The World of Black Hammer, Vol. 1

The World of Black Hammer #1-2

by Jeff Lemire, David Rubín (Illustrator), Max Fiumara (Illustrator)

An expanded look at the world of Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston’s Eisner Award–winning Black Hammer universe, with two complete series drawn by David Rubín and Max Fiumara.

Sherlock Frankenstein lies at the heart of the mystery of what happened to Black Hammer, Spiral City’s greatest hero, and Black Hammer’s daughter is determined to uncover his role.
 
Doctor Andromeda , an aged crime fighter, desperately struggles to reconnect with his estranged son as he takes on personal demons and interstellar battles.
 
Collects Sherlock Frankenstein & the Legion of Evil and Doctor Andromeda and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows in an afforable omnibus format.
 

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Comic Book, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

256 pages, Paperback

Published July 4, 2023

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Jeff Lemire is a New York Times bestselling and award winning author, and creator of the acclaimed graphic novels Sweet Tooth, Essex County, The Underwater Welder, Trillium, Plutona, Black Hammer, Descender, Royal City, and Gideon Falls. His upcoming projects include a host of series and original graphic novels, including the fantasy series Ascender with Dustin Nguyen.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collects 2 of Jeff Lemire's best spinoffs of his Black Hammer world.

Sherlock Frankenstein & the Legion of Evil - Art by David Rubin and Dean Ormston
The Black Hammer's daughter, Lucy Weber, tries to track down her dad's arch nemesis, Sherlock Frankenstein, hoping he will lead to her father. For the first time, we are introduced to the villains of Jeff Lemire's ode to comicdom. David Rubin's art is made for these villains. Cthu-Lou was amazing. He needs his own miniseries! Chtu-Louise does get her own one-shot.


Doctor Andromeda & The Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows - Art by Max Fiumara
Doctor Star is a love letter to James Robinson's Starman comic of the 90's with a little Green Lantern twist thrown in. Star's real name is even James Robinson. Starman is one of my favorite comics and this does it justice. As with most Lemire comics, the story deals with father issues and regret. It's very reflective, of course. While set in the world of Black Hammer, this is a completely stand alone series unconnected to the larger story.

Max Fiurama's art is hit and miss. At times it's very detailed, while others his faces are weird triangles with huge foreheads and skinny necks.

FYI - Due to some copyright issues related to the crossover with the Justice League, Doctor Star's name has been changed to Doctor Andromeda in later editions, which I actually think is a better name.

Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

These first two spinoffs in Jeff Lemire’s Black Hammer universe are very enjoyable, essential, and surprisingly affecting. Both of these stories should probably be read between the first and second story arcs (found in Black Hammer: Library Edition, Volume 1), or right after the Library Edition.

This edition contains the first two spinoff stories, Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil and Doctor Star (now called Doctor Andromeda for legal reasons I guess) and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows reviewed in more detail at the links below:

Sherlock Frankenstein★★★★
Doctor Star★★★★★

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.

The first story follows Lucy Weber as she tries to piece together what happened with her dad. Ten years ago, her father, Black Hammer, and many other heroes, disappeared when they were fighting "Anti-God." Most believe the heroes were killed in the explosion, but Doctor Andromeda and Lucy have reason to believe that the heroes were transported somewhere else, and she uses her journalism experience to put together clues. Her trail leads her to needing to find Sherlock Frankenstein, one of the major super-villains of Spiral City.

The second story details how Doctor Andromeda discovered the Para-Zone and was able to harness its energy to give him super power. The U. S. Government was particularly keen on his development as a potential weapon to help in the fight against Hitler. One day, Doctor Andromeda discovers that there is intelligent life out there, and he rushes off to meet it. He makes a huge mistake that costs him his family, and he many years trying to right the wrongs he's committed against his wife and only son.

