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The World of Black Hammer #5
Colonel Weird: Cosmagog
From the world of the Eisner Award-winning Black Hammer series comes a bizarre, sci-fi adventure origin story!
Wacky space adventurer Colonel Randall Weird leaves Black Hammer farm and embarks on a strange journey through space and time for something that he's long forgotten, with his sanity and life at stake!
Collects Colonel Weird: Cosmogog #1-4 from the Eisner Award-winning team of Jeff Lemire and Harrow County's Tyler Crook!
Wacky space adventurer Colonel Randall Weird leaves Black Hammer farm and embarks on a strange journey through space and time for something that he's long forgotten, with his sanity and life at stake!
Collects Colonel Weird: Cosmogog #1-4 from the Eisner Award-winning team of Jeff Lemire and Harrow County's Tyler Crook!
112 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 9, 2021
4 people are currently reading
182 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Lemire
1,398 books3,867 followersLibrarian 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
March 8, 2021
This story doesn't really add much to Colonel Weird's story if you've read Black Hammer. (And if you haven't, why are you reading this first?) Jeff Lemire tells this story beautifully and Tyler Crooks watercolors work brilliantly both in the Parazone and those flashbacks to times past. God, that art is gorgeous.
March 11, 2021
Wow. I think this may be my favourite From the World of Black Hammer spin-off mini-series. Tyler Crook’s watercolour artwork was beautiful and Jeff Lemire’s story was... well, I guess that was beautiful too.
If you’re a Black Hammer fan, don’t miss this one. If you’re not, start with the main book; what are you waiting for?!
My next book: The Trembling of the Veil
If you’re a Black Hammer fan, don’t miss this one. If you’re not, start with the main book; what are you waiting for?!
My next book: The Trembling of the Veil
August 4, 2021
"What are we without our dreams and memories?"
Colonel Weird: Cosmagog is a spin-off of Jeff Lemire's ambitious and impressive Black Hammer comic book series that is essentially a nostalgic tribute to the days of fun superhero stories. The series involves several aging superheroes that end up on a farm outside Spiral City, without knowing why. Colonel Randall Weird is one of those folks, now old and experiencing memory problems; there's something he seems to have forgotten that is a key for him. Shall I tell you? SPOILER alert: It's a toy robot his mother gave him when he was ten, named Talky, who as it turns out is part of the whole Spiral City configuration.
The story of Randall involves him at four different ages: When he is a different and bullied boy at ten, wanting to escape; when he is in the 1950's as an astronaut, having left the planet; in 1976 when he returns with a flower in his hair, a guru or cult love fest hippie space man, floating in the air, and then in the present where he is this lost, anguished older guy.
Not much happens except that complaint: I seem to have forgotten something I need to recall, and then he does. Story: 3 stars, I'd say. But I give it an extra star because of the central feature of the four issues that comprise this volume: the inventive artwork of Tyler Crooks, perfect for Lemire stories. And particularly this one, which has this combination of nostalgic period work with which we associate Crooks's work in Harrow County and then this weird-ness we get because, you know, this is Colonel Weird. One episode involves large walking eyeballs. Why? Dunno. Hallucinogens from the 1976 Colonel?
There's a map Weirdo seems to encounter his whole life, a map like cave drawings, leading him to something. Feels a little like "if you build it, they will come," or Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Colonel Weird is likeable, the appearance of the comic is excellent, one of the best in the whole BH series, and Crooks includes an appendix on his art process that is great, as it was in his Harrow County series with Cullen Bunn.
Colonel Weird: Cosmagog is a spin-off of Jeff Lemire's ambitious and impressive Black Hammer comic book series that is essentially a nostalgic tribute to the days of fun superhero stories. The series involves several aging superheroes that end up on a farm outside Spiral City, without knowing why. Colonel Randall Weird is one of those folks, now old and experiencing memory problems; there's something he seems to have forgotten that is a key for him. Shall I tell you? SPOILER alert: It's a toy robot his mother gave him when he was ten, named Talky, who as it turns out is part of the whole Spiral City configuration.
The story of Randall involves him at four different ages: When he is a different and bullied boy at ten, wanting to escape; when he is in the 1950's as an astronaut, having left the planet; in 1976 when he returns with a flower in his hair, a guru or cult love fest hippie space man, floating in the air, and then in the present where he is this lost, anguished older guy.
Not much happens except that complaint: I seem to have forgotten something I need to recall, and then he does. Story: 3 stars, I'd say. But I give it an extra star because of the central feature of the four issues that comprise this volume: the inventive artwork of Tyler Crooks, perfect for Lemire stories. And particularly this one, which has this combination of nostalgic period work with which we associate Crooks's work in Harrow County and then this weird-ness we get because, you know, this is Colonel Weird. One episode involves large walking eyeballs. Why? Dunno. Hallucinogens from the 1976 Colonel?
There's a map Weirdo seems to encounter his whole life, a map like cave drawings, leading him to something. Feels a little like "if you build it, they will come," or Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Colonel Weird is likeable, the appearance of the comic is excellent, one of the best in the whole BH series, and Crooks includes an appendix on his art process that is great, as it was in his Harrow County series with Cullen Bunn.
March 9, 2021
SHRACK! We're back in the Black Hammer universe, this time focusing on everyone's favourite cross-dimensional time traveller, Colonel Weird.
We (and the Colonel himself) see Weird at different times in his life (SHRACK To The Future? oh dear..) - as a 10-year-old boy, as the young astronaut that ventures into the Parazone, as the returned Weird in the 70s when he has become a sort of cult leader, and the Weird we know best, the one that ends up on the farm.
The Colonel jumps through time and place, disappearing for long stretches of time to non-Parazone people (in other words, everybody else), knowing there is a pattern that is compelled to follow. But he has also forgotten something, something very important, and that is what he tries to recall in this book.
As most of Lemire's Black Hammer work, this is beautifully written, never becoming confusing or vague. Tyler Crook is a perfect artist for Lemire's universe, it's some of the best Black Hammer artwork I have seen.
My feeling is that you do need to have read the other Black Hammer books (at least the main series), I'd think this book would be quite incomprehensible otherwise.
(Kindly received an ARC from Dark Horse Books through Edelweiss)
We (and the Colonel himself) see Weird at different times in his life (SHRACK To The Future? oh dear..) - as a 10-year-old boy, as the young astronaut that ventures into the Parazone, as the returned Weird in the 70s when he has become a sort of cult leader, and the Weird we know best, the one that ends up on the farm.
The Colonel jumps through time and place, disappearing for long stretches of time to non-Parazone people (in other words, everybody else), knowing there is a pattern that is compelled to follow. But he has also forgotten something, something very important, and that is what he tries to recall in this book.
As most of Lemire's Black Hammer work, this is beautifully written, never becoming confusing or vague. Tyler Crook is a perfect artist for Lemire's universe, it's some of the best Black Hammer artwork I have seen.
My feeling is that you do need to have read the other Black Hammer books (at least the main series), I'd think this book would be quite incomprehensible otherwise.
(Kindly received an ARC from Dark Horse Books through Edelweiss)
February 10, 2021
Colonel Weird has forgotten something. Something very important. But he can't remember what it is. A literal trip down memory lane sheds light on the Colonel's strange origin, but can even that help him find what he has lost?
Cosmagog is a quick read - I managed to finish all four issues in under half an hour, since it proceeds at a fairly brisk pace. The Colonel's inner monologue is fragmented at best, so I'm glad Lemire doesn't overload us with it.
The nature of the story makes it difficult to work out if this is a prequel, sequel, or interquel to Black Hammer, but by the end you'll realise that the answer to all of those is 'yes', given the non-linear nature of the poor Colonel's existence. A lot of what we find out about him here isn't too surprising - he's one part Adam Strange, one part broken old man, but there's at least one little twist I wasn't expecting. I did think the ultimate reveal at the end of the story was going to link back to something earlier in the book that wasn't quite resolved, though.
