The Black Hammer gets swung along its arc, in Dark Horse’s Black Hammer, Age of Doom issue 2.
Writer Jeff Lemire and artist Dean Ormston (Dave Stewart on colours) combine forces again this month, taking us further into the dark world of The Black Hammer. Hammer has been brought into a “bar”, which the bartender tells her functions as a kind of ‘waiting room’. As Hammer finds out, the bar is also a portal to Hell.
From there, our tale unfolds to show Satan, other tricksters, and other portals. Plus Gail, a young girl with an old soul, looking to find information at the local library.
Black Hammer is a fascinating read. Lemire is in fine form, leading us along the path of weirdness, where each panel serves to unveil the seemingly unlimited reaches of his imagination. Dean Ormston contributes strongly here too. His method of concise panel design and understated (if you can ever call images of demons in Hell ‘understated) depictions of otherworldly apparitions help balance out the equation. It’s weird, but drawn so matter of factly that we tend to accept this dimension-crossing tale.
Highly recommended for its open-minded venture into strongly crafted strangeness!
Dark Horse, The Black Hammer: Age of Doom, $3.99 for 25 pages of content. Not rated, but presume: Teen
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