Comic Review: Black Hammer/Justice League #1

Black Hammer/Justice League #1

Dark Horse

Writer: Jeff Lemire

Artist: Micheal Walsh

Black Hammer/Justice League is a strange concept from the get-go. Many of the Black Hammer characters are directly inspired by the ones they’re crossing over with, making the idea of this crossover hard to wrap my mind around. Luckily, strange is exactly the area in which Black Hammer thrives. This first issue serves not only to remind me what I love about Black Hammer, but also what I miss about the Justice League.

This issue drops us in familiar territory; the Black Hammer farm with the characters we know and love. They bicker and complain like we’re used to about the issues they always bicker and complain about. It strikes me not as lazy, but as a quick entryway into this world for Justice League fans. As I haven’t read Black Hammer in a few months, it was nice that it didn’t overwhelm me with new plot points in which I might feel a disconnect. It feels firmly placed outside of continuity on both ends of the aisle, which is exactly what it needs to be. Trying to tie this story into either continuity would likely be an unnecessarily convoluted train wreck.

Similarly, the Justice League portions of this story are very familiar. The difference for me is that I haven’t read this kind of League story in quite some time. The League is not concerned with the universe collapsing or a Crisis, they’re just trying to beat the bad guy. It’s refreshingly simple and fun. While we only get a small taste of it, the taste was invigorating and makes me want more.

The two elements work separately, but what really matters is if they can work together. While I can’t be certain yet that they will, I’m at least be certain that what drives them together works. Crossing the two properties over could easily become dumb and full of convolutions. Instead, it continues with the idea of simple and fun. It’s not an out-of-left-field Doctor Manhattan reveal, but it does make perfect sense and made me smile. That’s all I can really ask for. Though we don’t get much of the crossover besides the inciting event, it’s worth noting that there is some narrative mirroring at the beginning and end that act as delightful bookends.

Michael Walsh is an artist I’ve liked quite a bit since his fill-ins on Hawkeye. His pleasant style compliments the storybook nature of the captions very nicely. His storytelling and composition are strong of course, but I really want to shout out his choices in costuming. Flash has no lines on his suit, Superman has his trunks, and Wonder Woman has a cape. Someone catch me, because I may faint. It’s why a book like this works so well out-of-continuity because it allows the creators to pull the good stuff and leave the dumb stuff behind.

Black Hammer/Justice League #1 may not tread a whole lot of new ground, but the old ground feels just as fresh.  The two properties are handled precisely and allow new readers to blend right in without feeling that they’re missing out on something. While much of the actual crossover’s quality will be dependent on the following issues, this is still a rock-solid start. It’s the most fun I’ve had reading Justice League in quite some time.