The heart’s true desire.
Creative Staff:
Story: Jeff Lemire
Art: Max Fiumara
Colors: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Nate Piekos of Blambot
What They Say:
Former hero Doctor Star, desperately trying to save his ailing son, has searched the galaxy to find a cure. When it becomes clear that it may be for naught, he returns home for a long-promised journey with his boy.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The final installment of this miniseries plays out as it must and I have to say that I’m glad (and was reasonably sure) that Jeff Lemire would go there. This has been an intriguing tale but one tied to the reality of what kind of sadness would exist and that things can’t be smoothed over with most people when things go badly. And Lemire really clicked well with Max Fiumara in bringing it to life because that edge of sadness is in the artwork in a really haunting way, particularly with what Dave Stewart does with the colors and keeping the overall continuity amid all the Black Hammer books.
Jim’s life hasn’t been difficult since he came back and realized his mistake with time and he’s been paying for it heavily. The temptation to go and explore the great unknown as offered by the Star Force is something that’s hard to deny and seeing him there amid all the others talking about the need to keep moving forward since you can’t change the past is rough. There’s truth in that but there’s more to it than just that, hence his coming back to spend Charlie’s last days with him. The exploration of the past is what resonates the most though as we see how everything changed in the 70’s and 80’s after coming back and watching how many heroes were out there now and how unneeded he was, allowing him to just work and come up with a number of patents.
But his greatest desire was to really understand what happened with Joan while he was gone, though there are obvious answers to that which bled into how Charlie treats him. Seeing how things continue and his inability to get through and then the ravages of time taking place, with Abe showing up as a kind of grim reaper, just reinforces the harshness of it all. But what works better is how he understands that even before he went into space that he had checked out of his relationship to a good degree and knows how bad he was with all of it. So while he can’t do anything to help at this point all he can do is to be there for Charlie. Those last pages are just heartbreaking to watch unfold because it does play it as realistically as it can be in what a father will do for a child and that hits me deep.
In Summary:
With little in the way of anything in the fantastic here overall, this is a very small and personal installment with Jim dealing with the harsh reality of his life choices. Lemire and Fiumara gave us a great story that adds more character to the Black Hammer universe in all the right ways. It’s a beautiful tale overall and it doesn’t go for quick and easy fixes but instead simply delivers the reality of it and that makes for a strong connection. These read very well in individual form but I can imagine it’ll be an even stronger read when done in a full sitting/trade. Very recommended.
Grade: A-
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: June 6th, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
