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The World of Black Hammer #5-6
The World of Black Hammer, Vol. 3
The Eisner Award-winning
Black Hammer
universe is given a closer look, with two complete series drawn by Tyler Crook and Gabriel Hern�ndez Walta!
In Colonel Weird: Cosmagog, sanity-challenged space adventurer Colonel Weird embarks on a strange journey through space and time for something that he's long forgotten with his sanity and life at stake!
In Barbalien: Red Planet, the shape-shifting superhero Barbalien struggles to find his place in the world during the AIDS crisis--something made all the more difficult when a Martian enemy from the past follows him to earth to take him back, dead or alive.
Collects Colonel Weird: Cosmagog and Barbalien: Red Planet in a deluxe, oversized hardcover format with a new cover, sketchbook extras, and more!
In Colonel Weird: Cosmagog, sanity-challenged space adventurer Colonel Weird embarks on a strange journey through space and time for something that he's long forgotten with his sanity and life at stake!
In Barbalien: Red Planet, the shape-shifting superhero Barbalien struggles to find his place in the world during the AIDS crisis--something made all the more difficult when a Martian enemy from the past follows him to earth to take him back, dead or alive.
Collects Colonel Weird: Cosmagog and Barbalien: Red Planet in a deluxe, oversized hardcover format with a new cover, sketchbook extras, and more!
248 pages, Hardcover
Published July 20, 2021
4 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Lemire
1,423 books3,893 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 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 22, 2021
Colonel Weird: Cosmogog
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.
Barbalien: Red Planet
Barbalien has always been an analog of Martian Manhunter with the twist that he's gay. This origin story is set during the AIDS Crisis of the 80's. Mark Markz is still coming to terms with being gay. He's a closeted police officer by day, Barbalien by night. He becomes enamored with a gay activist he saves at a rally. This book really works when it's about Mark coming to accept itself. The story has quite a few holes with the Martian 'B' plotline that I didn't care about one iota. Gabriel Hernandez Walta's art is packed with emotion making it perfect for this series.
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.
Barbalien: Red Planet
Barbalien has always been an analog of Martian Manhunter with the twist that he's gay. This origin story is set during the AIDS Crisis of the 80's. Mark Markz is still coming to terms with being gay. He's a closeted police officer by day, Barbalien by night. He becomes enamored with a gay activist he saves at a rally. This book really works when it's about Mark coming to accept itself. The story has quite a few holes with the Martian 'B' plotline that I didn't care about one iota. Gabriel Hernandez Walta's art is packed with emotion making it perfect for this series.
May 2, 2021
The World of Black Hammer just keeps coming. Colonel Weird looks at how isolated the Colonel is with how time looks to him. Unlike similar characters like Doctor Manhattan, he doesn't have the great power or even the illusion of choice. All that he can do is try to organize his thoughts less he drifts off. He's a very sympathetic character in this way.
Then there's Barbalien and his time with the AIDS epidemic as well as the protests surrounding them. Not to mention all of the similarities you might find with the protests from Black Lives Matter or Antifa. From the protestors, it's good to see what drives them more specifically a feeling that they never had a choice to begin with, just a fight for survival. It also brings up a problem with the police and how much they try to protect their own. Usually it looks noble, but at its worst it looks more like self-preservation by proxy. When a female officer sees her partner go on a killing spree, she should know something's wrong but she made herself an accomplice by keeping it a secret. Unlike Barbalien's police partner who keeps secrets to have power over him. As for Barbalien himself, he's torn between worlds. His home rejected peace for bloodshed which didn't do his rival any real favors. If anything it makes the lies people tell themselves a lot easier. In this way coming out is a way of protest against oppression. Not universal but plenty inspirational.
