The Invisible Boy Who Became Mr. Invincible

One man's unlikely journey from servant and prisoner of war to bodybuilding champion—with an epic, trans-continental love story along the way.

Illustrations by Jasjyot Singh Hans | Edited by Brendan Spiegel

Twelve-year-old Gilbert Alaskadi knelt on the dirt floor of his bedroom and slipped open the envelope, taking care not to tear it. He had never opened his uncle’s mail before, and he would be in for a beating if he were discovered. But something about this envelope had caught his eye: a small illustration of a herculean figure striking six men simultaneously into the air. Perhaps, he thought, this envelope contained something that could protect him.