Black Hammer, Vol. 3: Age of Doom Part One Review

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: In the fourth volume of Jeff Lemire's indie superhero series, Lucy Weber takes on the torch as the next Black Hammer while finding out startling details about the farm/small-town setting our motley crew of characters are surrounded by.

My Thoughts: Before continuing my review, I should note that I have not read any of Jeff's mainstream comics for Marvel and DC and thus cannot draw any analogies to them. However, I can state with aplomb that Black Hammer is another great ongoing series from the hardest working man in the comics industry. While the superhero deconstruction trope has been done to death since Watchmen, it works perfectly here because the characters, mythology, and even the story of disillusionment were unique in their own Jeff Lemire-esque way as well as the subtle homage to golden-age comic books. This volume continues the tradition with more twists, turns, and mystery making it my favorite one yet. I suppose what I mean to say is Black Hammer is a venerable homage to the golden age conflated with modern deconstructionist elements along with the supernatural and sci-fi meshed together, making it more original than your typical superhero comic.

Final Thoughts: Black Hammer Vol 3: Age of Doom Part One is an excellent volume of an already superb series worth pursuing whether you're a Jeff Lemire fan or someone looking for a superhero comic different from what's on the mainstream.