The world of “Black Hammer” has gone through many changes since the series began. Few comic books would destroy everything readers thought they knew in service of creating an original story, but Jeff Lemire’s love letter to Golden Age sci-fi and superhero tales is no ordinary series. Spoilers Ahead.
Written by Jeff LemireCover by Sanford Greene
Illustrated by Dean Ormston
Colored by Dave Stewart
Lettered by Todd KleinLast time we saw our heroes, realities were crumbling, overlapping, and being completely rewritten. With the collapse of Madame Dragonfly and Colonel Weird’s illusion of The Farm, the world has switched over to a new reality where superheroes never existed and the team are living alternate lives with no recollection of who they really are or their true destinies.
As an A.I. being, Talky Walky is the only hero that is unaffected by this new version of reality. Living outside of time and continuity, she reaches out to Lucy, hoping to convince her to take up the mantle of Black Hammer once again. Her plan is to team up to rescue the others from their worse fates and setting history back on its original course. As the rest of the team is either dead, missing, or suffering in lives they fought desperately to escape in the past, Talky is determined to change things back to the way they were or cease to exist.
Her initial meeting does not go well, which is not unexpected. Just as with everyone else, Lucy does not believe Talky’s story about them being superheroes or that they all lived different lives just a short time ago. Talky asks her to find her father’s hammer so that the truth may be revealed. Believing it all to be a prank, Lucy angrily storms out and heads to see her mother. Though she has no recollection of her former life or taking on the role of Black Hammer after her father’s death, she has a nagging need to look into his things. During a brief exchange with her mother, she finds out that most of her father’s belongings went into a storage unit. She goes to investigate, in the off chance she finds this ‘hammer.’
While Lucy and Talky’s part in this issue is the A story, the B story is made up of learning about what happened to some of the other heroes. Abraham is working as a museum security guard, emotionally stuck in his boxing glory days and losing himself in daydreams and old superhero comic books. We see more of Barbalien, stuck as an outcast on Mars, exiled because he is a homosexual and only standing up for himself after things have gone too far, for too long. And we learn that Colonel Weird was killed during his first mission to space in 1956. It is safe to say that no one is living their best life and readers can only hope that Talky’s plan to get Lucy to remember and save the team will come to fruition.
With the ninth issue, Jeff Lemire begins to set us on the path to answers and concluding this chapter of the “Black Hammer” saga. We start off a little text heavy with Talky’s exposition dump on Lucy, but in typical form, it moves quickly and is a well placed catch up for both us and the characters. It reads as natural, and never unnecessary. As the issue moves between Lucy, Abraham, and Barbalien’s stories, the narrative feels temporarily uneven. While each portion does a great job of delving into where each character is at in their new life, it jumps around in a way that doesn’t quite work outside of Lemire setting a clear pattern in place. Pattern aside, it is the only part of the storytelling that doesn’t quite achieve greatness.
What does work is the story we are being told. No matter what kind of life the characters are now stuck living, there is something inside them begging to be released from these less than satisfactory situations. While they have no conscious memory of their true life, their actions in this issue show that their subconscious is pushing them towards something akin to their heroic selves. “Black Hammer” as a whole is a pastiche of multiple comic book genres, characters, and stories. These homages come together with Lemire’s unique look at the medium and incredible character studies to form something that is both undeniably comfortable and ingenious; and this current issue is all of that and more.
Continued belowDean Ormston’s talent is on full display as he must go into variety overdrive. Being able to create a multitude of settings and scenes in one issue, placing our characters in new places and new light comes as a truly gratifying yet untypical look into this world. In many previous issues, we are pulled back and forth between the fantastical and mundane, but in this new issue, the everyday life mixed with science fiction feels like a different animal. Ormston is speaking in the same Black Hammer language, but is expressing everything in a new dialect. It’s beautiful and heartbreaking. Blossoming from Lemire’s script, it pulls out a wealth of emotions. It is simply outstanding and this series would not feel right without him. Dave Stewart’s colors are as great as they have ever been in any series. His monumental talent is undeniable. He has a way of layering panels to give depth to whatever world he is playing in, but each page is bold and clear. Nothing is lost. His dance between light, shadow and every tone in between is always stellar and is nothing short of mind-blowing. He is one of the best colorists in the industry and this series only benefits from his contribution.
Another astounding achievement in the ever expanding “Black Hammer” universe with a story from a creative team that is constantly on top its game. If any criticism can be said of this issue it would be the layout of certain sequences and the mild choppiness of a few beats. Otherwise, this is a particularly fulfilling issue while still leaving a lot to ponder.
Final Verdict: 8.5, Serving as a bridging issue, “Black Hammer: Age of Doom” #9 is an extremely satisfying push forward in story that gives readers a peek into what could be on the horizon for Black Hammer and co.