I have heard of Black Hammer before, and when this "volume one" popped up eligible for review, I assumed it was a newer collection of the first stories. This is not the case. These two stories are side adventures within the universe Lemire has set up over years and many, many volumes. That side, this volume was actually not a bad place to jump into the world of Black Hammer. I didn't feel like there was a whole back story I was missing, and Lemire provided enough background information throughout the two stories that I was able to get lost in these stories. Sherlock Frankenstein's story was interesting, but Doctor Andromeda stole the show for me. This story was narrated like a letter from Doctor Andromeda to his son. I don't always appreciate tons of narration as a way to tell the story, but this was done exceptionally well. The pace of this story was near-perfect, and the ending was enough to even get my cold heart to feel something.

I really enjoyed the rougher illustrations of Doctor Andromeda, provided by Max Fiumar. The jagged edges fit well with the edgier narration. The colors were also very fitting. Doctor Andromeda's reality is full of dull, drab tones, but his visit to the alien planet was lively and colorful. These color palettes mirror the Doctor's feelings about his settings - that Earth is wearisome and not as exciting as outer space.

Dark Horse rates this series as 14 . In Sherlock Frankenstein, there is a moment of partial nudity, but otherwise, nothing that would make this an inappropriate title for teens.

Sara's Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

This review was made possible with a digital reader copy from the publisher through Edelweiss.

[Vicente Ribes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black Hammer ha seguido expandiendose y después de su maravillosa saga principal se ha ramificado en diferentes spin offs que tratan sobre los origenes de algunos villanos y superheroes que aparecían en el cómic original. La verdad es que es una pasada como Lemire ha creado un universo de cómics que homenajea a los clásicos pero que también tiene su toque particular.
En este tomo encontramos 2 historias:

Sherlock Frankenstein & la legión del mal(**): Muy flojita esta historia sobre el villano principal de Spiral city donde vemos que le sucedió durante la batalla contra el No-dios. Apenas aporta nada nuevo. Prescindible.

El doctro Star y el reino del mañana(****): Un homenaje al cómic de Starman y un cómic con mucha sensibilidad . Este me ha encantado y tiene el sabor clásico que ya destilaban los primeros cómics de Black Hammer. La historia de un cientifico que descubre la manera de viajar por el espacio y como su trabajo le absorbe hasta el punto de perder a su familia.

[Fraser Simons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this more than Black Hammer vol1 I think! Works so well in tandem with it, and the actual plot is better crafted for both sets of stories. One, the daughter of Black Hammer, grown—a journalist trying to figure out what happened to the “main cast” of supers. The other, Doctor Andromeda’s life, essentially. While the later was more tangential, I found it overall more surprising and good. It starts off very trite and navigates to an original place, to great effect.

[Douglas Biggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, a confession: I love comic books. I have and I always will. I don't usually record them on goodreads because I can't swear that I read every one that I look at. For example, I also finished Superman: The WarWorld Saga this morning but am not including it on my book challenge because I can't swear that I read every single page and didn't just flip through some parts (side review: didn't love it, it felt like it went on forever and 3/4 of the book I'd already read in other collections from the library)

That was a long intro, but this book was awesome. Black Hammer is Jeff Lemire's creator owned comic book universe and I love it. This book collects 2 mini-series that are side stories to the main story of Black Hammer. If I could find a way to read the entire story I would but since I don't want to spend a couple hundred dollars buying all the trade paperbacks and since the library doesn't have every collection, this will have to tide me over for now. I have managed to avoid spoilers for the larger story and these 2 miniseries were full of twists and turns that were surprising and yet perfectly in line with the story; nothing felt like a cheat. The 2nd story about Dr. Andromeda was especially beautiful; a story about a superhero and the impact his adventures have on his wife and son. Just heart wrenching and outstanding. I almost teared up on the last page.

Black Hammer gets my highest level of comic book recommendations.

[James De León · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad to be back in the Black Hammer Universe. This book centers more around Sherlock Frankenstein and Dr. Andromeda. Both are pretty good and the Sherlock story ties better into the end of Black Hammer Volume 2. 