Tyler Crook handles the artwork for these four issues, and I've not read anything by him before, but I do very much like it. It's similar in tone to what Werther Dell'edera's doing over on Something Is Killing The Children, a strange blend of pencils and watercolours that manages to make the mundane feel real and the psychedelic feel extremely alien.
Lemire's Black Hammer books have all been pretty solid additions to the canon, and Cosmagog sits nicely among them. As much as I have my issues with how the main series ultimately ended, it's nice to see that there's still plenty of story to be mined from the characters elsewhere.
Cosmagog is a quick read - I managed to finish all four issues in under half an hour, since it proceeds at a fairly brisk pace. The Colonel's inner monologue is fragmented at best, so I'm glad Lemire doesn't overload us with it.
The nature of the story makes it difficult to work out if this is a prequel, sequel, or interquel to Black Hammer, but by the end you'll realise that the answer to all of those is 'yes', given the non-linear nature of the poor Colonel's existence. A lot of what we find out about him here isn't too surprising - he's one part Adam Strange, one part broken old man, but there's at least one little twist I wasn't expecting. I did think the ultimate reveal at the end of the story was going to link back to something earlier in the book that wasn't quite resolved, though.
Tyler Crook handles the artwork for these four issues, and I've not read anything by him before, but I do very much like it. It's similar in tone to what Werther Dell'edera's doing over on Something Is Killing The Children, a strange blend of pencils and watercolours that manages to make the mundane feel real and the psychedelic feel extremely alien.
Lemire's Black Hammer books have all been pretty solid additions to the canon, and Cosmagog sits nicely among them. As much as I have my issues with how the main series ultimately ended, it's nice to see that there's still plenty of story to be mined from the characters elsewhere.
April 6, 2021
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Since Jeff Lemire’s and Dean Ormston’s Black Hammer project, this Dark Horse Comics imprint universe has grown in various directions on top of completing its original run. Several additional story arcs, sometimes handled by writers other than Jeff Lemire himself, have also been released to further explore characters, settings, and stories within this world that pays homage to superhero comic book stories. The latest spin-off installment within The World of Black Hammer presents fans with writer Jeff Lemire (Descender, Sweet Tooth, Essex County) and artist Tyler Crook (Harrow County, The Sixth Gun) teaming up to focus on one of the most mysterious heroes of Spiral City as he’s off on an uncomfortable journey through time and space to find answers to questions he does not yet have.
What is Colonel Weird: Cosmagog about? Space adventurer Colonel Randall Weird continues to find himself unable to fight the strange forces at work as he teleports through time and space to unusually familiar places without a clue in the world as to what he should be doing. This time, deep down, he feels like he’s missing a piece of the puzzle to this fractured universe as he goes off wandering into his past and future, vainly trying to figure out what exactly he has forgotten and that he so desperately needs to remember as soon as possible. Collecting all four issues of this graphic novel, the story explores one man’s journey for answers, unfortunately, filled with fear, loneliness, and guilt.
Within the Black Hammer series, Colonel Randall Weird was in fact quite weird. His character often appeared and disappeared like an untethered thought yet somehow, always held some kind of importance in the grand scheme of things. His tendency to be completely vague in his answers always seemed to hint that he had something to hide but never did we fully grasp his character as we do in this spin-off series that offers an origin story for the hero. Despite the attempt to elucidate his character’s mystery, we also find ourselves bombarded with additional questions, often feeling like the crevasse only grew in size rather than filled with answers.
Not only does his character revisit key moments of his life at a truly absurd pace and in an awkward fashion, going in and out of the Parazone when you least expect it, his character’s essence is also maintained throughout the story-telling format, showcasing his unshackled and unintelligible nature quite accurately. In fact, this story ultimately enlightens readers as to this hero’s role in facing the larger threat within this fractured universe while giving readers a better idea of his temporal and spatial predicament and its emotional toll on his psyche. It is this toll that could’ve benefited from a better, in-depth exploration for an overall better result.
In the same vein as Harrow County, artist Tyler Crook brings his A-game as he remains loyal to this series original artistic design while infusing with his own watercolour touch that brilliantly fits the purposefully confusing narrative. A sense of distortion of reality is also perfectly captured by the transition between panels but also the structure of said panels, never conforming to any traditional format. The sense of dread and disorientation in Colonel Weird’s character is also satisfyingly captured through his demeanour and facial expressions, essentially summarizing the reader’s own emotional states while going through this odd adventure.
Colonel Weird: Cosmagog is a wild and bizarre sci-fi adventure origin story that picks up a couple of loose ends along the way while tackling themes of loneliness and friendship.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
March 14, 2021
Cosmagog je jeden z tech lepsich spinnoffu Hammerversa.
Ackoliv je Colonel Weird je postava, ktera me vetsinou vytaci, tak tady clovek dostava odpovedi na nektery z otazek, ktery jeho linka v hlavni serii vyvolava.
Crookova kresba je nadhera, takze fanousci BH - smele do toho!
Ackoliv je Colonel Weird je postava, ktera me vetsinou vytaci, tak tady clovek dostava odpovedi na nektery z otazek, ktery jeho linka v hlavni serii vyvolava.
Crookova kresba je nadhera, takze fanousci BH - smele do toho!
September 28, 2021
Jeff Lemire channels the time traveling, fractured storytelling of Billy Pilgrim and/or Doctor Manhattan to delve into the secret origin of Colonel Randall Weird, a space explorer who has come unmoored in the space-time continuum and skips randomly through his own life lost in the pattern and seeking that which he has forgotten.
He's one of those guys who sort of accidentally lays waste to all the lives around him.
I'm not fond of this story overall, and I'm really confused by the ending. The colonel is a guy who either -- oops -- I really cannot tell what Lemire was going for there and look forward to seeing other people's interpretations of the closing pages.
He's one of those guys who sort of accidentally lays waste to all the lives around him.
I'm not fond of this story overall, and I'm really confused by the ending. The colonel is a guy who either -- oops -- I really cannot tell what Lemire was going for there and look forward to seeing other people's interpretations of the closing pages.
August 4, 2021
«Colonel Weird: Cosmogog» #1–4 Джеффа Леміра — це приклад лімітки у всесвіті «ЧМ», яка гарно доповнює його.
Полковник Дивак, космічний авантюрист на ім’я Рендалл, залишає ферму «ЧМ» і вирушає у дивну подорож у просторі й часі заради чогось, про що він давно забув. Проблема полковника — це проблема, яка існує в його власній голові, проблема, яку потрібно вирішити, але він водночас знає й не знає, як це зробити. Це формує, ще з часів оригінальної історії, враження, що у нас є персонаж, який ніколи не присутній у повній мірі. І постійно зростає відчуття, що він кружляє по колу, як вихор, що тягне його до якоїсь невідомої приреченості.
А ще, це хороший ориджин персонажа, який розкаже намір його минуле. Також важко не помітити схожість юного героя із Тен Теном чи омаж на «Маленького Принца», який прям світиться на обкладинці четвертого номеру. І це все заправлене шикарним малюнком Тайлера Крука.
Я задоволений і думаю, що такі лімітки потрібно робити.
Полковник Дивак, космічний авантюрист на ім’я Рендалл, залишає ферму «ЧМ» і вирушає у дивну подорож у просторі й часі заради чогось, про що він давно забув. Проблема полковника — це проблема, яка існує в його власній голові, проблема, яку потрібно вирішити, але він водночас знає й не знає, як це зробити. Це формує, ще з часів оригінальної історії, враження, що у нас є персонаж, який ніколи не присутній у повній мірі. І постійно зростає відчуття, що він кружляє по колу, як вихор, що тягне його до якоїсь невідомої приреченості.
