Black Hammer, Volume 1: Secret Origins

by Jeff Lemire, Dean Ormston (Illustrator)

Overview

Once they were heroes, but the age of heroes has long since passed. Banished from existence by a multiversal crisis, the old champions of Spiral City—Abraham Slam, Golden Gail, Colonel Weird, Madame Dragonfly, and Barbalien—now lead simple lives in an idyllic, timeless farming village from which there is no escape! But as they employ all of their super abilities to free themselves from this strange purgatory, a mysterious stranger works to bring them back into action for one last adventure! Collects Black Hammer #1-#6.

The first chapter in Jeff Lemire (The Underwater Welder, The Complete Essex County, Animal Man) and Dean Ormston's (Lucifer) acclaimed series!

“I don’t read many comics these days, and I can’t remember the last time I read a superhero comic, but I’m loving Black Hammer.” – Mike Mignola

“Black Hammer is easily one of Lemire’s best creations.” – Scott Snyder

“Amazing. Just flat-out amazing.” – Patton Oswalt

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781616557867
Publisher:	Dark Horse Comics
Publication date:	04/11/2017
Series:	Black Hammer Series
Pages:	152
Sales rank:	310,367
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

New York Times Bestselling author, Jeff Lemire, is the creator of the acclaimed graphic novels Sweet Tooth, Essex County, The Underwater Welder and Trillium. His upcoming projects include the original graphic novel Roughneck from Simon and Schuster, as well as the sci-fi series Descender for Image Comics (with Dustin Nguyen) and Black Hammer for Dark Horse Comics (with Dean Ormston). Jeff has also written Green Arrow, Justice League and Animal Man for DC Comics and Hawkeye for Marvel Comics. In 2008 and in 2013 Jeff won the Schuster Award for Best Canadian Cartoonist. He has also received The Doug Wright Award for Best Emerging Talent and the American Library Association's prestigious Alex Award, recognizing books for adults with specific teen appeal. He has also been nominated for 8 Eisner awards, 7 Harvey Awards and 8 Shuster Awards. In 2010 Essex County was named as one of the five Essential Canadian Novels of the Decade. He currently lives and works in Toronto with his wife and son. The author lives in Toronto, ON., Canada.

Editorial Reviews

★ 03/06/2017
Lemire’s best stories (the Essex County trilogy) are permeated with loss–his characters are always pining for something that once was and can never be again. While reveling in the pulp fantasies of silver age superhero comics and EC’s lurid sci-fi/horror stories, this collection is as much a study of loneliness and isolation as it is a superhero deconstruction. It opens with six former superheroes who’ve been mysteriously trapped on a small farm for a decade. Each chapter, beautifully illustrated by Ormston (Lucifer) with eerie, stripped-down realism, explores each hero’s identity, origins, and path to ending up on the farm. As the narrative unfolds, the haunting backstories add greater context and intrigue to the mysteries of the present. There’s an astonishing clarity to the characters and their motivations amid what could easily become a convoluted backstory filled with interstellar exploration, multiverse travelling, alien diplomacy, and quiet farm life. If Black Hammer lives up to its early promise, it will deserve a place on the shelf right next to the Watchmen series. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly