The Man with Legs

The Man with Legs
by Al Sarrantonio (story) and Doug Potter (art)
from Weird Business (1995), edited by Joe R. Lansdale and Richard Klaw

'The Man with Legs' is a short story by Al Sarrantonio that appeared in the anthology Shadows 6 (1983). A year later, it was included in The Year's Best Horror Stories: Series XII (1984) which is where I remember first reading it.

Sarrantonio uses Upstate New York as a favorite location for some of his horror fiction, and this particular story also seems to be set in an industrial city in that region. 'Legs' does a very good job of evoking the atmosphere and sights of a Northeast city neighborhood on a cold Winter's day, and will undoubtedly bring back memories to Baby Boomers who grew up in those places.

This comic adaptation of 'The Man with Legs' appeared in the anthology Weird Business (Mojo Press, 1995). While I can't say that Doug Potter's artwork is all that memorable, it is serviceable for a story that stands on its own as a example of unique, creepy horror.