А ще, це хороший ориджин персонажа, який розкаже намір його минуле. Також важко не помітити схожість юного героя із Тен Теном чи омаж на «Маленького Принца», який прям світиться на обкладинці четвертого номеру. І це все заправлене шикарним малюнком Тайлера Крука.
Я задоволений і думаю, що такі лімітки потрібно робити.
July 29, 2021
Colonel Weird ma od začiatku bavil a táto jednohubka krásne dokresluje jeho príbeh. Samozrejme dosť tomu, aby sa to páčilo, pomáha nádherne kresba Tylera Crooka. Aj keď to bolo fakt rýchle na prečítanie a veľa vecí sa tam opakovalo,c elé si to viem predstaviť ako film, kde by bola fakt pozornosť venovaná z obrovskej časti iba jemu. A nakoľko hodnotím subjektívne jak prasa a páčilo sa mi to fakt moc, tak full five.
March 16, 2022
Probably the most odd of all the Black Hammer characters (fittingly), Colonel Weird may have the most grounded of all the individual BH books. At its core, it deals with memories and how we interpret them. He's a man that is constantly reliving moments in his life while still being a slave to predestined outcomes. Until he isn't.
The book is sometimes sad, sometimes hopeful, and always well written.
The book is sometimes sad, sometimes hopeful, and always well written.
June 30, 2021
"This world belongs to me now--this planet will become....ANTI-EARTH!"
April 25, 2021
Another welcome addition to the hammer-verse. With all the spinoffs it should feel like Lemire is milking this story dry at this point, but I'm loving every extra story I can get my hands on.
January 9, 2026
pas pour moi....
July 25, 2021
Why was Weird so Weird? This comic reveals all in a tight, interconnected loop through Weird's history and the story of the Black Hammer comic alike. It's wonderfully timey-wimey and reveals a lot about the Colonel alike.
The top of thing you want to read again as soon as you get to the end (but other things beckon).
The top of thing you want to read again as soon as you get to the end (but other things beckon).
March 23, 2022
Ещё одна мини-серия в мире "Чёрного молота", на этот раз — сюрреалистичная драма про полковника Вейрда. Помните, в "Хранителях" Алан Мур в нескольких местах совершенно гениальным образом показал, как доктор Манхеттен живёт вне времени, он находится как бы сразу во всех временных отрезках своей жизни? Так вот здесь Лемир ещё дальше углубляет и исследует эту тему, и с одной стороны видно, как это сказывается на собственной психике героя, а с другой — на всех окружающих: родных, близких и друзьях.
Здесь же по ходу дела нам иной раз показываются сцены из основной сюжетной линии, и когда мы смотрим на них с точки зрения самого Вейрда, в его бессвязных бормотаниях появляется смысл. Из всех спин-оффов "Космагог" наиболее тесным образом завязан на основную серию; в конце мне пришлось даже перечитать её финал, который я уже забыл за два года (он находится в Age of Doom #12).
В общем, если читать "Чёрный молот" сейчас как одну большую книгу (желательно, пропуская наиболее трешовые ответвления типа The Quantum Age, Black Hammer '45 и кроссовер с "Лигой Справедливости"), то эта мини-серия, подозреваю, ложится туда как влитая, но и сама по себе она сделана довольно ловко и драматично. Мягкий арт тоже потрясающий, как и обложки от того же художника (он ещё рисовал "Округ Хэрроу" Калена Банна). Вот небольшое превью.
Здесь же по ходу дела нам иной раз показываются сцены из основной сюжетной линии, и когда мы смотрим на них с точки зрения самого Вейрда, в его бессвязных бормотаниях появляется смысл. Из всех спин-оффов "Космагог" наиболее тесным образом завязан на основную серию; в конце мне пришлось даже перечитать её финал, который я уже забыл за два года (он находится в Age of Doom #12).
