Comic Review: Black Hammer: Age of Doom #5

Black Hammer: Age of Doom #5

Dark Horse

Writer: Jeff Lemire

Artist: Dean Ormston

In the last issue of Black Hammer: Age of Doom it seemed as if all of our questions were set to be answered. Have they been? For the most part yes. In issue #5 the mystery behind the farm revealed itself and the future of the story is wide open. This issue has wonderful writing as always from Jeff Lemire and crisp art from Dean Ormston. As the series and the universe, Lemire created begins to open up, new facets previously hinted at starting to take shape. I can’t wait for the rest of the series and to see what is next in the Lemireverse.

Characters & Story

To be honest, I feared that the series would fall apart as major plot hooks from the original series began to be resolved. I am glad to say that the series has hooked me even more. Lemire is a master of creating characters that are deeply human and relatable, illustrated in the first run of Black Hammer and the stories from the Lemireverse. This is one of the major strengths of this issue as the Lemireverse makes its second cameo. In the original series, Sherlock Frankenstein made a cameo in issue #2 which explores Golden Gail’s character. Now in the rebranded Black Hammer: Age of Doom we find out Doctor Starr from Doctor Starr and the Lost Kingdom is responsible for Lucy’s appearance at the farm. While Colonel Weird and Madame Butterfly’s plans are revealed in this issue, their motivations interest me even more. Especially Colonel Weird. Lemire again blends classic comic book tropes that should be tired and creates something fresh.

Art

Dean Ormstons art in this issue is again on point. Especially as the setting changes from the mysterious farm into the mysterious Para-Zone. I must say that Ormston’s art style shines much more when he is flirting with the absurd. His panels of the Para-Zone embody the absurd as eyes and brain neurons float in empty space. It is often reminiscent of the atmospheric effects that Jack Kirby drew deepening the homage that created this comic. This embodiment of the absurd is best illustrated in the splash page describing how the original Black Hammer died. In this panel, the docile farm is juxtaposed with the absurd setting of the Para-Zone with an equally unnerving illustration of the Black Hammer straddling this border. Here Ormston shines and I look forward to seeing him explore this setting and the rest of the Lemireverse in more detail.

Overview

Another fantastic issue of Black Hammer: Age of Doom by Jeff Lemire. As both the series and universe Lemire created begin to open up, the series does not fall flat and lose steam. Rather it ramps up giving readers more hooks and promises of a grandiose story that we are only beginning to understand.