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Black Hammer
Black Hammer, Tome 4: Le Meilleur des Mondes
Maintenant qu'ils savent comment ils se sont retrouvés coincés dans la ferme qui les a si longtemps retenus prisonniers, les héros se retrouvent avec tout ce qu'ils voulaient à leur disposition.
Mais quelque chose cloche, et il faudra toute la volonté du nouveau Black Hammer pour réunir l'équipe entière et constater que de nombreuses révélations vont une fois de plus drastiquement changer leur monde.
Mais quelque chose cloche, et il faudra toute la volonté du nouveau Black Hammer pour réunir l'équipe entière et constater que de nombreuses révélations vont une fois de plus drastiquement changer leur monde.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 2019
20 people are currently reading
607 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Lemire
1,398 books3,867 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Jeff Lemire is a New York Times bestselling and award winning author, and creator of the acclaimed graphic novels Sweet Tooth, Essex County, The Underwater Welder, Trillium, Plutona, Black Hammer, Descender, Royal City, and Gideon Falls. His upcoming projects include a host of series and original graphic novels, including the fantasy series Ascender with Dustin Nguyen.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Jeff Lemire is a New York Times bestselling and award winning author, and creator of the acclaimed graphic novels Sweet Tooth, Essex County, The Underwater Welder, Trillium, Plutona, Black Hammer, Descender, Royal City, and Gideon Falls. His upcoming projects include a host of series and original graphic novels, including the fantasy series Ascender with Dustin Nguyen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 238 reviews
January 28, 2021
So this is the end and it was kinda great and kinda sucky. <--for me
I mean if the past volumes were any indication, these guys were going to have to sacrifice. But this was in a lot of ways a Happy Ending sacrifice for everyone.
Except the one character who deserved to get a fucking happy ending.
I mean if the past volumes were any indication, these guys were going to have to sacrifice. But this was in a lot of ways a Happy Ending sacrifice for everyone.
Except the one character who deserved to get a fucking happy ending.
January 5, 2020
Well, I shouldn't really say much about the specifics in the resolution of. . . the series? this arc? (it's not clear to me if this is the finish) but I have to say, with all the time I have invested in this series and in all the spin-offs so far, I have to say I am at this moment disappointed. So it's a tale of "getting the band back together" one more time, to plan to face Anti-God one more time, and we find out why they were initially imprisoned on "the farm" outside Spiral City and by whom, but the moment doesn't match up to the hype. There is also an anticipated Black Hammer father-daughter meeting, which was also not all that memorable, unfortunately.
I guess I can say that in each volume they try to do something different, so this action involves (for some reason) characters that never quite made to it publication. And we learn who we have to thank for the history of comics, all theses corny super heroes: The gods of creation, Comic Book Creators, okay! Eh! I still rate this three stars because it does resolve some issues in an ambitious and fun series that is a love letter to comics across history, and Ormston's artwork is great and inventive, as usual.
I guess I can say that in each volume they try to do something different, so this action involves (for some reason) characters that never quite made to it publication. And we learn who we have to thank for the history of comics, all theses corny super heroes: The gods of creation, Comic Book Creators, okay! Eh! I still rate this three stars because it does resolve some issues in an ambitious and fun series that is a love letter to comics across history, and Ormston's artwork is great and inventive, as usual.
June 9, 2020
When Spiral City pizza parlor waitress Lucy Weber gets an odd phone call, she finds herself face to face with a robot named Talky Walky and starts piecing together the mystery of the Black Hammer...
Here we are, the end of the Black Hammer. At the end of the previous volume, the gang learned the secret of The Farm and the Anti-God. Now, the Anti-God is on the horizon and Spiral City is a city without heroes. Can Lucy Weber put the gang back together in time to stop the Anti-God?
As usual, I dug the story and the art quite a bit and I've grown to love the Black Hammer cast, analogues though they may be. The ending was a little underwhelming, though. It made sense in the context of the series but felt a little rushed and anti-climactic. I think part of the appeal of Black Hammer is the same as Astro City: the universe feels like it's been around for decades and there are tons of old comics in a trunk someplace, waiting to be discovered. The ending makes me think the door is open for more Black Hammer in the future.
