In a lot of ways, the holidays are about tradition. Everyone’s got ’em. It might be a family latke recipe, or getting together to watch Klaus, or arranging the Christmas tree ornaments so the cats don’t knock them off the lowest branches. Here at Multiversity, we have an annual tradition of looking at shared comic book universes and politely ask them to do something differently. It’s one part new years resolution, one part gift giving — to us, every one!
Lastly for today, we are focused on the Black Hammer Universe that Jeff Lemire has built.
Get the “Squirrel Girl” Team On a Book
Jeff. Buddy. Can I call you Jeff? I’m begging you. Find a mini-series or character idea and get the team of Ryan North and Erica Henderson on “Unbeatable Squirrel Girl” on a title (or a hybrid including Derek Charm.) While I have loved every “Black Hammer” title thus far, there hasn’t really been a “fun” book and if there’s anyone that knows fun in comics, it’s these creators. I hear what you’re going to say: “But there’s plenty of fun in some of these books.” And there is. However, none are a fun book on their own; they just contain elements of fun. It doesn’t matter to me what it is, just let them run wild for four issues.
Or simply get Erica Henderson for a purely horror inspired title. Or a spy thriller. Or anything really. Henderson deserves a Black Hammer book and you all know it.
Madame Butterfly Horror Anthology
We got one issue of this back in “Age of Doom” but I really would love a “Visions” style EC-inspired “Cabin of Horrors” mini-series. Hell, you could make it a back-up like the Inspector Insector stuff currently going on in “Reborn.” I guess I just want to see what kind of morality plays could be set in the Black Hammer universe and if we could get any that utilized the superhero genre to do something really different. This may not be in the cards for 2022 but I’ll count it if Lemire announces it for 2023 in 2022.
Explore the Pre-Superhero Era
We’ve gotten titles from the far future and the not-so-distant past but we haven’t really gotten much in the way of an exploration of the pre-superhero landscape of the Black Hammer universe. Were there lots of pirates? What about romance titles? Working women finding their way in the world? Simple gag strips?! I need to know what this superhero universe based on the real-life changes in genre looked like before superheroes existed within it. “Black Hammer ‘45” gave us a taste of the war story genre but there’s plenty of room for more.
More Barbalien by Brombal and Walta
“Barbalien: Red Planet” may be one of, if not the best “Black Hammer” side-story and I just want more from this team, preferably more Barbalien but I’ll take anything really.