Then there's Barbalien and his time with the AIDS epidemic as well as the protests surrounding them. Not to mention all of the similarities you might find with the protests from Black Lives Matter or Antifa. From the protestors, it's good to see what drives them more specifically a feeling that they never had a choice to begin with, just a fight for survival. It also brings up a problem with the police and how much they try to protect their own. Usually it looks noble, but at its worst it looks more like self-preservation by proxy. When a female officer sees her partner go on a killing spree, she should know something's wrong but she made herself an accomplice by keeping it a secret. Unlike Barbalien's police partner who keeps secrets to have power over him. As for Barbalien himself, he's torn between worlds. His home rejected peace for bloodshed which didn't do his rival any real favors. If anything it makes the lies people tell themselves a lot easier. In this way coming out is a way of protest against oppression. Not universal but plenty inspirational.
January 18, 2022
What a bounce back. One of the best omnibus collections I’ve ever read. The first story is Captain Weird’s backstory, which is done in an American Pastoral way. His childhood is out of a Steinbeck novel, and then it goes into timey-whimey wildness, explaining how he became Weird. It is so Damn good.
And then, out of left field, a Barbalien backstory that is queer as hell. Scenes briefly touched on are brought in—his time as a cop, discovering he is queer, gay liberation during the AIDS pandemic. All of it is incredibly well handled. I found it really effecting and moving. Rather than vaguely draw comparisons to his literally being an alien, he feels much more rooted in the world and history, and it is an origin story on par with old favourites, like Superman.
And for once, the artwork is incredible across the board for both stories. Great paneling, not a dull moment. Great plot. If you’re going to read any Black Hammer at all, make it this one.
And then, out of left field, a Barbalien backstory that is queer as hell. Scenes briefly touched on are brought in—his time as a cop, discovering he is queer, gay liberation during the AIDS pandemic. All of it is incredibly well handled. I found it really effecting and moving. Rather than vaguely draw comparisons to his literally being an alien, he feels much more rooted in the world and history, and it is an origin story on par with old favourites, like Superman.
And for once, the artwork is incredible across the board for both stories. Great paneling, not a dull moment. Great plot. If you’re going to read any Black Hammer at all, make it this one.
September 14, 2021
4.5 stars.
The best collected edition since the first original series. And with a powerfull message at the end.
The best collected edition since the first original series. And with a powerfull message at the end.
September 1, 2024
Both of these stories set in the Black Hammer universe were very good. The first story about Colonel Weird read how we’ve seen him in the story so far, jumping all over the place, uncertain of what is next and what will be finished, and quite a bit like a good and bad trip at the same time. The second story featuring Barbalien gives us a ton more insight into him as a character and how uncertain of who he is with the various identities that he takes on throughout the story. The real world setting of this story amplifies the stakes for this fictional character. In both of these, some clarity on who each character is became more apparent as we reflect on each miniseries.
July 27, 2021
Well, that Col. Weird story was pointless confusion. The Barbalien story is much better, though far from the best exploration of the AIDS crisis and gay identity.
February 26, 2024
The best pair of WoBH stories so far. Doctor Andromeda is the only other one that can stand next to these.
July 24, 2021
This edition collects the fifth and sixth books of The World of Black Hammer, Colonel Weird: Cosmagog, and Barbalien: Red Planet. These are essentially origin stories, though I admit I don't know how much of this background information has been covered in the previous books, as this is where I started. I get the feeling the Barbalien story offers more previously unknown info than the Colonel Weird story does, but I could be wrong. At any rate, if you do start here as I did, I think you'll be fine; I knew I was not getting as full a story as I would've had if I'd read them in order, but I still got a pretty full story.
Cosmagog is confusing and disjointed at first, but that fits the story of a man who travels through space, time, and dimensions very well. Weird has lost and/or forgotten something very important, and until he finds/remembers it, he and the pattern he's compelled to follow is going to unravel, and that will be bad. This is a great story to get sucked into; it's a wild ride that comes around to making some sort of sense, and the art is amazing.
