Mysterious And Heavy Lands The “Black Hammer #1” On The Wednesday Run

First issues.

They get me excited!

And first issues by great creators that I trust and whose work I constantly follow due to their reverence for the history of the comic book art forum – as well as their interests in turning it on its head? Well, that makes a “Wednesday Run” to the local comic book shop all that much easier!

And hurried!

In that vein, today sees the release of a brand new superhero series from some pretty incredible talent. Action-filled and full of mystery, adventure, and science fiction elements, it’s a series that should prove worthy of your monthly comic book reading habits.

After a lot of buildup and a lot of anxious wait, today finally sees the release of Black Hammer #1!

Black Hammer #1

Written by: Jeff Lemire

Illustrated by: Dean Ormston

Published by: Dark Horse Comics

Published by Dark Horse Comics, (who also publish the great Dept.H. by Matt and Sharlene Kindt), Black Hammer is a new monthly series from fan and industry favourite writer, Jeff Lemire (Descender, Sweet Tooth, Essex County) and illustrator Dean Ormston (Sandman, Lucifer, Judge Dredd).

It’s a pretty exciting pairing, especially since they’re partnered with colourist extraordinaire, Dave Stewart on the title.

The history behind the Black Hammer series actually goes back a number of years.

Lemire had actually been working on his story for the better part of a decade, with the series to have been released a year ago from Dark Horse Comics. Unfortunately, artist Dean Ormston suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in early 2015. He recovered, thankfully, and began the labored work of catching up on the series during the months that followed. And caught up he did.

So then, after a long, expectant, wait, Black Hammer finally lets the, uh, hammer fall!

Highly touted through the industry grapevine, Black Hammer tells the story of a group of superheroes during a superhero age that has long since passed. But the series is not just another nostalgic, albeit, twenty-first century take, on comic book pop culture. Lemire and Ormston add aspects of science fiction into their storytelling ingredients list. “Erased” from existence, these heroes are trapped in time, a sort of pocket universe brought on by a multiversal crisis, years ago.

Add in a sense of mystery, and you’ll understand why, with characters named Abraham Slam, Madame Dragonfly, Colonel Weird… and the Barbalien, trouble seems to find this group of heroes no matter where… or when… they are.

I, for one, can’t wait!

You can catch a sneak pick of the first issue right here. After that, make the run to your local comic book shop and pick up Black Hammer #1 today. The wait has been long enough!