Black Hammer: Age of Doom #4
Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Dean Ormston
In the recent issue of Jeff Lemire’s Eisner award-winning series Black Hammer, recently rebranded as Black Hammer Age of Doom, it seems like all of the answers to the major plot points will be answered in this issue: What happened to Lucy’s father? Why are these heroes stuck in Rockwood? What is Rockwood? Are major characters masterminds of the whole conspiracy? That remains to be seen. There is a huge twist/reveal that won’t be revealed but that has me hooked and salivating for more. But this twist only brings up more questions, which is both amazing and aggravating. In Lemire’s homage to Bronze age superheroes he is also creating one hell of a paranormal mystery/thriller, and with the recent additions of Doctor Star and Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows, Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil and The Quantum Age, Lemire is building a universe to rival Mignola’s Hellboy universe at Dark Horse Publishing.
This series really incapsulates Lemire’s breadth as a writer from imaginative paranormal thrillers (Gideon Falls) to honest family portraits and personal interactions (Royal City and Essex County). This issue is a microcosm of that breadth, with the paranormal twist and the interactions between the characters. The issue really shines in the conversations between Abraham Slam with Barbalien about the nature of accepting your fate. Even the interactions between Colonel Weird and Madame Dragonfly are endearing. The characters feel like fully actualized men and women dealing with their dire circumstances in the most human of ways. That is what makes this comic stand out amongst all other superhero stories, is its unique blend of classic superheroes, twilight zone-esque supernatural storytellings, all told with honest fully realized human characters.
The art in the Black Hammer books has been solid. This issue follows suit and Ormston delivers crisp art but nothing mind-blowing. The major splash page is great, but what makes it pop is not the art but its placement in the story as a contrast to the previous conversation. A lot of Ormston’s prowess here is shown through his paneling and how he lays out the story on the page. And behind him, Dave Stewart is a master of colors and creating atmospheres. Each separate tale has its own palette that mirrors the setting. Madame Dragonfly’s cabin is dark and heavily shadowed, and the farmhouse is golden representing the false hope and reality that Abe and Barbalien are entrapped in.
Overall this issue is a winner and hopefully signals a turning point in the series where we start getting answers. But I am just along for the ride, and what a Hell of a ride it has been. The issue really illustrates Jeff Lemire’s ability as a writer drawing on all of his influences. He creates the most endearing characters in comics in my personal opinion. The art is solid like always and really shines in the coloring work by Dave Stewart and Dean Ormston’s paneling and how it paces out the story.