blogging by Andrew Wickliffe
Tradd Moore
The Legend of Luther Strode 6 (August 2013)
The big finale is pretty much what I expected. It’s a setup for the next series; so if Jordan’s writing this series just as a lead-in… well, it shouldn’t have been six issues. It could have been three and been much, much better. It’s another fight scene. Moore gets to do a mall fight, kind […]
MoreThe Legend of Luther Strode 5 (May 2013)
Luther just hit the exasperating point. So far, Jordan has established exactly one important event in five issues of this series. It could have been a single issue and ended where this one ends and the series might be setup for something good. Giving Moore a place to showcase his ultra-violent art is fine, but […]
MoreThe Legend of Luther Strode 4 (March 2013)
Jordan is just getting worse. He’s still not doing a bad job, he’s probably even on the positive side of mediocre, but he’s getting worse. There’s less and less actual content as the series progresses. There’s no story, just a series of awesome action set pieces from Moore. And the fight scene is great. The […]
MoreThe Legend of Luther Strode 3 (February 2013)
And now Luther gets himself a supervillain. Not bad gimmicks, very creepy the way Moore draws him. It’ll probably be a great looking issue next time. Of course, this time was great looking too. Only nothing really came of the story. The situation at the end of this issue is the same as at the […]
MoreThe Legend of Luther Strode 2 (January 2013)
It’s another action and violence issue. Since Moore has such a good time with the violence, the issue’s definitely entertaining. And Jordan doesn’t spend a lot of time with the crime boss. Luther does get a lot of page time. He just doesn’t get to say anything. The girl, Petra, she gets a lot of […]
MoreThe Legend of Luther Strode 1 (December 2012)
I’m underwhelmed. Maybe because Luther Strode doesn’t really get much to do in the first issue of The Legend of Luther Strode except do an impression of the Dolph Lundgren Punisher movie. He sits alone in his sewer lair in his birthday suit. No dialogue, no nothing. There’s a lot of action. Lot of violence. […]
MoreThe Strange Talent of Luther Strode 6 (March 2012)
Well, Hollywood’s never going to go for this ending. No jet pack, to say the least. I was talking with a group of writers once about novels and one said, “all novels end poorly.” I’m not sure I agree, but Luther Strode certainly ends poorly. But it doesn’t change my opinion of the series overall. […]
MoreThe Strange Talent of Luther Strode 5 (February 2012)
It’s another very fast issue. Jordan gets in some humor with the girlfriend and the sidekick, which is good. Luther’s not in a jokey place, but the sidekick definitely has a good scene for it. This issue ties directly to the first one? Remember those passages of time I mentioned Jordan having problems with a […]
MoreThe Strange Talent of Luther Strode 4 (January 2012)
Luther meets his adversary this issue and discovers a little about the source of his powers. Basically, macho men are just failed murderous psychopaths. Jordan’s philosophy, which is probably subconscious, is interesting for a comic book. It’s not really a commentary on the superhero comic genre, but it’s hard not to take it as one. […]
MoreThe Strange Talent of Luther Strode 3 (December 2011)
So, Luther comes out as a superhero this issue and has a terrible first night out. That aspect of the issue is somewhat predictable, though there’s probably nothing else Jordan could do to make the narrative work. There’s a lot of humor this issue, particularly in the dialogue. Whether it’s Luther’s mom trying to act […]
MoreThe Strange Talent of Luther Strode 2 (November 2011)
Jordan’s streamlining the standards quite a bit. Instead of Luther’s high school nemesis becoming a supervillain somewhere down the line once ideas have run out, Jordan makes it part of the origin story. It’s ominous and effective. Also ominous is how Luther can visual bloody outcomes for every situation. Jordan has that flash early, while […]
MoreThe Strange Talent of Luther Strode 1 (October 2011)
There’s nothing original about The Strange Talent of Luther Strode so far. Tradd Moore’s a little more ultra-violent than most comics; Moore gives it an almost cartoonish feel. When the story flashback (almost immediately) to Luther Strode in high school, where he got his superpowers from a Charles Atlas analog, Moore maintains the attention to […]
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