In Sherlock, Lucy Weber tries to track down the villain Sherlock Frankenstein. As we learn in Black Hammer Volume 1, her main goal is to find her dad, so her search for Sherlock is just so that it leads her to her dad. The Cthu-Lou tie-in was pretty cool and I'd like to see more about those characters.

In Dr. Andromeda, we see Lemire combine Starman and Green Lantern. I haven't read Starman so I'm sure I missed a few references, but I certainly caught the ones for Green Lantern. In the book, we see Dr. Andromeda age before our eyes and learn about his tragic life story. I ended up enjoying this story much more than Sherlock, but they're both great in their own way. 

This is easily an 8/10 for both art and story. I like the art much better than in the main series. 

[Matthew Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first couple series outside of the main Black Hammer title have been incredible. Sherlock Frankenstein dealt a little closer to the main title and was a great supplement to what was going on in the series so far and Doctor Andromeda was just something else completely. Not that it didn’t belong in this world, but the story was just a massive punch in the heart. Beautiful character storytelling like Lemire always hits. Couldn’t have been a more beautifully tragic story if he tried for it to be. Absolutely loving this world still!

[Rumi Bossche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black Hammer keeps amazing me. With this third library edition which is the first one after the man series, we get two completely different stories set in the World of Black Hammer. We have (here goes, its a long title) Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil and Doctor Andromeda and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows. Both unique in style and story, and ofcourse artwork. Each story stands on its own but makes the Black Hammer world or Hammerverse as some call it, a much bigger world. Sherlock Frankenstein is a deliciously weird villain who needs to be found by Lucy Weber the daughter of Black Hammer himself. The artwork by David Rubin is awesome. Bright colors,  over the top style, love it. Really need to find more of this guy. The story is also really good. In Doctor Andromeda,  we see a very sad but entertaining story with artwork from Max Fiumara a great artist who did some work in B.P.R.D. i had a Green Lantern vibe (hard to miss) but also touches of Watchmen in its story telling,  a great collection. Jeff Lemire is killing it with this series and i love to see more of it soon. Shout out to Cthul-Lou and Chtu-Louise, aswell, man these characters are crazy awesome! As always Dark Horse knows how to make a deluxe book, with matching spines, and overall just a great bang for your back.

4.5 stars.

[Cal Brunsdon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back to the World Of Black Hammer, with the first library edition! This oversized collection includes two independent mini series set before and during the events of the main Black Hammer series, expanding on Jeff Lemire’s superhero universe.
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The first story focuses on Sherlock Frankenstein, the 19th century literary mishmash of a villain first seen in the flagship series. Lemire’s dialogue is crisp as ever, and he spends a great deal of time introducing a slew of villains and ancillary BH characters, but the art wasn’t always my favourite and the resolution left a little to be desired. As in a lot of Lemire’s work, there’s no inherent conclusion - and that’s fine, neither does life - but a push in one direction might have elevated this for me.

On the other hand, the second story concerning an elderly spaceman named Doctor Andromeda was one of the best written comic books I’ve read in years. I don’t want to spoil too much for anyone who intends to grab it, but I found it to be genuinely moving. It’s a wonderfully authored character study, exploring what it means to be a hero and the consequences of committing ones life to a greater cause - and questioning whether that, in the end, is the most selfish act of all. Gloomily pencilled by Max Fiumara, several splash pages legitimately shocked me - and one almost brought me to tears. I couldn’t recommend it enough.
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[Michel Siskoid Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 1 of The World of Black Hammer collects two of Jeff Lemire's mini-series spinning out of Black Hammer, together spanning decades and deepening our sense of the world's history. Sherlock Frankenstein & the Legion of Evil has the future Black Hammer II interviewing villains who might help complete the picture of the day the heroes (and her dad) disappeared during Cris--I mean, the Cataclysm. it sets up a lot of Age of Doom. Doctor Andromeda and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows is a more stand-alone tale about BH's answer to Green Lantern, in which he comes to terms with ruining his family life with his superheroics. It's, like, really sad, folks. As usual, part of the joy IS discovering new twists on old ideas - Black Hammer is very much the DC/Marvel universes remixed and unmoored from continuity concerns - but there are also a lot of original ideas, usually growing out of bad puns brought to life by artists Dean Ormston and David Rubín. You can read Age of Doom before these and still understand what's going on, you'll get more out of it with this in the mix.

