Things are only getting worse in a world after the Anti-God.
Creative Staff:
Story: Jeff Lemire
Art: Teddy Kristiansen
Letterer: Nate Piekos of BLAMBOT
What They Say:
Insect gumshoe Inspector Insector sets up office in Supertown as a detective-for-hire while an evil political force enforces its totalitarian policies on the city and its heroes.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Black Hammer brought things to a close with The End back in March 2024 and while I knew it likely wasn’t truly the end, I expected it to be a bit longer before we returned to Spiral City. Not that I’m complaining because Lemire’s got a knack for expanding and introducing things while playing off the core material – and the classic comics of decades from long ago – and that makes for an intriguing turn of events. For this series, Black Hammer has Teddy Kristiansen on the art duties and it provides its own distinctiveness to it. It still feels very much in the world of Black Hammer as established previously, but it also is its own thing in some really good ways. Ward’s layouts look good but I really dig the character placement and movement of the camera around situations in order to deliver a really good experience as a reader.
The opening installment to this had its moments to be sure but things are bleak in a way that a lot of Black Hammer hasn’t been before and that’s interesting. We get to follow a few different stories here that will eventually come together but it’s just good to flesh out different aspects of what’s going on in the city. There’s a definitive push to make sure things in Supertown stay there and that they’re not worth the time of day, such as when a murder occurs and Insector is trying to get the detective to realize there’s more to do than just bag the guy. But as the detective says, there’s murder and then there’s Murder and resources are not being allocated to this area. We get a hint of how things are being manipulated at the time by peering in at TRIDENT for a bit with Mr. Gold and his plans and how they view Supertown but it’s pretty straightforward to anyone who has learned anything about real America’s past and what places like this are treated as.
The other stories playing throughout this are certainly interesting as well. We see how Belle is struggling with her other side that’s continually tearing her down but she’s insistent on continuing on with the concert and tour even as her staff try to dissuade her. She’s on the right side of it here but it’s brutal when she goes out to perform and a good chunk of the sold-out show is there to just verbally and physically abuse her. The other tale playing out here with more exploration is that of Torres, the Concreteador, who upon arriving at Paladin for his interview is told that policy changed overnight and there are too many liability issues to higher a person like him and his abilities. Just his presence feels intimidating so they come up with a way to get rid of him easily, but it’s a familiar story of the tough guy unable to function in “polite” society and he has to figure out a way to earn money for his family and kids who have medical issues. It’s not a surprising turn to prizefighting, but it’s a solid exploration of another working-class character being screwed over and over and over.
In Summary:
I definitely enjoyed the opening issue of this series but the second issue digs down harder into what these characters are going through and the current state of Spiral City. A lot of the opening was just trying to get a handle on the changes to the world after the main event and getting time to let things breathe here with the characters makes it so much more engaging. There are a lot of moving parts here that while they may be familiar are excellently handled and I’m excited to see where each of them goes, where some surprises might come from, and the way they’ll overlap as time goes on and the larger story reveals itself. I’m invested in each of the characters – and that isn’t always easy with Inspector Insector!
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: December 18th, 2024
MSRP: $3.99
