Black Hammer, Vol. 6: Reborn, Part II

Black Hammer

by Jeff Lemire, Malachi Ward (Illustrator), Matthew Sheean (Illustrator)

The Eisner Award-winning superhero saga returns in this ongoing series picking up twenty years later with artists Malachi Ward and Matthew Sheean.


A multidimensional nightmare unfolds and wreaks havoc on Spiral City as the powerful superhero known as the Black Hammer joins forces with the brutal vigilante known as the Skulldigger to put an end to this madness.

Black Hammer: Reborn is the next era of the Black Hammer Universe; a twelve-issue series by Jeff Lemire, Caitlin Yarsky, Malachi Ward and Matthew Sheean that juxtaposes an achingly human story of domestic life, marriage, parenthood, and destiny with a pulse-pounding superhero thriller that peels back new layers of mystery, and pulls the Black Hammer history into the present.

Collects Black Hammer: Reborn #5-#8.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

112 pages, Paperback

First published June 14, 2022

About the author

Librarian 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.

Reviews

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first Black Hammer arc where I find it difficult to see what the point of it is, from a storytelling point of view. I think this is partly because of the convoluted plot, which also feels as if the reader is rushed through it, eventhough it's told over 12 isssues (this book being the middle 4 issues).

At the end of the previous book Colonel Weird zaps (or shraks) Lucy's family, and then Lucy changes into Black Hammer and goes to see what is happening with this mirror Spiral City that has appeared and I find myself thinking wait, she just saw her family die before her eyes and that would devastate anyone, right, but apparently not Lucy who zips off and what is happening in this series!

Anyway, this series is Lemire's chance to dive into his version of the multiverse, which isn't suprising at all because of the existence of the Para-zone. I mean, if you have some extradimensional place like the Para-zone, you already basically have a multiverse.

So we get the return of Inspector Insector in Limbo, in a parallel running mini-series drawn by Rich Tomasso, and I'm not very fond of Lemire's Limbo, which is the place where unused fictional characters go to drink in a bar (apparently). It always feels a bit too meta, a bit too "I'm a writer" cutesy, if you will. It does tie into the main narrative, at least.

Not the strongest series, this, but let's see what the last third brings.

(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with an ARC through Edelweiss)

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

When will you sleep?
Justice never sleeps.
Right, of course not.

We’re twenty years in the future from the last volume in Black Hammer Reborn: Part II and as things open, it appears Black Hammer (Lucy) has destroyed Anti-God, but then no, not dead. You know, is anyone ever really dead in Endless Comics? Doc thinks that in what he calls the Paraverse Anti-God is still alive somewhere and . . . sleeping!

One theme here is nightmare/dream/sleep. As every0ne keeps saying, “it feels like a bad dream.” Much of the volume feels like a manic fever dream nightmare, as a lot of people talk about never sleeping, which causes you to hallucinate, of course. And if they all are, so are we.

Another central theme is an acknowledgement that there is, not just a universe, not just a multiverse, nope, but a PARAverse (!!), thanks to Doc Robnson, which means multiple simultaneous universes, with parallel characters in each universe. For instance, Colonel Weird--who is really used to weirdness--looks at himself in the mirror, and it’s not a mirror! It’s another version of himself! Occupying a different Parazone (ach!).

“I have no idea what is going on. I have no idea what I’m supposed to think or what I am doing.”--Lucy, to Skulldigger.

Me: I feel ya, Lucy, I am as lost as you are.

Cute pulp stuff: There’s a series of two-page entries into a side issue called Inspector Insector: In the Case of the Electric Boy, with characters with names like Stretch, Goose, Slammwich. I guess it’s just more of the same goofy comic-naming such as Talky Walky, Colonel Weird, and AntiGod as the ultimate villain of the uni-multi-paraverse. The difference is, these Inspector Insector characters never get used in comics, so they hang out in a bar waiting to be called into action. Cute meta moment.

How can we defeat AntiGod? Is it through The Parliament of the Weird? Or will Lucy and Skulldigger kill the Colonel first?