[Maciej · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uniwersum Jeffa Lemire'a i Deana Ormstona “Czarny Młot” doczekało się wydania zbiorczego dwóch spin-offowych historii. Sherlocka Frankensteina czytałem już jakiś czas temu natomiast historię Doktora Andromedę poznałem właśnie tutaj. Czytadło przyjemne i świetnie narysowane. Dla niewtajemniczonych w tym tomiszczu znajdują się dwa pełne tomy:
Sherlock Frankenstein & the Legion of Evil
oraz
Doctor Andromeda and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows

na skalach:
goodreads: 4,35/5
lubimyczytać: 8,7/10
u mnie: 87/100

[Childofhate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really didn't expect a spinoff series to be THIS fucking good. The Library Edition gives us two stories, the first one a bittersweet tale focusing on the supervillain Sherlock Frankenstein with an unusually wholesome tone and ending.
The second story, which focuses on Doctor Andromeda (originally Doctor Star), is a sad and depressing tale about the importance of family and how thoughtless actions can have unintended consequences. I'm not gonna lie, that final page made me shed a tear, and I don't think it was just coz I too have a young son, just like Doctor Andromeda did in the beginning of the flashbacks.

FINAL RATING - 4.5/5
Not essential to the core story of Black Hammer, but you don't want to miss it.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.

This is the beating heart of modern superhero comics. World of Black Hammer collects two mini-series that were published during the hiatus between the two halves of the main Black Hammer series. They're both great. Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil adds depth to the Hammerverse with beautifully vivid art and colors, and Doctor Andromeda and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows made me cry real tears.

I can't recommend these books highly enough.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sherlock was interesting to me. Andromeda dragged and felt unnecessary. Overall this series succeeds for me more in the strength of the idea then the regular execution. Big swings sometimes equals big misses.

[Eye-ra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly I don’t think I could pick a favorite between the two stories in this volume. I really enjoy the character of Sherlock F. But also hit a lot of emotions as well as super hero nostalgia with Capt. Andromeda. Great stuff.

[Devin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was incredible! Both stories were excellent. Frankenstein kept a permanent smile on my face while Andromeda almost brought me to tears. Read it all in one sitting because I didn’t want to put it down

[Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was devastating, but so good. The lore and characters of the World of Black Hammer are so deep and so raw. Andromeda's story? I was definitely crying. I love getting some back story with the villains as well. They are offbeat, but nuanced, and super inventive. This is a great series.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoilers

Excellent!

I was holding my daughter as she was dozing off while reading the last issue and tears were streaming down my face. So that’s an unfair 4-d experience. Though I don’t think Dr. Andromeda deserved absolution. At all. 0%.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this, two amazing stories that add to the lore and main storyline.

[Soteralzobooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.3

[Terrance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinarily good. May have ruined me for other comics.

[Jam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another fantastic volume of Black Hammer. Still proof for me, that Jeff Lemire is one of my new favourite writers in comics today.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two cool stories that flesh out the world of Black Hammer. Frankenstein is the bro.

[Chris Tower · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of these Black Hammer books are fantastic!! More on my blog at sensedoubt - dot- blogspot - dot com.

[John Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and poignant and touching side stories.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's all solidly written, and the art is fantastic from front to back. but Lemire's writing can sometimes slip from thoughtful to solipsistic, which can kill the narrative momentum. still, i found the character writing to be fantastic, and he remains someone that i always want to hear from, because even the bad parts are part and parcel of the good.

[doowopapocalypse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as an Arc.

[Joshua]

Fun sandbox