While the end of the journey may not have been what I was expecting, getting there was a lot of fun. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Here we are, the end of the Black Hammer. At the end of the previous volume, the gang learned the secret of The Farm and the Anti-God. Now, the Anti-God is on the horizon and Spiral City is a city without heroes. Can Lucy Weber put the gang back together in time to stop the Anti-God?
As usual, I dug the story and the art quite a bit and I've grown to love the Black Hammer cast, analogues though they may be. The ending was a little underwhelming, though. It made sense in the context of the series but felt a little rushed and anti-climactic. I think part of the appeal of Black Hammer is the same as Astro City: the universe feels like it's been around for decades and there are tons of old comics in a trunk someplace, waiting to be discovered. The ending makes me think the door is open for more Black Hammer in the future.
While the end of the journey may not have been what I was expecting, getting there was a lot of fun. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
December 24, 2019
…Is that it?
After all the build-up, all the struggles, all the random detours and spin-off mini-series, that’s the ending we get? I’m disappointed to say the least. Without going into spoiler territory, I didn’t think this was going to be the end of the series. Given that Black Hammer has already relaunched once, I thought this was just going to be the end of this era, and then we’d get a new series next year or something. But no, this is apparently it.
It just feels like a jip. These characters have been through the wringer, and to get to this point in the series and have to make this decision, it just feels wrong. Yes, they’re heroes. They have to do the heroic thing. But it’s the same thing they’ve already done. Twice, if you’ve read the Black Hammer/Justice League crossover. There’s only so many times Lemire can play on the same sacrifice, no matter how many times the characters are forced to make it.
Otherwise, the rest of the volume is fun. The side-issues set inside the Parazone with the half-created characters are full of clever ideas that I’d like to see more of, and even if the ultimate conclusion isn’t my cup of tea, the journey to get there is the usual Black Hammer fare.
I think maybe I’m in love with the idea of Black Hammer, and the world that it inhabits, rather than the book itself. There’s so much more potential to be mined here, and I just can’t bring myself to accept that this is the end that these characters have to have.
After all the build-up, all the struggles, all the random detours and spin-off mini-series, that’s the ending we get? I’m disappointed to say the least. Without going into spoiler territory, I didn’t think this was going to be the end of the series. Given that Black Hammer has already relaunched once, I thought this was just going to be the end of this era, and then we’d get a new series next year or something. But no, this is apparently it.
It just feels like a jip. These characters have been through the wringer, and to get to this point in the series and have to make this decision, it just feels wrong. Yes, they’re heroes. They have to do the heroic thing. But it’s the same thing they’ve already done. Twice, if you’ve read the Black Hammer/Justice League crossover. There’s only so many times Lemire can play on the same sacrifice, no matter how many times the characters are forced to make it.
Otherwise, the rest of the volume is fun. The side-issues set inside the Parazone with the half-created characters are full of clever ideas that I’d like to see more of, and even if the ultimate conclusion isn’t my cup of tea, the journey to get there is the usual Black Hammer fare.
I think maybe I’m in love with the idea of Black Hammer, and the world that it inhabits, rather than the book itself. There’s so much more potential to be mined here, and I just can’t bring myself to accept that this is the end that these characters have to have.
April 4, 2020
So Black Hammer ends not with a bang, but a fizzle? The first two issues drawn by Rich Tommaso were not for me. His simple art feels really out of place here, especially when placed next to Dean Ormstrom's. Then we get back to the meat of the story, which had this fantastic build up. Then as we approached the end it was like the car was spinning out of control and I could see the tree up ahead, but couldn't steer clear of it. It makes sense why Lemire ended the book the way he did. I just wanted more. It's not a bad ending, just an unsatisfying one.
February 4, 2020
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Would you rather live in a world, that you love, but made up of lies or deal with a real world, that you hate, composed only of truths? It is only when you realize that your decisions aren’t unrestrained by universal laws, including one where the greater good takes precedence over your own personal desires, that you realize that life just isn’t fair to anyone. Once you’ve had a taste of both worlds, once you’re put on stage and forced to make a decision, it becomes impossible for these individuals to part ways from the responsibilities that came with being a hero. The Eisner Award winning team of Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston continues their Black Hammer story in this second parter where revelations rhyme with sacrifice.