I like the artwork for this new era. What’s the meaning of it all? I have no idea. Fun. A return to pulpy comix goofiness, I guess. Zany manic comics.

[Rod Brown]

I still like Lucy Weber as a protagonist, but too much of the book is given over to Skulldigger, Doctor Andromeda, Colonel Weird, and Inspector Insector. My interest in the previous volume gets bogged down in the mud as the series starts spinning its tires again, pointlessly playing around with a multiverse concept.

This series began as a homage to DC Comics, but as it gets less specific in its tributes it has become a fairly generic superhero book with two-dimensional heroes punching a one-dimensional villain.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things get meta as Lucy and Colonel Weird head into the Paraverse to try and stop the multi-dimensional catastrophe set into motion by a familiar face.

As much as I want to be mad at Jeff Lemire (more on that next volume), I have to say I'm enjoying this. There's a lot of fun to be had with the character dynamics, and Colonel Weird is just weird enough to be fun without falling over onto the annoying side of things. I do wonder about the need to drag this out quite as far as it has been, but as I say, it's fun, so I can't be too mad at it.

The Inspector Insector back-up pages are almost better than the main story, to be honest. It's a shame that they aren't longer - the idea of characters that never came to be trying to find out why is something I'd love to see explored more, but the way Lemire manages to fold them into the main plot is pretty clever too.

Four issues to go, and it only gets (Colonel) weirder from here.

[Valéria. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the stars for Inspector Insector!
I liked where it continued, even though I am bored with all that multiverse shit. But the way it was written makes me wanna stay. Hope this ends well.

[Benji Glaab · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Lemire's Hammerverse he has masterfully created over the past 5-6 years. He has incorporated multiple comic genre's into the mix. After reading the main series and all it's spin-offs I'd say the payoff is great, and is probably the best way to maximize series enjoyment. I know everytime I pick one of these stories up it will be worthwhile.

So if you haven't picked up the original volumes and you are looking for a great creator owned expanded universe This one should definitely be on the top of your pile.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A volume later, I'm still not sure _why_ that happened at the end of Reborn I, but this is a nice balance between Hammer & Weird that fills in their backstories to this point and also expands the Black Hammer universe. I'm looking forward to how things conclude.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love how Goodreads' revamped method for titling comic book collections has totally ruined my ability to search for this one. It is not issue six of Black Hammer. It is Black Hammer Reborn: Part II. shakes fist at computer.

In any case, we pick up from the big cliffhanger in Part I, finding Lucy adrift after Colonel Weird disappeared her family. Before she can process, she's drawn to the mysterious invading Spiral City by Skulldigger. They need to find the "real" Doctor Andromeda, who seems to have made a terrible discovery about the Para-verse, which is a universe composed of the many Para-zones, which are themselves a multiverse. Yikes.

Also making this terrible discovery: Colonel Weird, who stars in the back half of the volume in an increasingly incoherent set of recurring dreams (?). Basically, this book is weird, folks, and not in a fun way. There's too much going on and no one is explaining it very well. I have no clue how Part III intends to wrap everything up.

The Inspector Insector back-up issues were nifty, though. Curious to see how they play a role in the big conclusion.

[Anna Quilter · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Middle volume of a 12 issue series.

And that probably explains why Lucy Weber isn't at centre stage.

It meanders and even though I am a fan of this world..it annoyed/bored me ...so let's hope for a better read in Part III

[Shaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Chris Greensmith · Rating 3 out of 5]

"And then...then we kill Colonel Weird."

