young man who was skinny and frail into a superman-like being building muscle and knocking the bully on his ass. What if that story was interpreted in a very unique way and gave it an extreme makeover? Hence the now Comic Series of Luther Strode: A story of a young high school nerd with a chubby friend and has a crush on a beautiful yet unstable and violent torn girl. Gets his hands on a course that teaches how to build muscle using only your bodyweight, this isn't just an ordinary fitness course, it has a much more sinister side to it.

A course that makes you see violence and forms a deeper meaning to the idea of fighting and becoming an assassin. The kid develops the body of a Greek god but also becomes involved with a cult that is hell bent on murder, destruction and has a cult like following. Torn between using his body and new skill set to kill or destroy the person that created the course following a death in the kid's circle. 

The second book takes place 5 years later and the young kid (now an adult) is a legendary vigilante and taking his place as the "hero" of his city but criminals are striking back in a big way. Old foes are taking matters into their own hands and allies emerge. It's a fascinating look at the anti-hero and the adventures he goes on.

the third and final book, the Legacy, comes full circle into the depths of how the murderous cult came to be and the changing of the tides for Luther as he sets out on a quest to find a being that is possibly an immortal and learning the true nature of why was the course really made, not just for developing a cult of muscle bound assassins but to create an army. The final battle has begun and will this man survive the journey and his final encounter? 

Like I said, I'm not a big fan of the Slasher genre but when you add in the element of an old-time mail order fitness course and make it the cornerstone of a superhero/action/horror story, I couldn't help but take a look at it. It is a very good story and gives new insight to what it means to take something that was meant to be evil and turn it around to make it a powerful entity against evil. It's an exaggeration of becoming something more that what was intended and training the body using a course loosely based on what Charles Atlas did decades ago. That to me is really cool. 

Check them out and learn about Dynamic Tension and Action in a very different but intriguing way. 

The Strange Talent of Luther Strode, Vol. 1

Luther Strode Volume 2: The Legend of Luther Strode

Luther Strode Volume 3: The Legacy of Luther Strode