What is Black Hammer: Age of Doom Part Two about? Picking up where things were left out in the previous volume, the heroes that have been stuck in the farmworld with no way to return to their lives in Spiral City now discover the reasons behind their impediment. While they find themselves split from one another, it is up to them to find it in themselves to reunite one last time to discover the final facts that will change their world once and for all. Collecting Black Hammer: Age of Doom issues #6-12, this story arc brings to a conclusion the two-part mystery that has haunted these heroes since their arrival at the farm following their epic battle with the Anti-God.
The first two issues to kick off this volume aren’t drawn by artist Dean Ormston but have a surprise guest appearance of creator Rich Tommaso who pencils, colours, and letters them, and it is not something to get excited about. Although it somehow does fit the bill and sets the tone to the meta-story that unfolds, it remains unappealing and ridiculous in its nature. The whole Black Hammer universe is known to be an ultimate love letter to superhero comics and isn’t unrecognized to be occasionally self-referential but this time around, it felt like a stretch and diluted the story arc with its unnecessary exploration of the role of the very creators behind comics.
The rest of the volume, all five remaining issues, is a return-to-form as Deam Ormston pencils, Dave Stewart colours, and Todd Klein letters the grand finale. With the familiar artwork back in play, the story explores the situation of these heroes as they now live their lives without knowledge of the lie that serves as the enshrinement of their reality. It’s through a linear story of recruitment that writer Jeff Lemire directs this story towards a predictable, inevitable, yet somehow adequate ending that unfortunately highlights the unremarkable traits of this resolution, although this series was otherwise filled with promising ideas exploring superheroes on an intimate and personal level.
Although the story is cleanly tidied up in this volume, marking an end—for the time being—to the canonical story, writer Jeff Lemire and artist Dean Ormston see their Black Hammer universe continue to expand with upcoming spin-offs and crossovers, including Black Hammer/Justice League: Hammer of Justice!, Skulldigger + Skeleton Boy, and Colonel Weird: Cosmagog.
Black Hammer: Age of Doom Part Two is an underwhelming finale that goes full circle to establish the mythology of the franchise.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
_______________________
Underwhelming. While the idea behind the ending is somewhat adequate, it was truly unimpressive. I can't tell if Jeff Lemire should continue the main run now that everything is cleanly wrapped up or just stick to spin-off titles set in this universe...
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
May 29, 2020
This final volume made me realize that reading Black Hammer was one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made.
At first, I thought the characters were unoriginal , but I found the premise to be interesting. By the second volume, I grew fond of the characters as well, as that volume had some good character development. But at the end, I think the book has lost its identity and theme altogether.
It's as if the writer himself is confused about what he is trying to convey through these books. Is this book supposed to be a parody, or a meta commentary regarding the mainstream superhero comic books? It is difficult to answer because it fails in being both.
Ultimately, I just want to admire what amazing artwork Dean Ormston has done throughout the series, despite serious health conditions.
At first, I thought the characters were unoriginal , but I found the premise to be interesting. By the second volume, I grew fond of the characters as well, as that volume had some good character development. But at the end, I think the book has lost its identity and theme altogether.
It's as if the writer himself is confused about what he is trying to convey through these books. Is this book supposed to be a parody, or a meta commentary regarding the mainstream superhero comic books? It is difficult to answer because it fails in being both.
Ultimately, I just want to admire what amazing artwork Dean Ormston has done throughout the series, despite serious health conditions.
May 19, 2020
Some parts of Black Hammer ended on my favorite shelf, with spin-off Doctor Star & the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows being my favorite, but sadly ending is simply not satisfying. It starts off very badly. First two volumes are little too much meta and where probably weakest wrting I seen from Lemire. It gets better after that but but for story that was subtly emotional and atmospheric ending left me indifferent.
September 23, 2021
I'm in the midst of a week-long project to catch up with the Black Hammer sequel and spin-offs. Up now is the conclusion of the story begun in the first issue.
So this series has repeatedly pretended to make real progress on the last page of one volume only to walk it all the way back for the next in order to drag things out and take more homage detours. This time our heroes reboot without their memories into a world without superheroes. Conveniently, one of them does remember and sets out to get the band back together in time to stop an impending apocalypse.
