A slow and brutal falling apart moment.
Creative Staff:
Story: Jeff Lemire
Art: Dean Ormston
Colors: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Todd Klein
What They Say:
In the forties, Abraham Slam faced such menaces as the psychedelic Florist and the eldritch Cthu-Lou without breaking a sweat. But keeping the heroes of Black Hammer Farm from each others throats when his girlfriend comes to dinner proves far more perilous! Meanwhile, the Black Hammer’s daughter uncovers new clues to the exiled heroes disappearance!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
It’s hard to believe we’re only at the fourth installment of Black Hammer as it really does feel like the book has been running for a year with all that it’s done so far. The characters have come to life in past and present, the situation that they’re in now is compelling, and we’ve had teases of how a potential fix will come into play through some brief end pages. The careful exploration of individual characters alongside the group side of it while also showcasing past events – and Black Hammer himself as well – is a delicate balance to work by Lemire has nailed and Ormstron has made is so visually engaging and intriguing that you find yourself wishing this was the launching point for Comics Greatest World as opposed to what we’ve had in the last few years.
This installment works its familiar two-track approach as we get the one character focus and things in this particular place where everyone is. The flashback side works really well as we dig into Abraham’s past as a kind of poor man’s Captain America that couldn’t serve in WWII but instead just worked his ass off to get strong and learn to fight, thanks to a boxer named Punch. That all goes badly in the end for Punch but it pushes Abraham to become a hero and face crime head on in costume. It’s pretty well done for what we get between Abraham and Punch but it was the shorter sequence with Black Hammer that really resonated well in how Abraham is only able to do so much as, in 1979, the foes they’re facing are just too big compared to traditional bank robbers and the like. It’s an obvious nod to the change in storytelling over the years as time goes on and the world becomes more complicated but I like how Abraham is presented in it and how it ties into the kind of sadness that still permeates him to this day.
The present day material is even more intriguing and exciting as we get Tammy coming over for dinner and seeing how Abraham handles all of this. With the kind of “family” that he has there are difficult aspects of sending some away so they’re not seen while others like Gail go full on little goth in order to torment Abraham. Abraham knows this is difficult for some of them to deal with but he’s clinging to something normal and will hurt them in order to try and have it. But it’s his time with the Colonel that really resonates the best as we see how he handles it and the way it becomes oh so beautifully intriguing and shocking as it goes on. For my money, however, Barbalien has the best lines in all of this as he torments Abraham and plays along with Gail for a bit. It’s definitely a very fun storyline with some dark consequences to come but it delivers the kind of excellent character material that I crave and which few series deliver.
In Summary:
Black Hammer is the best. It’s that simple. The team here does excellent work and I can’t wait to see where it’s going to go next and what crazy and weird revelations will hit. I’m glad we got some quality time with Abraham with his background this time as it’s going to factor into what’s to come sooner rather than later, but it was the whole household and dinner sequence that just made me fall even more in love with this book. Fantastic stuff all around that I can’t wait to get more of, which in itself feels like it will never be enough. Engaging, intriguing, wonderfully illustrated, and just damn fun.
Grade: A-
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: October 19th, 2016
MSRP: $3.99