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a very good follow-up to the much stronger first collection. Two whole issues devoted to Colonel Weird stuck in a time loop and wondering if he should shave--one would have been more than enough to get across the point of parallel universes. The artwork is strong again here, but the storytelling leaves much to be desired.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I only had a hammer.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeff Lemire teams with Malachi Ward and Matthew Sheeran to continue the latest adventures of Lucy Weber with Black Hammer Reborn: Part 2. Forced to step back into the tights, Lucy is determined to find answers for the loss of her family. As she delves into a multiversal murder mystery, Lucy reveals what happened to make her initially give up the costume. This also puts her at odds with violent vigilante Skulldigger, who just happens to be the only one who knows the truth of the warp zone events plaguing Spiral City. The volume codas with the metaphysical Colonel Weird discovering a whole space station of alternate selfs, setting the stage for the next volume’s finale. Lemire gets very sidetracked with his latest offering, bouncing between Lucy’s current predicament and Weird’s very own multiverse saga. Despite having handled everything well in the first volume, this second helping is extremely disjointed. It feels almost like filler, with a search for new ways to gets readers interested in alternate dimensions. The art Sykes of Ward and Sheeran do little to help matters, as they run the gamut from excitedly cartoonish to attempted realism. The uneven finish break up the overall narrative, and ruins all the world-building from the previous volume. Black Hammer Reborn: Part 2 makes the mistake of sequels, thusly failing to maintain course and driving off the rails.

[Koen Claeys · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black Hammer Reborn (Part 2) continues Jeff Lemire’s bold reinvention of the Black Hammer universe, but it’s a difficult volume to evaluate on its own, mainly because so much of it feels intentionally disorienting. The narrative leaps between timelines, dimensions and identities are with such frequency that it’s hard to get a firm grasp on where the story is heading or even what its central thesis is supposed to be. Characters reappear with new roles, plot threads emerge without resolution, and the emotional core that grounded the original series feels scattered.

It’s clear that Lemire is building toward something grand and possibly revelatory, but as a standalone volume, Part 2 raises more questions than it answers. That isn’t inherently a flaw—many middle chapters are meant to complicate rather than clarify—but the result here feels more like confusion than complexity.

Ultimately, the success of Black Hammer Reborn will hinge on how well the third and final part ties everything together. If the upcoming conclusion can provide coherence, emotional payoff, and thematic clarity, then Part 2 may be recontextualized as a necessary (if chaotic) bridge. But until then, it’s difficult to judge this installment as anything more than a well-drawn, ambitiously messy middle chapter.

[Alex E · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the more straightforward approach of the last volume, things get a bit more meta in this one.

So the focus shifts a bit to Skulldigger and Doctor Andromeda, as they try and figure out what is going with the city that appeared in the sky. Parallel universes, and of course - multiverses come into play as Jeff Lemire really begins to stretch the mythos of Black Hammer to the farthest reaches of storytelling. He also reacquaints us with the Parazone, so we have some interesting happening with Inspector Inspector and of course, Colonel Weird, who seems to be at the heart of everything.

I think Lemire's foray into a bigger universe is interesting, but it did feel a bit like he is going with the cultural norm at the moment. Currently every comic and tv show has to do with the multiverse, so this feels like it's following a trope of sorts. However, the story is really engaging, even if it is a bit rushed, and I'm definitely still here for it. Looking forward to the final volume of Black Hammer.

[Nate]

I dislike how these Reborn trades only have four issues. This is barely a sliver of the story! And the storytelling is decompressed as it is. Thankfully the series is complete and I’m reading it in one gulp, but it’s still a bother.

So this volume establishes that an alternate Spiral City is closing in on the one we know (this was unclear from the previous four issues). Lucy finds Skulldigger there and learns that the Doctor Andromeda she killed ten years ago is an evil version from this new Earth, and that the one she knows is locked away in jail there. The rest of the book consists of Colonel Weird drifting through the para-zone having vague revelations as usual. Lemire is doing his Black Hammer multiverse story here, and it’s not too exciting so far. We barely even see the alternate Spiral City. Though Malachi Ward and Matthew Sheean (a different art team from the first arc) make it lovely to look at.

