The World of Black Hammer, Vol. 4

The World of Black Hammer #7-8

by Jeff Lemire, Tonci Zonjic (Illustrator), Tyler Crook (Illustrator)

Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston's Eisner Award-winning Black Hammer superhero universe is given a closer look, with two complete series drawn by Tyler Crook and Tonci Zonjic!

In Skulldigger, Spiral City finds itself trapped in a vicious cycle of crime, corruption, and violence. With the heart of the city at stake, a vigilante rises in Skulldigger. However, when the nefarious Grimjim escapes from prison, Skulldigger and his ward, Skeleton Boy, find themselves pitted against a truly deadly and unstoppable force.


In The Unbelievable Unteens, artist Jane Ito finds herself visited by one of the characters from her own creation--but was it her own creation? Were the Unteens an actual school of teenaged misfit superheroes who battled supervillains under the lead of the mysterious Dr. Miles Moniker? And if so, who wiped their memories and why? As Jane's world is turned upside down and she learns the true nature of her identify she discovers a sinister plot leading her to assemble a team she had suspected was purely fictional.

Collects Skulldigger and The Unbelievable Unteens in a deluxe, oversized hardcover format with a new cover, sketchbook extras, and more!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Comics Manga, Graphic Novels Comics

296 pages, Hardcover

Published November 15, 2022

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

[Matthew Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved both of these miniseries. The creative teams do such an incredible job of taking existing and well-known tropes from superhero comics and putting their own spin on them. While you don’t need a ton of length in backstories or motivations, just the right amount is provided in these stories for you to quickly become invested in each of them. Absolutely masterfully created here with great writing and art. I would’ve loved to see Skulldigger and Skeleton Boy written and drawn by Lemire, as he had originally intended to do, but I can’t really complain at all with how the project turned out with art by Zonjic. I’d really like to see more in the future of that series specifically!

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection collects a Skulldigger & Skeleton Boy story and an UnTeens story. Skulldigger and Skeleton Boy are a Milleresque Batman and Robin while the UnTeen are Claremont X-Men plus Wolfman/Perez New Teen Titans.

Skulldigger was great, a nature vs. nurture analysis of Batman and Robin. The Unbelievable UnTeens were about a team everyone has forgotten about trying to save one of their members. Both stories were a lot of fun in their own ways.

I'm as guilty of comparing Astro City and Black Hammer as the next guy but they're really not that similar apart from using analogs and archetypes. This collection was a cut above most World of Black Hammer collections.

[Ange · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black hammer is one of my favourite series ever so it pains me to say I didn’t care for this one at all.
The artwork is amazing as ever though

[Michel Siskoid Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 4 of The World of Black Hammer collects two more of Jeff Lemire's mini-series spinning out of Black Hammer, both linked by there taking place (mostly) in the 1990s, and therefore something of a pastiche of comics of that era. Skulldigger, though it ends a little abruptly for me, is the better of the two. I guess you could say it's a little as if the Punisher got himself a tween sidekick, though the references are also to Batman's relationship to Robin. In the art, Tonci Zonjic evokes Frank Miller with several pages going to Sin City black and white (generally, the coloring is enhances the mood, big time, and is a real highlight). Lemire and Tyler Cook's The Unbelievable Unteens is an X-Men/New Titans riff that kind of parallels Black Hammer: Age of Doom and is therefore the weaker for it, with the heroes forgetting who they are and having to remember, as well as some meta elements, like a comic book from the future initiating the action. As Age of Doom will do all this better, it feels a little repetitive. I do like the art styles used between the comic's "flashbacks" and the main action, however. To my surprise perhaps, it's Skulldigger I wish I could read monthly, but that's because the set-up is too good to leave it so unresolved.

[Rumi Bossche · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Black Hammer universe has the love for superhero comics on its sleave, and this fourth volume of The World of Black Hammer might be the biggest love letter to 70s and 80s comics so far. The original Black Hammer is a sort of ode to the Justice League,  and this book channels Batman and Sin City from Frank Miller in its first story, with a big dash of The Punisher, with Skulldigger and Skeleton Boy, the art as in every book so far is suberb. Tonci Zonjic really does know how to draw, and Lemire gets better and better with his so called Hammerverse, really i cant get enough of these books ! The second story is The Unbelievable Unteens, and this is straightup X-Men, with a mix of young people and a older sort of teacher learning them to do well and team up. Same goes as for the first story, excellent artwork again,  Tyler Crook with his fantastic watercolor style and also David Rubín who is great aswell, this is again a great book, always included are some extra's,  and this is just a all around fantastic hc with a cohesive style so it fits in with the other books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars.

[April Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good side stories! The Skulldigger story was good, but damn, it's dark and pretty fucked up. We get some history in flashbacks, featuring Crimson Fist, The Alley Rat, and Grimjaw, and see how their stories are going in the present (hint: not great), and Skulldigger takes on an apprentice, adding Skeleton Boy to the story; sometimes, history repeats itself. The ending is somewhat open, but not in a cliffhanger-ish way, if you feel me - there *could* be more coming, but the ending is satisfying as it is.
The Unbelievable Unteens is a good story too, but it's marred by uneven pacing and a rushed ending that was a bit too easy, in my opinion. Still, it's a good read, and who doesn't enjoy a trip to Hell to save your friend's soul?
The back material includes cover galleries and sketches.

[Vicente Ribes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Último tomo de momento de la bibilioteca Black Hammer. Aquí encontramos dos homenajes encubiertos a dos cómics que me encantan como son Los nuevos mutantes y El castigador.

Skulldiger es un personaje despiadado como el castigador que no duda en acabar con los malos sin preguntar y practica su particular visión de la justicia. Pero todo puede cambiar cuando encuentre a un huerfano a quien entrenar.

En The Unbelievable Unteens, encontramos la historia de una dibujante que acaba metida en su propio cómic cuando reciba una visita especial y descubra que todo aquello que dibuja ocurrió en realidad.

No sé como lo hace Lemire pero aquí aún siendo refritos de series ya vistas le da una nueva pátina que me encanta. Sobretodo disfruté mucho el de Unteens.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Skullkicker and Skeleton Boy story is excellent. Interesting art. Killer story about a Batman type who has been combined with the Punisher. He kills criminals and takes on a sidekick when he arrives to late to save the kid's parents. Just terrific stuff.

The Unbelievable Unteens is a homage to Uncanny X-Men and Teen Titans. I didn't find the story nearly as appealing and straight up boring at times.Everyone on the team has forgotten who they are and are awakened one by one to help a teammate who they failed to save. Tyler Crook's artwork would be the reason to check this one out. It's one of the weaker Black Hammer offshoots that Lemire has made.

[Cal Brunsdon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeff Lemire continues to expand the Black Hammer universe in exciting ways with World Of Black Hammer volume 4. This collection includes two mini series: Skulldigger & Skeleton Boy (a gritty, warped look at a murderous Batman/Punisher hybrid and his traumatised young ward) and The Unbelievable Unteens (Lemire’s version of the original X-Men, all grown up and working day jobs). As usual, the dialogue is whip smart and the art - particularly Tyler Crook’s watercolours on the Unteens - is top notch.

[Devin · Rating 2 out of 5]

And the mighty keep on falling. I liked parts of the skull digger storyline when it was just him or him and the kid. The entire plot with the female cop ruined the story for me. Her never listening, being hardheaded, of course there’s the sob story of her girlfriend and their failing relationship. It was just bad overall. She should have been fired a long time ago for consistently going against orders, but this is comics.

The second story I didn’t dig at all. Just felt bleh the entire time.

[Terrance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two great side trips into the "World of Black Hammer," - Skulldigger & Skeleton Boy, a Batman & Robin / Punisher -style vigilante mashup that works incredibly well, and The Unbelievable Unteens, an X-Men / Doom Patrol homage that is as charming as it is heartbreaking. Love every trip into this world.

[Craig W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this series! Both stories contained here are worthy of five stars.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skull digger and skeleton boy was one of my favourites in the series.

[John Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting stories and well-told but the world doesn’t justify this amount of fleshing out.