В общем, если читать "Чёрный молот" сейчас как одну большую книгу (желательно, пропуская наиболее трешовые ответвления типа The Quantum Age, Black Hammer '45 и кроссовер с "Лигой Справедливости"), то эта мини-серия, подозреваю, ложится туда как влитая, но и сама по себе она сделана довольно ловко и драматично. Мягкий арт тоже потрясающий, как и обложки от того же художника (он ещё рисовал "Округ Хэрроу" Калена Банна). Вот небольшое превью.
February 13, 2021
Tyler Crook is one of my favorite comic book artists (go read Harrow County if you haven't yet) and Jeff Lemire is one of my favorite comic book writers (go read Moon Knight, Family Tree, Sweet Tooth, Gideon Falls and everything Black Hammer).
The two of them pairing up for a short Colonel Weird story is just so good that the only reason I'm giving it 4 stars is that I want more of this. I won't settle for anything less than a 1000 page omnibus.
Oh if you haven't anything in the Black Hammer universe so far I suggest you read the main title first otherwise it's hard to really understand this story.
The two of them pairing up for a short Colonel Weird story is just so good that the only reason I'm giving it 4 stars is that I want more of this. I won't settle for anything less than a 1000 page omnibus.
Oh if you haven't anything in the Black Hammer universe so far I suggest you read the main title first otherwise it's hard to really understand this story.
February 7, 2022
We get added insight into Colonel Weird, who definitely lives up to his name, in various incarnations as he bounces around time and space. Don't start the Black Hammer series with this volume, that's for sure! Its non-linear format is hard enough to follow even knowing how it fits into the larger Black Hammer universe. This seems to be Lemire's riff on characters like Watchmen's Doctor Manhattan for whom time and space hold no bounds. This is a short, fast read that really doesn't have a tidy ending, being more interested in studying Colonel Weird's character and origins than progressing the overall Black Hammer story. Let's hope there's a follow-up soon. The beautiful watercolor artwork by Tyler Crook is probably not to everyone's liking, but it fits the dreamy quality of Colonel Weird's life.
March 31, 2023
(3,6 of 5 for proof that Crook's art just can't save everything)
I looked forward to the Cosmagog, Colonel Weird promises some old-school sci-fi adventure. Well, on that account, it delivered. But the story wasn't that good. Again, I don't like quality of Lemire's worldbuilding style (or it's lack of) and this adventure felt little blend and little confusing in storytelling. But unlike Lemire, Crook did great job on art and he luckilly pulled me trought.
I looked forward to the Cosmagog, Colonel Weird promises some old-school sci-fi adventure. Well, on that account, it delivered. But the story wasn't that good. Again, I don't like quality of Lemire's worldbuilding style (or it's lack of) and this adventure felt little blend and little confusing in storytelling. But unlike Lemire, Crook did great job on art and he luckilly pulled me trought.
March 26, 2021
Crazy good one! Lot of space-time travel weirdness in this one. Well handled, well executed. It had some more layers of depth to a very interesting characters of the Black Hammer universe!
July 20, 2021
Colonel Weird movie would be interstellar but better obviously. It could be stand alone without the other heroes too and work. Amazing art from Tyler Crook.
June 26, 2021
If the goal of the book is to make the reader feel like Colonel Weird, congratulations. I'm confused about time, space, relativity and character arc. But if the goal was to tell a cohesive story, I'm not sure it's really effective.
Colonel Weird is a Slaughterhouse Five-style story of a man unstuck in time barreling through his life in a manner that is occasionally visually impressive, but ultimately didn't do much for me. The final reveal answers a question that readers of the series will probably be asking from the first page, so it doesn't really feel particularly revelatory when it occurs. And ultimately, I don't really feel like this background on the Colonel adds much to the character.
It's a nice revisit to a character that many may enjoy, in a manner that is definitely in keeping with his character, but it doesn't really feel like needed to be told. I'd recommend it only to those who are fascinated with Black Hammer - more casual readers can skip it without feeling like they missed much.
