BrutalGamer Bringing you Brutally Honest feedback from today's entertainment industry.
Have you been reading Black Hammer from Dark Horse? If not, then you’ll be happy to know that there’s a graphic novel of the opening arc on the way.
Drop the hammer
Black Hammer is a great book. Like, really great. So, there it is- my endorsement. Even with that though, I have to admit that I dropped off from the run after only a few issues, since my reading time sometimes runs pretty thin.
It’s one of the reasons that I’m pumped to see this novelization hitting soon, which collects the first six issues. Officially the ‘Secret Origins’ arc, this is the opening storyline for the book, which introduced readers to the eclectic cast of heroes that find themselves trapped in a very strange setting.
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!
Interested? Then you can expect to find this collected edition on shelves next week; on March 29th.
I bow to none in my admiration for Jeff Lemire (both as a writer and artist). But the excellence of Black Hammer owes at least as much to Dean Ormston’s gorgeous artwork as to Lemire’s superb writing, and I feel your headline should reflect that.
I’m a pretty big fan of Lemire, but you’re definitely right on about the art, Ormston’s GREAT.
Are you still liking the book overall? I’m going to pick up the graphic novel to finish the first arc, but has it kept up the level of quality past that?
Thanks Jay – I tried to reply earlier, but seem to have failed in my attempt! Apologies if my previous reply was a bit tetchy as I did enjoy the article. It’s just that there seems to be a tendency to credit writers more than artists, and as comics are a collaborative medium I feel that’s a bit unfair.
Dean Ormston has been producing good stuff since the 1990s: there was some eye-catching fully painted art on Judge Dredd, before the distinctive line work that helps make Black Hammer so enjoyable emerged. He is well worth seeking out.
Anyway yes, I have enjoyed every issue since it started, and the quality shows no sign of declining. The latest issue features the origin and fate of Black Hammer himself, done in a manner that appeals to the Lee/Kirby Thor fan in me!
Damn, I have to check that out then. It’s not every day that you can recall talent like that in today’s market. Not that I’m saying there’s no quality out there, but you get what I mean.
And no worries about tone, I tend to get a little picky about comics from time to time too 😉