I was hoping that like Alan Moore's Watchmen, Lemire was going to take all his pastiche characters and use them to make a real statement about superheroes or comic books or something, but he seems content to simply wallow in DC Comics nostalgia and invite all his fellow fanboys to join him in the mud. And the mud felt squishy and warm between my toes for a while, but now its drying out and leaving grit in sensitive places.
It really doesn't help that Lemire pulled the bury your gays trope these last two volumes. Ugh.
So this series has repeatedly pretended to make real progress on the last page of one volume only to walk it all the way back for the next in order to drag things out and take more homage detours. This time our heroes reboot without their memories into a world without superheroes. Conveniently, one of them does remember and sets out to get the band back together in time to stop an impending apocalypse.
I was hoping that like Alan Moore's Watchmen, Lemire was going to take all his pastiche characters and use them to make a real statement about superheroes or comic books or something, but he seems content to simply wallow in DC Comics nostalgia and invite all his fellow fanboys to join him in the mud. And the mud felt squishy and warm between my toes for a while, but now its drying out and leaving grit in sensitive places.
It really doesn't help that Lemire pulled the bury your gays trope these last two volumes. Ugh.
March 6, 2020
At first I wasn't digging this. The first two issues are pretty silly and not all that good.
Luckily that changes after issue 1-2.
Everyone has forgotten who they are. There's no such things as heroes. What happened? Well Dragonfly happened. Is this another alternate dimension? Why is the Anti-God returning? Lucy remembers it all but why is her father here? So many questions, so little time, and Black Hammer wraps up its first "Season".
Luckily the characters are so strong. Everyone has great character development and moments. I also loved the ending, as it was the only way it was ever going to really end. The twist on what has to happen is near too. Not a huge fan of the first two issues as the art is weird and also not that interesting plot wise.
Overall, great ending once get past the start. A 4 out of 5.
Luckily that changes after issue 1-2.
Everyone has forgotten who they are. There's no such things as heroes. What happened? Well Dragonfly happened. Is this another alternate dimension? Why is the Anti-God returning? Lucy remembers it all but why is her father here? So many questions, so little time, and Black Hammer wraps up its first "Season".
Luckily the characters are so strong. Everyone has great character development and moments. I also loved the ending, as it was the only way it was ever going to really end. The twist on what has to happen is near too. Not a huge fan of the first two issues as the art is weird and also not that interesting plot wise.
Overall, great ending once get past the start. A 4 out of 5.
December 6, 2021
Colonel weird goes on a meta journey and meets unfinished characters of stories and well its a very meta tale of how one comes from a creators head or its co creators or in a way Lemire reminding us of the people behind the comic and how it takes a team to create stories and they are never uncompleted and he goes meta with this volume like he did with Gideon falls and its fun and weird like the character.
But then we get caught up with the reboot clearly inspired by COIE or HoM and its fun seeing how characters are remembering their previous lives in this reality one by one, first Talky-walky and then Lucy and Abe, and its kinda intriguing to see how these heroes are in the reboot lives but what happens with them afterwards is shocking or could be considered a well send off and maybe Lemire sort of saying that the heroes golden and silver age came and went and now its time to send them off for good and its humans turn to step up and make the world better.
Like I said the story has many metaphorical connotations and on one hand could be considered weird and frustrating like the way the story ends but I kinda like how its a send off to these lovely characters we came to know over the course of this volume and its fantastic in a weird way and cool I guess.
I like the redemption of Dragonfly and also the role Lucy plays and how she is selected as the ultimate protector now and kinda excited to see what stories and adventures she has going forward! An amazing ending to a great story and the art throughout <3!
But then we get caught up with the reboot clearly inspired by COIE or HoM and its fun seeing how characters are remembering their previous lives in this reality one by one, first Talky-walky and then Lucy and Abe, and its kinda intriguing to see how these heroes are in the reboot lives but what happens with them afterwards is shocking or could be considered a well send off and maybe Lemire sort of saying that the heroes golden and silver age came and went and now its time to send them off for good and its humans turn to step up and make the world better.
