Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston’s “Black Hammer” universe is set to expand this October with “Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil.” The four-issue series will be written by Lemire, and will feature art by David Rubín. Rubín has already dipped his toes into the world back in issue #9, where he was a guest artist in the main series. “Black Hammer” follows the interpersonal relationships of a group of super heroes after they are mysteriously transported to a small town in the middle of nowhere that they can’t leave. The recently introduced Lucy Weber, daughter of Black Hammer, will be the focus of the spinoff, as she investigates the disappearance of those heroes.
“One question I kept asking myself while working on Black Hammer was ‘What happened to the bad guys when all these heroes disappeared?’ What do the villains of Spiral City do when there are no more heroes left to fight?” Lemire said of the motivation for the series. He continued, “I also wanted to see more of the early days of Black Hammer’s daughter, Lucy Weber. So this new four issue series, illustrated by David Rubín, will answer these questions and also dive deeper into Lucy’s life.” Lemire also said of the title character, “Sherlock is Spiral City’s greatest villain, and also the love interest of the long lost Golden Gail. As readers will discover, his history spans back to the dawn of the age of super heroes, and by investigating Sherlock’s life, Lucy will also uncover the secret history of Black Hammer and Spiral City!”
“Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil” is the first of several planned “companion series” to “Black Hammer.” The main series is one of the best super hero books on the stands right now, so news of more stories that will dive into the expansive world that Lemire and Ormston have started building is very exciting. It looks like we will get a hint of where Lemire and Rubín are headed with the book in next month’s “Black Hammer” #12, where Rubín is filling in again for Ormston as they do a flashback issue that follows Lucy starting her investigation. “Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil” #1 will be released on October 18.