Colonel Weird is a Slaughterhouse Five-style story of a man unstuck in time barreling through his life in a manner that is occasionally visually impressive, but ultimately didn't do much for me. The final reveal answers a question that readers of the series will probably be asking from the first page, so it doesn't really feel particularly revelatory when it occurs. And ultimately, I don't really feel like this background on the Colonel adds much to the character.
It's a nice revisit to a character that many may enjoy, in a manner that is definitely in keeping with his character, but it doesn't really feel like needed to be told. I'd recommend it only to those who are fascinated with Black Hammer - more casual readers can skip it without feeling like they missed much.
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July 3, 2021I'm still of the general opinion that Lemire's Black Hammer franchise gets way more kudos than it deserves – especially once it leaves the core series' setting behind and isn't even superhero analogues in a folk horror setting anymore, just superhero analogues, of which heavens know the world did not have any pressing shortage. And within that, Colonel Weird was never one of my favourite characters, being a blatant Adam Strange knock-off except that his synonymous surname wasn't even a plausible surname anymore, and also Doctor Manhattan, and also comics ON DRUGS!!! So this miniseries digging into the trippier side of his plight – unstuck in time, living life repeatedly and non-sequentially – should have been a dead loss for me. Except that it has art from Tyler Crook who, as we've seen on Harrow County, is an absolute master at conjuring the vast, evocative expanses of America's heartland, and also at genuinely unsettling weird shit. And with that to carry me along, I even, gods help me, found myself engaging with the plot too, not least for its reversal of the obvious set-up: most of us would be alarmed to get a vision of our own death, but for Weird, who's forever bouncing up and down his own timeline, the worrying thing is that he *doesn't* know how he'll die. It never really provides a satisfactory resolution, instead teeing up yet more of the Black Hammer Extended Universe or whatever we're meant to call it now, but there is quite a sweet swerve to get there.
July 24, 2021
Okay, here's the thing: whether or not you're familiar with the Black Hammer universe, this is going to be jarring and confusing, because that's what Colonel Weird's life is- jarring and confusing. He slips in and out of time, in and out of the Parazone, following a pattern, THE pattern that he has no choice but to follow. In this story, Colonel Weird is sort of bouncing around through time and space, looking for something he's forgotten, something important that he needs if he wants to keep his sanity. We get his origin story here, which I promise will make some sort of sense by the time you get to the end, but damn, it is disjointed at first! This is so appropriate, though, because we're basically experiencing what Weird is experiencing- whatever it is that he's lost keeps him grounded, keeps him from going insane from living such a non-linear life (I got total Billy Pilgrim vibes at times from Weird, it would not surprise me one bit if Vonnegut influenced this character), and without this whatever it is, Weird's grasp on reality is coming apart. As the story goes around through Weird's life, we start to get the pattern he's following- just a taste, not enough to give the pattern away, but enough to get a sense of it. There are events referenced that involve the rest of the Black Hammer gang, that I'm assuming happened in the main storyline, and they're integrated in such a way that if you haven't read that yet (like me), you can still grasp what's going on without getting spoilers (okay, one spoiler that I noticed). Other reviews I've read said you should read the main storyline first or you'll be lost; I think I did fine figuring out what was going on, and would say going in blind added to the feeling of displacement Weird is experiencing, made it more palpable for me, but I might change my mind once I read the earlier work. Weird does find what he was looking for, recovers the memories he forgot (total Rosebud moment, if you ask me), and we're left with a hopeful ending- the pattern has been restored, and won't unravel after all.
I really enjoyed this a lot- the story sucked me in and wouldn't let go, and good gravy, the art! Just breathtaking, so vivid, lurid in the best way possible. Overall a stunning work, and I'll be looking for more Black Hammer A.S.A.P.!
I really enjoyed this a lot- the story sucked me in and wouldn't let go, and good gravy, the art! Just breathtaking, so vivid, lurid in the best way possible. Overall a stunning work, and I'll be looking for more Black Hammer A.S.A.P.!
