Book Review: Black Hammer Vol. 3 by J. Lemire et al.

Black Hammer Volume 3: Age of Doom Part 1 written by Jeff Lemire, art by Dean Ormston, colors by Dave Stewart, and lettering by Todd Klein

Now that Lucy, the daughter of the original Black Hammer, has taken up her father's weapon, she remembers where the heroes of Spiral City really are--not on a farm just outside a small town called Rockwood. Just as she's about to spill the beans, she's transported to (another) alternate reality, from which she will have to find her way back to the farm. The other heroes go looking for her. Abe and Mark get distract from their search when their love lives unexpectedly get back on track. The others have limited success, especially the robot Talky Walky who is put out of commission by someone who doesn't want the truth of where they are revealed.

Lucy's bizarre adventures through imaginary alternate realities are fun and weird. She eventually gets back to where everyone else is with the shocking revelation of where they really are. It makes a fun twist and I can't wait to read more of their adventures, now that their mundane lives are suddenly made much more interesting.

Recommended.

Book Review: Black Hammer Vol. 2 by J. Lemire et al.

Black Hammer Volume 2: The Event written by Jeff Lemire, art by Dean Ormston and David Rubin, and colors by Dave Stewart

Read my review of Volume 1 here.

The superheroes trapped on an isolated farm have a new guest--the daughter of Black Hammer. Black Hammer was one of the heroes who defeated the villain Anti-God, the event just before they discovered they were on the farm. Hammer was also transported. The daughter is confused about what is going on and why the heroes haven't tried to escape. Black Hammer had tried to escape and that's what killed him many years before. Naturally, the other heroes were less reckless in trying to get out. After ten years, they've mostly accepted their fate. The daughter, whose name is Lucy, doesn't have their weariness and searches for a way out, or at least more information on where they are. Their seeming prison includes a small town. The town library is full of blank books, which doesn't faze the librarian or any of the locals. Something fishy is definitely going on.

This volume includes backstories on the various heroes and gradually shows the big battle with Anti-God that put them in the predicament. The history is interesting and gives more character depth to the people in the story. The ending has a big twist that is very intriguing, so I will keep going with this series.

Recommended.

Parental warning: There's a surprising amount of foul language in this book, along with a couple of gory moments.

Book Review: Black Hammer Vol. 1: Secret Origins by J. Lemire et al.

Black Hammer Volume 1: Secret Origins script by Jeff Lemire, art by Dean Ormston, and colors by Dave Stewart

A group of six superheroes live a reclusive life on a small town farm. They pretend to be normal which is very tricky since one is a fifty-ish woman trapped in a nine-year-old body (Golden Gail), another is a cabin-dwelling witch (Madame Dragonfly), another is a half-mad astronaut (Colonel Weird), another is his robot sidekick (Talky Walky), another is a warlord of Mars (Mark Markz, known as Barbalien). The only normal one is tough guy Abraham Slam, who poses as Gail's grandfather and the farmer/patriarch of the group. Ten years earlier, they were heroes in Spiral City where they defeated Anti-God, a tough opponent whose defeat inexplicably banished them to the farm. Some of the heroes have been trying to get back; others have tried to blend in. No one is very successful.

The book is an interesting collection of familiar superheroes in an odd setting. They have issues with their past and their present, giving the characters some depth and resonance. The art style is very reminiscent of Mike Mignola (of Hellboy fame), which is a plus. The only odd thing is the title, Black Hammer, which refers to a Spiral City superhero who is not on the farm. The set up (which is what most of this volume is) is intriguing and makes me want to read more.

Recommended, especially for comic book superhero fans.