Black Hammer #7
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Dean Ormston
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
This week marks the return of Black Hammer to the comic book racks and I couldn’t be happier. The last issue hit the stands in late December. We had an all-star guest creators filled annual in mid January to tide us over but it’s nice to have a regular issue from the original creators back in our hands. The conclusion of issue #6 had a visitor from our protagonists previous lives arrive on the farm in the way of Black Hammer’s daughter, Lucy. This issue we learn more about her and her father.
The new arc begins with a back story on Black Hammer and how he came into his powers. The issue jumps between the Black Hammer back story and the present day story of Lucy on the farm trying to remember how she got there with the gang listening for clues on how they may be able to escape life in Rockwood. We get an amazingly emotional story from both time periods. Lemire does an incredible job in developing the Black Hammer character right from his origin at the soup kitchen discovering the all powerful hammer to the struggles he later faces in juggling his heroics and everyday family responsibilities. We get a real sense on the character’s integrity and moral spirit in one short issue. I find it amazing how much Lemire can pack into a 25 page comic. Not only do we get this complete back story but we also get a pretty poignant reunion between our main cast of characters and Lucy whom they haven’t seen since she was a little girl. Lucy, along with the reader, gets the full story on her father’s tragic death just trying to get home to fulfill a promise.
As with all the previous issues the art and colors are perfect for the story. The facial expressions and imagery throughout are bang on in representing the tone and mood conveyed by the storytelling. It’s really impressive how the artists switch up the style for the two different time frames. The back story is bright and has a more classic feel to it while the present day story is dark and gritty with a lot more shading and muted colors. The pain and despair the characters feel being stuck on the farm is really brought home by the gloomy color palate used.
This series delivers another solid chapter giving us one heck of an emotional read. We get some superb storytelling in Black Hammer’s origin and our current timeline moves along nicely as well. I can’t wait to see if something in Lucy’s story will offer our Rockwood gang a clue on how they can escape their predicament. The best news came at the end of the issue telling us #8 arrives in stores in less than a month, April 19th!
Artist: Dean Ormston
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
This week marks the return of Black Hammer to the comic book racks and I couldn’t be happier. The last issue hit the stands in late December. We had an all-star guest creators filled annual in mid January to tide us over but it’s nice to have a regular issue from the original creators back in our hands. The conclusion of issue #6 had a visitor from our protagonists previous lives arrive on the farm in the way of Black Hammer’s daughter, Lucy. This issue we learn more about her and her father.
The new arc begins with a back story on Black Hammer and how he came into his powers. The issue jumps between the Black Hammer back story and the present day story of Lucy on the farm trying to remember how she got there with the gang listening for clues on how they may be able to escape life in Rockwood. We get an amazingly emotional story from both time periods. Lemire does an incredible job in developing the Black Hammer character right from his origin at the soup kitchen discovering the all powerful hammer to the struggles he later faces in juggling his heroics and everyday family responsibilities. We get a real sense on the character’s integrity and moral spirit in one short issue. I find it amazing how much Lemire can pack into a 25 page comic. Not only do we get this complete back story but we also get a pretty poignant reunion between our main cast of characters and Lucy whom they haven’t seen since she was a little girl. Lucy, along with the reader, gets the full story on her father’s tragic death just trying to get home to fulfill a promise.
As with all the previous issues the art and colors are perfect for the story. The facial expressions and imagery throughout are bang on in representing the tone and mood conveyed by the storytelling. It’s really impressive how the artists switch up the style for the two different time frames. The back story is bright and has a more classic feel to it while the present day story is dark and gritty with a lot more shading and muted colors. The pain and despair the characters feel being stuck on the farm is really brought home by the gloomy color palate used.
This series delivers another solid chapter giving us one heck of an emotional read. We get some superb storytelling in Black Hammer’s origin and our current timeline moves along nicely as well. I can’t wait to see if something in Lucy’s story will offer our Rockwood gang a clue on how they can escape their predicament. The best news came at the end of the issue telling us #8 arrives in stores in less than a month, April 19th!
A Look Inside