Like I said the story has many metaphorical connotations and on one hand could be considered weird and frustrating like the way the story ends but I kinda like how its a send off to these lovely characters we came to know over the course of this volume and its fantastic in a weird way and cool I guess.
I like the redemption of Dragonfly and also the role Lucy plays and how she is selected as the ultimate protector now and kinda excited to see what stories and adventures she has going forward! An amazing ending to a great story and the art throughout <3!
April 2, 2020
Ye gods this title is frustrating. It feints toward a potentially interesting fourth-wall-breaking meta-comic resolution, then flails around for a while before doubling down on the lazy, insipid maintain-the-balance-between-good-and-evil ending.
There are more homage-to-the-history-of-comics elements here--animal sidekicks, adventure characters, soldiers and knights--but they're just drive by's. There's nothing compelling or interesting about them and they're gone after a few pages.
The Jekyll version of Lemire--deep seeing writer of Essex County, Roughneck, The Nobody--is one of my all time favorite graphic novelists. Black Hammer Vol 4 Age of Doom Pt Two (and again, what the hell with that numbering, man??) is full blown Mr Hyde.
Plot points:
There are more homage-to-the-history-of-comics elements here--animal sidekicks, adventure characters, soldiers and knights--but they're just drive by's. There's nothing compelling or interesting about them and they're gone after a few pages.
The Jekyll version of Lemire--deep seeing writer of Essex County, Roughneck, The Nobody--is one of my all time favorite graphic novelists. Black Hammer Vol 4 Age of Doom Pt Two (and again, what the hell with that numbering, man??) is full blown Mr Hyde.
Plot points:
April 5, 2022
I don't want to say much about this as to avoid spoilers, but this brings a fitting and emotional ending to the main Black Hammer series. The ending might be a bit thematically controversial for some, but personally, I really enjoyed this! This series and the entire world it's created is something to be revered. Can't wait to see where the World of Black Hammer goes from here.
November 24, 2023
Both the art and story go sideways in the first couple of issues in this volume..
Plus I hate when creators try to get fancy and try to show the "story within the story" and this is no exception..with the Creators and characters with unfinished stories.
The story of does sort of get back on track...but the ending doesn't gell...it just sort of finishes..
At least for now.
At least sassy Tammy came back!!
Plus I hate when creators try to get fancy and try to show the "story within the story" and this is no exception..with the Creators and characters with unfinished stories.
The story of does sort of get back on track...but the ending doesn't gell...it just sort of finishes..
At least for now.
At least sassy Tammy came back!!
January 4, 2020
(Wow, donked one star off my initial rating and poof, my first review disappeared..)
Disappointingly weak ending, especially after spending so much time with these characters. Basically another iteration of .
I have never been convinced by the we-have-to-balance-good-and-evil idea of the Black Hammer universe, it feels arbitrary and too easily accepted by everyone involved. And then there's the moment where Madame Dragonfly explains why she doinked everyone in the farm to begin with.. turns out it was because of and my eyes basically roll out of my head.
(Read as seven single issues)
Disappointingly weak ending, especially after spending so much time with these characters. Basically another iteration of .
I have never been convinced by the we-have-to-balance-good-and-evil idea of the Black Hammer universe, it feels arbitrary and too easily accepted by everyone involved. And then there's the moment where Madame Dragonfly explains why she doinked everyone in the farm to begin with.. turns out it was because of and my eyes basically roll out of my head.
(Read as seven single issues)
October 4, 2019
"Hey, bitch, nice house."
This was good, I hated the art from the first two issues, and that whole story seemed a bit too meta and silly for me. The ending, or non-ending was good, happy/sad. I am intrigued as to what is next...
This was good, I hated the art from the first two issues, and that whole story seemed a bit too meta and silly for me. The ending, or non-ending was good, happy/sad. I am intrigued as to what is next...
October 2, 2019
Following in Mark Millar’s footsteps, Jeff Lemire now seemingly writes every one of his creator-owned books as though it’s a TV pitch. In the case of Black Hammer, I wouldn’t mind its television aspirations so much if I didn’t also get the sense that it wears its “prestige” badge a little too proudly on its sleeve.
Nevertheless, this concluding (for now) arc of the main Black Hammer book ties up a lot of loose threads—albeit in eye-rolling and unsatisfying ways.