May 14, 2021
With Crook's art capturing a broken, lost Colonel Weird as effectively as we've ever seen, Lemire fully embraces the strangeness of the cosmagog as Black Hammer's strangest hero goes on a journey through the pattern of existence in an attempt to return to the place he is meant to be--a challenge easier said than done for a man who has seen all and forgotten much. Continuing to expand the world of Black Hammer Lemire's character writing shines, giving the reader a glimpse into the ever-repeating cycles of the world and its terrible wonder.
May 20, 2021
Colonel Weird has a confusing, beautifully illustrated side adventure that becomes touching only at the very end. I would have liked Cosmagog better with more coherency throughout. Multiple iterations of Colonel Weird are attempting to maintain the pattern and find something that's missing. This search takes place throughout the events of the main Black Hammer series.
Is this essential reading for that main series? I'm not sure! It definitely seems to tie in to some of the big events in the Black Hammer world. I could never quite place whether Cosmagog is intended to be a key piece of the Black Hammer puzzle or a clever, twisty, non-essential side story for Colonel Weird. I think that lack of clarity hurt my reading experience.
Tyler Crook's art, on the other hand, vastly improved my reading experience. Cosmagog would have been much more forgettable without his brilliant use of colors and techniques.
Is this essential reading for that main series? I'm not sure! It definitely seems to tie in to some of the big events in the Black Hammer world. I could never quite place whether Cosmagog is intended to be a key piece of the Black Hammer puzzle or a clever, twisty, non-essential side story for Colonel Weird. I think that lack of clarity hurt my reading experience.
Tyler Crook's art, on the other hand, vastly improved my reading experience. Cosmagog would have been much more forgettable without his brilliant use of colors and techniques.
June 7, 2021
Glorious Tyler Crook artwork for a confusing Jeff Lemire story that had me going "Wait, that's it?" at the end.
In Lemire's Black Hammer universe (a pastiche of the classic DC universe), Colonel Weird is a stand in for space characters like Adam Strange. In all the stories to date, he's been portrayed as powerful, but also seriously confused, as his cognition appears to be permanently altered by the dimension hopping and time travelling he's done. This collected miniseries shows his history (along with a number of intriguing glimpses of Black Hammer continuity), but does so in a time jumping fashion that represents the character, but makes for a frustrating reading experience. And the ending seems so light and insubstantial that I wasn't sure what the point of the series of when I was done.
In Lemire's Black Hammer universe (a pastiche of the classic DC universe), Colonel Weird is a stand in for space characters like Adam Strange. In all the stories to date, he's been portrayed as powerful, but also seriously confused, as his cognition appears to be permanently altered by the dimension hopping and time travelling he's done. This collected miniseries shows his history (along with a number of intriguing glimpses of Black Hammer continuity), but does so in a time jumping fashion that represents the character, but makes for a frustrating reading experience. And the ending seems so light and insubstantial that I wasn't sure what the point of the series of when I was done.
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February 1, 2021I still like the Black Hammer universe but I’m slowly losing interest with all these miniseries. None of them are necessarily bad, they just seem slight and inconsequential. The main story ended (?) and we’re in this limbo state while Lemire figures out what to do next. I guess padding out the universe with short stories is what’s on the docket.
Anyway, this one is beautifully drawn by Tyler Crook. His art is easily the best part. As for the story, there’s not much of one. Colonel Weird floats through time trying to find something he lost. Trippy stuff happens. When he does find what he’s looking for, the reveal is obvious and anticlimactic. This could have easily been a single issue story because it doesn’t add a whole lot and it’s decompressed. At least the art is pretty.
Anyway, this one is beautifully drawn by Tyler Crook. His art is easily the best part. As for the story, there’s not much of one. Colonel Weird floats through time trying to find something he lost. Trippy stuff happens. When he does find what he’s looking for, the reveal is obvious and anticlimactic. This could have easily been a single issue story because it doesn’t add a whole lot and it’s decompressed. At least the art is pretty.
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