In Red Planet, we get dual stories of Barbalien on his home planet of Mars, and on Earth, as he's coming to terms with being gay. The story is taking place in the mid '80s in New York, and was way more emotional than I was expecting. Barbalien can shapeshift, and is a closeted cop by day, superhero by night, and takes on a third persona as a newly out gay man, learning about the AIDS crisis and the protests that happened after AIDS sufferers were basically being ignored by the government and much of the public, except to ridicule, blame, and ostracize gay men. Barbalien experiencing this while he's just coming to terms with his sexuality, falling for a young man who's active in the protests, while being a cop who's supposed to be keeping these protestors in line when he believes in their cause, seeing how his fellow officers harass and beat them, is a hard ride, you feel his pain and torment. Then you have a headstrong warrior from Mars who shows up to take Barbalien back to Mars to be tried for supposed treason, and you get a whole other layer of feels to contend with. It's a powerful story with powerful themes, it will hit you in all your feels, and it was so good. The art is striking, and the use of blank space at times is so effective, it suits the story so well.
In closing, I'd say read the Black Hammer books in order if you can, but if you end up starting here like I did, you won't feel completely lost. You will definitely want to find the previous books, because this world will suck you in and make you want more.
Cosmagog is confusing and disjointed at first, but that fits the story of a man who travels through space, time, and dimensions very well. Weird has lost and/or forgotten something very important, and until he finds/remembers it, he and the pattern he's compelled to follow is going to unravel, and that will be bad. This is a great story to get sucked into; it's a wild ride that comes around to making some sort of sense, and the art is amazing.
In Red Planet, we get dual stories of Barbalien on his home planet of Mars, and on Earth, as he's coming to terms with being gay. The story is taking place in the mid '80s in New York, and was way more emotional than I was expecting. Barbalien can shapeshift, and is a closeted cop by day, superhero by night, and takes on a third persona as a newly out gay man, learning about the AIDS crisis and the protests that happened after AIDS sufferers were basically being ignored by the government and much of the public, except to ridicule, blame, and ostracize gay men. Barbalien experiencing this while he's just coming to terms with his sexuality, falling for a young man who's active in the protests, while being a cop who's supposed to be keeping these protestors in line when he believes in their cause, seeing how his fellow officers harass and beat them, is a hard ride, you feel his pain and torment. Then you have a headstrong warrior from Mars who shows up to take Barbalien back to Mars to be tried for supposed treason, and you get a whole other layer of feels to contend with. It's a powerful story with powerful themes, it will hit you in all your feels, and it was so good. The art is striking, and the use of blank space at times is so effective, it suits the story so well.
In closing, I'd say read the Black Hammer books in order if you can, but if you end up starting here like I did, you won't feel completely lost. You will definitely want to find the previous books, because this world will suck you in and make you want more.
May 26, 2022
Perhaps the strongest Black Hammer library edition so far. Volume 3 contains two limited series: Colonel Weird, Cosmogog, and Barbalien.
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Weird is beautifully illustrated journey through time and reality as creator Jeff Lemire unravels the characters’ convoluted backstory, anchoring it to both the primary Black Hammer series and real-life events across the 20th century. Weird’s American pastoral upbringing is cleverly contrasted against the high-octane science fiction adventure in the books’ latter pages. Not essential to the overarching Black Hammer world, but an enjoyable supplemental story with enough heart and a decent twist.
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The standout here is Barbalien: Red Planet, which is easily the best comic book I’ve read this year. Established as an Aldi Martian Manhunter, (shapeshifter from Mars, living on Earth), the hook was that he was also a (mostly repressed) homosexual, keeping his identity and sexuality hidden as he lived as as a cop by day and red alien superhero at night. This solo series, set in the 1980s at the height of the AIDS epidemic, is as much exploring the enormous sadness, isolation and despair he feels in being ‘different’ as it is an emotional coming-of-age tale that both reinforces and splits apart the prejudices our hero is burdened by. It’s extremely affecting, wonderfully rendered, and comes with a very personal epilogue penned by author Tate Brombal. A true gem.
