Black Hammer Age of Doom #8 // Review
The be-all end-all of superhero pastiche comics has finally returned! After the mind-bending events of the previous arc of the series, Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston return to shed light on their soft reboot, adding yet another layer of meta-commentary to the title. From Crises, relaunches, tie-in series’ and even an annual, Lemire brings his best work to the table as he uses explores the superhero genre and inspiration from every aspect of comics to deliver a book like no other yet remaining oddly familiar.
After leaving the Para-Zone through a gateway in space and heading towards a flash of white light, the series stood on standstill as readers waited for answers. Return to Spiral City and witness as no one recalls the events that had occurred previously. No one remembers ever being a hero or any heroes for that matter, all but one. Lucy Weber finds her life to be still missing something, something that she can’t decipher until she gets an ominous phone call promising to reveal the truth about this world and Lucy’s father, Black Hammer.
Dean Ormston delivers some of his most influential work to the series yet. No action scene scenes, no epic space splash pages, just raw character-driven moments to hammer in the scope of what has occurred post reboot. The establishing shots of the city landscapes, the personal character beats, these are what push the series into an upper echelon and give them the actual weight typical superhero comics could never achieve. Dave Stewart drives this issue home with his rugged and polish he adds to Ormston’s signature pencil work. Legendary artist Bill Sienkiewicz makes an epic appearance with a stunning variant cover for the series.
As a genuine love letter to superhero comics as a whole, Jeff Lemire continues to use every aspect of the medium as a storytelling device. Beyond the surface level amalgamation of various heroes, this title drives home what makes heroes so unique but more importantly what makes comics so special in how you can press the medium in multiple directions in which other mediums cannot embark. Lemire is a blessing to comics as a whole; everything he touches turns to gold.
As it stands, this is easily hands down the unique and inspired superhero comic published outside of the big two in years, if not ever. Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston continue to weave a truly magnificent journey for this group of heroes and readers alike as they continue to look for a way home. With calls to everything to Warren Ellis himself and The New Gods, this series delivers an unforgettable “inside baseball” inspired superhero tale for the ages.
