Black Hammer: The End #1 Advance Review: A Near-Perfect Start to This Saga's Final Chapter
Jeff Lemire's Black Hammer epic has arrived at its final story arc (for now).
At long last Black Hammer is coming to an end. Later this month, Dark Horse Comics will release Black Hammer: The End #1, a new mini-series officially bringing this beloved indie superhero saga to a close. Picking up immediately after the events of Black Hammer: Reborn, The End takes readers back to The Farm in a Easter egg-filled premiere sure to excite those who have kept up with the expansive universe so far.
As seen in Reborn, the ParaVerse is in the process of collapsing and the likes of Colonel Weird and Skulldigger hope Black Hammer (a.k.a. Lucy Weber) will do what she can to save lives across every reality. Fast forward to The End and Weber's done with being a superhero, hoping to live out her remaining years safe on The Farm with her family, far from Anti-God and Spiral City.
At first glance, Black Hammer: The End #1 is astonishingly exciting, technically serving as the first event of this indie intellectual property. The story begins converging in an organic fashion, with little (if anything) feeling forced or unnatural. It carries that throughout the duration of the issue, a palpable thread of excitement weaving its way from page to page.
That excitement, however, comes to a screeching halt at the end as readers are treading to more shenanigans from Randall Weird, the time-traveling spaceman who's seemingly been the key all along – even though it's nearly impossible to understand him at times. In a classic Lemire-ian move, the status quo is upset in the issue's closing pages as Weird introduces even more mystery into the mix. For an issue that's fueled by a well-paced and exceptionally rewarding script, the last two or three pages may snap some readers out of the allure with a jarring tonal shift.
Malachi Ward's lineart—surprising no one—is one of the best elements of the comic book, with a style that is both respectful of comics' bright pop art, Silver Age style, yet refreshed enough to fit in with the dark and gritty look and feel fans have come to know and love throughout Black Hammer. Black Hammer: The End #1 is a very promising beginning to this epic story's conclusion, only pulled in one too many directions to provide the perfect launch.
Published by Dark Horse Comics
On August 30, 2023
Written by Jeff Lemire
Art by Malachi Ward
Color Assists by Bryce Davidson
Letters by Nate Piekos
Cover by Malachi Ward
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