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That ends my Black Hammer reads until September, when the next library edition is released. Can’t wait.
July 5, 2024
Volume 3 collects two more mini-series - Colonel Weird; Cosmagog, and Barbalien: Red Planet - focusing on a different time in the lives of two Black Hammer principals. I love Tyler Crook's art in Cosmagog, providing a kind of children's book quality to the topsy-turvy story of Black Hammer's most challenging character. Colonel Weird doesn't live his live chronologically, and I'm not sure we ever realized how that felt or how tangled the timeline was (though it is, by necessity, a bit recapitulatory). As for the Barbalien tale, Tate Brombal brings a personal touch to the script, and Gabriel Hernández Walta (who now collaborates with Lemire on Phantom Road) has a gritty art style well-suited to the subject of the 1980s AIDS crisis. Our favorite gay Martian must face some hard truths about his secret identity as a policeman when he gets involved with a gay rights activist (even as his own homophobic people are out to get him, which turns out to just be background). I've always liked this spin on the Martian Manhunter and it's strongly handled here. Both stories come to a touching ending, for that matter.
November 14, 2021
Big fan of the Black Hammer universe. There are the main plot comics, involving all of the characters, and then there are extra stories involving a character or two at a time, which are aimed at building the world around the main story line. All of these ‘extra’ story lines/comics have been gathered together in 3 (so far) ‘world of black hammer’ collections, and this is the third of those. It contains ‘Colonel Weird Cosmagog’ (all about the strange adventures of Colonel Weird as he explores the mysterious para zone) and ‘Red Planet’ (all about the warlord from Mars ‘Barballien’ as he is hunted by someone from his home planet as he tries to build a life on earth). I liked both stories, I prefer the artwork by Dean Ormiston in the main story line, but thought that both of these stories were successful in giving fans a greater insight into the world of Black Hammer.
June 12, 2022
Este tomo es un complemento indispensable a la serie original. Si quieres saber más sobre como se perdió el coronel Weird en la no zona o como fue la vida de Barbalien en la tierra después de ser desterrado de Marte. Son dos cómics muy buenos y que introducen aspectos novedosos como la lucha de los derechos del colectivo LGTBI. Una trama muy interesante.
July 24, 2023
This series started off so strong with tons of charm. Unfortunately with each book I read I find myself enjoying it less and less.
Though this was a massive improvement from volume 2. I didn’t enjoy that book at all.
Both of the stories in this one is solid. I enjoyed the second one more because it had more heart. Tying in the aids issue was a great way to go through barbs origin story.
Though this was a massive improvement from volume 2. I didn’t enjoy that book at all.
Both of the stories in this one is solid. I enjoyed the second one more because it had more heart. Tying in the aids issue was a great way to go through barbs origin story.
June 1, 2024
So this book collects two stories and the first, Colonel Weird: Cosmagog is cool and wild and intermittently poignant but this second story, Barbadian: Red Planet, is something beyond, man. Next level. Beautiful, thoughtful, imaginative, moving. And Gabriel Hernández Walta’s art is, of course, incredible.
September 24, 2021
Colonel Weird: Cosmagog: 5/5
Barbalien: Red Planet 2/5
Barbalien: Red Planet 2/5
January 8, 2022
The Barbalien red planet arc in here might be one of my favorite things Lemire has ever written. Simply brilliant.
July 7, 2022
Well damn.. that was just incredible.
June 3, 2024
I don’t think this universe justifies much of its breadth, but Red Planet was good enough to make this spinoff collection worthwhile.
November 27, 2022
Hands down the two best spinoff series that’ve come from the world of Black Hammer. Both are fantastic stories dealing with the complexities and struggles in life—for Colonel Weird it’s an internal struggle, for Barbalien it’s both internal and external. I don’t want to summarize, it’d ruin the magic of these beautiful tales.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews