Summary

  • Black Hammer: The End #1 is a thrilling continuation of the Black Hammer saga, bringing together a decade's worth of story for hardcore fans to enjoy.
  • This issue starts off with a bang, as heroes from an alternate world unite to defeat the resurrected Anti-God, but without a Black Hammer, their chances of success are slim. Meanwhile, the daughter of the original Black Hammer faces danger from a variant of her father.
  • While not new-reader-friendly, this issue is a great payoff for longtime fans who have followed the series. It seamlessly continues the story without wasting time on recaps, and the art by Malachi Ward is stunning and perfectly suited to the epic nature of the story.

Warning! Contains spoilers for Black Hammer: The End #1!Dark Horse Comics' underrated superhero saga returns for an epic new chapter with Black Hammer: The End #1. Nearly a decade's worth of story comes together for a thrilling event hardcore fans are sure to love.

Black Hammer was created by Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston and began as a superhero-themed mystery. The story centered around a group of heroes who were trapped on a strange farm after one of their comrades, the Black Hammer, sacrificed his life to defeat a powerful cosmic foe known as the Anti-God. Since the original series, Lemire expanded the crossover with the Justice League, Hammer of Justice!. Though an original story, the Black Hammer saga lampoons the superhero genre with many of its characters and events inspired by existing ones.

Black Hammer Returns For Another Thrilling Chapter

Black Hammer The End Heroes Dark Horse

In Black Hammer: The End #1 by Jeff Lemire and Malachi Ward, things start off with a bang on an alternate world. Earth 312 is being destroyed by a resurrected Anti-God and before the planet falls to the villain, a collection of heroes save a Shazam-like hero, Golden Guinevere. The heroes are uniting the strongest variants from the multiverse to destroy the Anti-God once and for all. Unfortunately, without a Black Hammer to lead them, there's little chance the team can succeed. Meanwhile, Lucy Webber, daughter of the original Black Hammer, has reunited with her husband and children on the same farm from the original Black Hammer series. As Lucy does what she must to keep her family safe, a variant of her father works in the shadows with the Anti-God, who orders the Black Hammer doppelganger to kill Lucy.

Black Hammer: The End #1 is not new-reader-friendly and demands that readers at least know the events of the three previous main sagas. But for fans who have done their homework, this issue is a great continuation of the previous series, Black Hammer: Reborn. It doesn't waste time recapping previous events, it just dives straight into the story to get things moving. And what makes the issue even better is Malachi Ward, whose art is the perfect fit for the epic story the issue sets up. From the issue's moments of action to its more down-to-earth scenes, Ward knocks it out of the park on every page.

Black Hammer: The End is a Great Payoff for Fans

Black Hammer and Anti-God Dark Horse

Though it's not the sort of issue a casual reader could just dive into, Black Hammer: The End #1 is very rewarding for longtime fans. Not only does it build on the three main books, but it also has references to the many Black Hammer spin-offs eagle-eyed readers will spot. The book is tightly paced and is absolutely gorgeous to look at. Whether readers have been onboard since the first issue of Black Hammer or have just binge-read the entire series, Lemire and Ward's work is the start of a fantastic new chapter in the franchise and sets up an exciting event fans are sure to love. Black Hammer: The End #1 is on sale now.