Honestly, I liked the Inspector Insector backups more than the main storyline. Fumi-Gator and Doctor Zeus (with his Pantheon of Pain!) are amazing.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

So onwards with the further adventures of the latest Black Hammer. I'm enjoying this continuing series, with more revelations and cameos from other characters in this universe. I do wish these books were longer - they take a couple of hours to read and relish, but at fourteen quid a pop, it's a bit steep.
Skulldigger is the highlight for me once more, but Colonel Weird always holds a special place in my heart - partly due to Tyler Crooks illustrations in the Cosmagog - which brings me back to the artwork here.....I've enjoyed the various different artists that have contributed to this comic book universe, but there's something about the style in the Reborn series that I'm not overly keen on.
Is it too simple? Too digital looking? I'm not sure. I think it's too clean? It needs grubbiness.
That aside, an enjoyable read, and I'm ready for next installment.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was satisfyingly weird. I absolutely loved it! The idea of multiple parallel universes was well-played-out, and the characters jumped (or floated, as the case may be) off the page. This series is getting more and more bizarre as it goes, and I just discovered that I may have missed some of the volumes in the middle about various characters, so now I need to track those down. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants a different take on a superhero story or who enjoys the mind-stretching capabilities inherent in science-fiction.

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm starting to really dislike multiverse stories. They are always such a mind-fuck.

Seriously! The writing is good and the art is pretty decent but the plot... jesus f***ing christ, what a mess...

I just don't understand the point of all this. I like the idea of parallel universes and multiple realities but the way that ties to the story is just messy.

Also not a fan of the short story at the end of each issue. I get that Lemire is experimenting and maybe even tying to do a homage to comics he use to read but I don't think it's interesting.

Weak volume. Unfortunately.

[Vincent · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't emotionally "get" what is going on in this particular story line. I think part of it is that I don't have a particularly strong attachment to Lucy as Black Hammer since she wasn't part of the original cast.

The element I most liked was Colonel Weird's Groundhog Day and the parliament of Weird.

I liked James Robinson's Starman so it was sad for me to see the fate of Doctor Andromeda, both in his own Black Hammer series and then here.

[Robert Hudder · Rating 3 out of 5]

A switch in tone from the first one as the prime story switches away from Black Hammer in domesticity to finding out what happened. A lot of paraverse stuff here. Can't quite tell if this convoluted to poke fun or whether it is necessary to tell the story.

I am glad I have read the previous stuff or I would not necessarily think that this stands totally on its own. There is a family story here so it fits in Lemire's wheelhouse.

Other than those mild critiques, I am enjoying the ride.

[Jake Kilroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how much this superhero world builds out on its own terms, as if they're all legacy characters that your father and grandfather would've enjoyed, yet dissected and reassembled in a way that is so clearly a modern evaluation of Golden/Silver/Bronze Age comic books, all while being just a wonderfully curious story about a city in trouble with its heroes in deeper kinds of trouble.

[Norman Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

The three parts (12 issues) of "Reborn" make up one complete story, so need to be read together--see my overall review in Black Hammer, Vol. 7: Reborn, Part III.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this series is really gaining some momentum after it came to what was clearly planned as its end in the last arc. I've enjoyed all the side series and one-offs. And I wasn't so sure about this Reborn arc at first, but I think there's really something here that retains the spirit of the original series while breaking some new ground.

[Andres Pasten · Rating 3 out of 5]

De los pocos comics que me cuesta parar de leer. Aunque esas paginas dobles delirantes del Coronel Weird hacen darle más de una vuelta y revision. A esperar el final de esta nueva historia la proxima semana.

[Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t mind a story taking time to unfold, but this feels like it’s treading water. After a volume where a number of characters were established and mysteries were introduced, this just sort of… marinates.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there's certainly some good stuff in here, this just isn't hitting me like the original Black Hammer storyline had. I don't know, maybe this really demands to be read all at once, when all twelve issues have been completed.

[Etienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5/5. Mostly the same impression I had reading Reborn part 1. It didn't feel like a Black Hammer comic, maybe a bit more with Colonel Weird taking a big part in it, but we come so far from the original story and cast that I just don't recognize it anymore and the fun is just not the same anymore.

[Xroldx · Rating 2 out of 5]

Black Hammer used to be one of my favorite indie super hero titles but this is becoming a very confusing tale with way too much multiverses and characters I don't care about. I also miss the art of Dean Ormston.