A complicated past makes for a difficult if impossible present.
Creative Staff:
Story: Jeff Lemire
Art: Caitlin Yarsky
Colors: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Nate Piekos of BLAMBOT
What They Say:
Twenty years ago, Lucy Weber fought madmen and monsters–today she finds her marriage falling apart and her children in danger. And now past threats–and rogue heroes–return to herald the end of the world!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Digging more into this world, which is certainly quite different in a whole host of ways from when we knew some of these characters previously on the Farm and before they got there, has been a lot of fun. Jeff Lemire’s look at the life that Lucy has lead since then and where it’s landed her is definitely interesting while expanding on the larger universe. Lemire’s pick to work with Caitlin Yarsky was a huge high point for me with the previous issue when it came to the artwork and I really like that it’s held up here and builds on what came before. It reminds me a lot of what the original series had, which I can attribute to Dave Stewart’s masterful use of color design, but it has a different kind of expressiveness that works just as well to amplify the situations. I
The back and forth aspect of this over the twenty-year period isn’t badly done but it’s just a little frustrating at times with what it does. At its core, the story feels like it’s more and more about the relationship between Lucy and Elliot and the fallout from it across all other aspects of their lives. We get to see one of their early counseling sessions, perhaps their first, but there’s a huge wall there because Lucy can’t or won’t talk about her true past. And that plays a huge part in their relationship as we see through the flashback as that’s how they met. Elliot was originally Lightning Rod, a dorky twig of a man who wanted to be a hero but got caught up in some seriously low-rent crime in order to pay his rent. Lucy, at the time, gave him an out for it and you can see how a relationship developed from there, awkwardly and all.
But in the here and now, we see just how badly things have gone. Those in long-term relationships may find it more relatable and understandable as we see how Elliot completely screwed up by having an affair, which he’s trying to find a way to work through with her in counseling, but she’s resistant to any kind of dialogue, which you can also understand. But there’s also the reality that Lucy has put all her focus on the kids – to the detriment of everyone else overall in the family – and it’s tied to her putting away the Black Hammer outfit. And her inability to talk about that or engage with Elliot at this point means the whole thing is just a disaster. The book does give us a little time with a few other things, including a world-ending event that’s starting, but the reality is that it’s all about this core relationship.
In Summary:
I love the Black Hammer world and all its strangeness and this one delivers that right at the end with a special appearance that always signifies something weird is coming up. But this issue really is all about character drama with its focus on Lucy and Elliot in a really good way. I really like the relationship material that’s explored in here and the shift in past and present to highlight various aspects of it overall. I’m really looking forward to seeing more of what’s to come here with and to see how it’s brought to life. I continue to really enjoy this series and it surprises me in so many ways.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: September 1st, 2021
MSRP: $3.99
