From the exhibition
¡KIAI! Heroes de las Artes Marciales
· 1977

"Heroes de las Artes Marciales" by Ralph Barby is a martial arts adventure narrative. The story centers on Liberty Garden, a secret training compound founded and funded by Moses Pacific Savage (the "Star-Budoka"), where young people from around the world—rescued from marginalized circumstances and reformatories—receive instruction in martial arts, meditation, yoga, manual trades, and agriculture within a unified spiritual community. The text describes the facility's ecumenical meditation temple and comprehensive educational philosophy emphasizing self-discipline and character development. The narrative's primary action depicts Roshenko, a former Soviet sambo champion and Tae Kwon Do master, demonstrating flying kicks and powerful strikes against Savage in the compound's budokan (training arena) before an audience of students. Savage employs circular defensive techniques from Shaolin temple boxing (Mushindo Karate Do), avoiding direct contact while allowing Roshenko's own momentum to defeat him. The demonstration concludes with Roshenko's defeat and acknowledgment of Savage's superiority.
Public domain (copyright not renewed), restored and presented by comicbooks.com public-domain