[Read in single issues]
Nevertheless, this concluding (for now) arc of the main Black Hammer book ties up a lot of loose threads—albeit in eye-rolling and unsatisfying ways.
[Read in single issues]
February 29, 2020
3.5 stars. Both poignant and a little frustrating, as it was great to have the gang back together again, but I’m not sure I liked where they ended up, despite their contentment. I am also unclear if this is the end-end, or only the close of a chapter, especially as we are told in one of the other volumes that there is a Black Hammer team in the far future. A feeling of “Is there more?” had me looking past the end pages for some sign or answer.
I’ve really enjoyed this series and the various side stories, and I want more stories of Lucy Weber being awesome.
I’ve really enjoyed this series and the various side stories, and I want more stories of Lucy Weber being awesome.
November 24, 2020
Well this horrible comic series is over with this volume. Bad art and rambling writing made this a bad read all the way around. I even took a break between volumes to see if I just needed to give the series a fresh chance. Nope still horrible. Not recommended at all
July 7, 2024
I am happy with the ending. That’s all I will say about it.
November 20, 2019
In this volume the artwork decided to suck more than the story. Almost. Then there's the names. Holy crap, they couldn't be more ridiculous. Is this comic a parody? Can't be. Parodies are sometimes funny and this awful comic has nothing going for it. The characters, the dialogue (if 'Oink! Oink!' and 'Quack! Quack' are dialogue), the ridiculous plot, the deus ex machinas. Everything sucks and the flashbacks are back with a vengeance. This feels like the story that is going to make me stop reading anything by Lemire ever again, so let's make fun of it! I won't mark any spoilers here as the story is the very definition of spolied - devastated, impaired, wrecked (I looked it up in a thesaurus).
Upon leaving the Para-Zone, Weird finds himself in a... weird world that rapidly changes from one setting to the next. He is guided by the chain-smoking Inspector Insector (not a typo), then he meets a slew of ridiculously-named characters from unrealized stories. The broken-legged Ms. Moonbeam, Soldier X with no face, the constipated Mister Grizzly, Excali-Burt the medieval swordsman (what wordplay!), Stella Steela who is at least trying to be hot as a female Indiana Jones, Ham Samwich the pig, Barbaly-Bunny the rabbit and Golden Goose the goose. Once more: HOLY CRAP! Weird finds that this world was created by the minds of ordinary people. To return to his friends he must find their story. Which he does easily and never again meets the characters above - something I also hope to do for the rest of my life.
Mark Marks the Martian (what a mouthful) was exiled on his home planet because of his beliefs. He is secretly building a space ship to leave for Earth. Meanwhile a rusted Talky approaches Lucy in a rewritten reality with information about her father from the previous reality. Abe is a museum guard and in my opinion the winner of the most useless character in the series.
Lucy discovers her father's hammer and remembers everything. She reunites with Talky, then makes Abe remember the real events, kidnaps a now-senile Gail from hospital, meets Colonel Weird who is planted there out of thin air and finally visits Mars to get the whole screwy team back together. What a good time for Lucy to disappear again. She meets her father in New World and finds that Anti-God is coming back. He must be defeated by killing the heroes. Here we go again. Hey, Lemire, send them to the farm again! I wrote the previous sentence before reading the final issue - you'll see why it's almost funny in a minute.
After a long scene dedicated to the heroes' regrets about losing what they had on the farm, they decide to fight Anti-God once more. Cause they're heroes. They need soccer mom Madame Butterfly's help. Originality seems to be thrown out the window when, even though she complains about not being able to pull it off, Madame Butterfly does the exact same thing to combat Anti-God like before - she sends the heroes to the farm. At least she gives them their heart's desire, but seriously, how sucky can an ending be?!
Upon leaving the Para-Zone, Weird finds himself in a... weird world that rapidly changes from one setting to the next. He is guided by the chain-smoking Inspector Insector (not a typo), then he meets a slew of ridiculously-named characters from unrealized stories. The broken-legged Ms. Moonbeam, Soldier X with no face, the constipated Mister Grizzly, Excali-Burt the medieval swordsman (what wordplay!), Stella Steela who is at least trying to be hot as a female Indiana Jones, Ham Samwich the pig, Barbaly-Bunny the rabbit and Golden Goose the goose. Once more: HOLY CRAP! Weird finds that this world was created by the minds of ordinary people. To return to his friends he must find their story. Which he does easily and never again meets the characters above - something I also hope to do for the rest of my life.
Mark Marks the Martian (what a mouthful) was exiled on his home planet because of his beliefs. He is secretly building a space ship to leave for Earth. Meanwhile a rusted Talky approaches Lucy in a rewritten reality with information about her father from the previous reality. Abe is a museum guard and in my opinion the winner of the most useless character in the series.
Lucy discovers her father's hammer and remembers everything. She reunites with Talky, then makes Abe remember the real events, kidnaps a now-senile Gail from hospital, meets Colonel Weird who is planted there out of thin air and finally visits Mars to get the whole screwy team back together. What a good time for Lucy to disappear again. She meets her father in New World and finds that Anti-God is coming back. He must be defeated by killing the heroes. Here we go again. Hey, Lemire, send them to the farm again! I wrote the previous sentence before reading the final issue - you'll see why it's almost funny in a minute.
After a long scene dedicated to the heroes' regrets about losing what they had on the farm, they decide to fight Anti-God once more. Cause they're heroes. They need soccer mom Madame Butterfly's help. Originality seems to be thrown out the window when, even though she complains about not being able to pull it off, Madame Butterfly does the exact same thing to combat Anti-God like before - she sends the heroes to the farm. At least she gives them their heart's desire, but seriously, how sucky can an ending be?!
March 30, 2020
...and so we return and begin again.
The resolution to Black Hammer is interesting. On one hand, there is no real "win" for the heroes. The reality of the situation is one that truly solidifies the label of Heroes for these characters, but could be regarded as the ultimate sacrifice for the entire universe. On the other hand, the characters get a happy ending...of sorts. And while the entire series is predicated on the need to move away from, what they view as a cage, ultimately its where they find themselves most at peace. And it's for the best reason, for the sake of everything.
I think Lemire does a great job of giving us an emotional resolution to the series. A lot of the book has to do with the inner angst of each character, and their desires and needs as motivating factors that propel them forward. And whether or not they choose to seek out, or hide these desires, is really the catalyst for what they do in life and how they conduct themselves. Ultimately, they get the happy ending they want because their needs and desires are fulfilled. Even though the reality of the situation, from our perspective, could be deemed as a bad thing or bad ending.
This was a great series by Lemire and Ormston. It really was a character study with the backdrop of superhero comics. A lot of cool and interesting moments along the way kept this series fresh and fun to read.
Highly recommended for people who like a more introspective look at superhero comics.
The resolution to Black Hammer is interesting. On one hand, there is no real "win" for the heroes. The reality of the situation is one that truly solidifies the label of Heroes for these characters, but could be regarded as the ultimate sacrifice for the entire universe. On the other hand, the characters get a happy ending...of sorts. And while the entire series is predicated on the need to move away from, what they view as a cage, ultimately its where they find themselves most at peace. And it's for the best reason, for the sake of everything.
I think Lemire does a great job of giving us an emotional resolution to the series. A lot of the book has to do with the inner angst of each character, and their desires and needs as motivating factors that propel them forward. And whether or not they choose to seek out, or hide these desires, is really the catalyst for what they do in life and how they conduct themselves. Ultimately, they get the happy ending they want because their needs and desires are fulfilled. Even though the reality of the situation, from our perspective, could be deemed as a bad thing or bad ending.
This was a great series by Lemire and Ormston. It really was a character study with the backdrop of superhero comics. A lot of cool and interesting moments along the way kept this series fresh and fun to read.
Highly recommended for people who like a more introspective look at superhero comics.
January 29, 2020
So Lemire read Morrison's ultimate "what's a fourth wall?" moment in Animal Man and said, "I can do that, too!" And he did. And those issues, which all firmly live beyond the fourth wall, are the best part of the book. But then we apparently had to wrap things up, and it just felt rushed. I can see where this must have been planned out, but I still feel like something, and I'm not sure what, is missing.
May 29, 2019
Black hammer is literally literally perfect. 5 stars.
November 10, 2024
Después de mucho marear la perdiz, Lemire da un cierre digno al arco, que si no fuera porque sé que hay más volúmenes pensaría que es el de la historia, en general.
March 26, 2020
With this volume, the series comes to what appears to be a satisfying conclusion. I kind of hope that is the end, actually, though I suppose it wouldn't be the first time I’ve prematurely thought a series was over.
Story and art have remained high quality throughout. It's a pleasant blend of homage to classic superhero tropes and Lemire’s more indie sensibilities.
Not much else to say without spoiling anything, really. Highly recommended!
Story and art have remained high quality throughout. It's a pleasant blend of homage to classic superhero tropes and Lemire’s more indie sensibilities.
Not much else to say without spoiling anything, really. Highly recommended!
March 30, 2020
The ending to the series was not what I expected. It felt slightly underwhelming from all the built up/reveals beautifully done in the third volume. Regardless, it will remain one of my favorite series. One of the main factors is that it is essentially a meta parody off the idea of superheroes and you can tell Jeff Lemire is a fan of the genre. I greatly enjoyed that aspect of it. Black Hammer didn't take itself seriously, which made it all the more fun to read; it was self-aware. It truly felt like a love letter from a fan.
The reason I wasn't too disappointed in the ending to the series was Lucy as a character. She was my favorite, and she carried her narrative well. Her inner monologues were always something I looked forward to reading. Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Doom, issue #12, is what added to Lucy's introduction into the series as a fully realized character. Personally, I was satisfied with her ending. If you looked at the ending through different characters and their lens, you might end up liking the ending more, at least I did.
Overall, 5.00 star series. I can see why people didn't like the art in the first few issues. I agree it ain't cute, nor is it great, but I thought it was intentionally unfinished. It added to the idea that the "story may have changed, but is not finished yet" [Colonial Weird, issue #2]. In addition, this notion wraps up where Lucy as Black Hammer ends up towards the end of volume with her role, along with a few other characters.
Black Hammer as a whole is worth adding to your collection.
The reason I wasn't too disappointed in the ending to the series was Lucy as a character. She was my favorite, and she carried her narrative well. Her inner monologues were always something I looked forward to reading. Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Doom, issue #12, is what added to Lucy's introduction into the series as a fully realized character. Personally, I was satisfied with her ending. If you looked at the ending through different characters and their lens, you might end up liking the ending more, at least I did.
Overall, 5.00 star series. I can see why people didn't like the art in the first few issues. I agree it ain't cute, nor is it great, but I thought it was intentionally unfinished. It added to the idea that the "story may have changed, but is not finished yet" [Colonial Weird, issue #2]. In addition, this notion wraps up where Lucy as Black Hammer ends up towards the end of volume with her role, along with a few other characters.
Black Hammer as a whole is worth adding to your collection.
December 3, 2019
Black Hammer feels like its losing steam in this volume. The story is going in circles (), and I wasn't impressed by the ending.
To be more specific, made me groan out loud..
3.5 stars
(Read as seven single issues)
To be more specific, made me groan out loud..
3.5 stars
(Read as seven single issues)
March 14, 2020
A somewhat disappointing finale, mainly because it feels like the comic has no idea where it's going. First, we get two issues with the unpublished heroes, which I have no idea why they're there, and then we're back on the old trope of no one remembering who they are, and again it's entirely unclear as to why this story is here.
The last issue feels like it gives great closure and a great finale to the series ... but the entire volume before it feels slightly pointless and not up to the great standards of the previous volumes.
So, 3.5 stars maybe? It seems like Lemire ran out of steam.
The last issue feels like it gives great closure and a great finale to the series ... but the entire volume before it feels slightly pointless and not up to the great standards of the previous volumes.
So, 3.5 stars maybe? It seems like Lemire ran out of steam.
February 22, 2020
I didn’t like the opening two issues. This wasn’t really a very original concept and seemed somewhat repetitive of the earlier story. (How many times can a forgetful, almost amnesiac hero be jolted into remembering?) This was just kind of a let down from what I expected. Yet it was nice to revisit these characters and bring this whole title to a conclusion. (At least I think it’s over.)
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