Being trapped and suffocated, regardless of the circumstance can be the most stifling feeling for anyone. For the characters in Jeff Lemire’s “Black Hammer,†it might as well be the end of the world. After saving their planet from a near annihilation threat, Abraham Slam, Golden Gail and most of the team have ended up on earth. Imagine being super beings, celebrated by all for saviors with powerful abilities only to wind up on a mud ball in the backwaters in the middle of nowhere. Now you have to hide who you are and try to accept the fate that life has handed you.
There are slight elements in this first issue reminiscent of the Jack Kirby creation “The Eternals.†In the Neil Gaiman interpretation these immortals who were created to defend the earth remembered who they were only when a traumatic experience happened to them. All except one, trapped in the body of a child, one eternal always knew who he was and became an embittered man, ages old, never growing into physical adulthood. But for the eternal once they find out who they are, with renewed purpose they defeat their enemy and take their place as protectors. For Golden Gail in “Black Hammer,” being trapped inside the body of a 9-year old plus being far-flung from her planet could possibly be a worse situation. And Lemire makes the lives of the others who are stuck on earth just as horrendous. Having to hide their abilities there’s a sense of increasing frustration.
Why should they accept their fate? Better still, why are they hiding in the back woods of a tiny town? While it’s not revealed if they all have their abilities intact, they still have skills. After all, they were heroes. What’s more, they know who they are. Where is this setting supposed to lead the reader to believe? Are we supposed to think that this is the best place for them to be? As frustrating as these questions are you still get the sense that if patient you’ll find answers.
What looms over this comic is the absence of an important character. Although each hero made a great sacrifice it seems that Black Hammer made the biggest one. He also seemed to be the heart that held this team together. In an episode of the Justice League animated series, it showed a parallel universe where the Flash died. The other heroes of that world became despots. Superman killed President Luther and there was no one to keep these powered beings morally in check. In essence, the center never held. Similarly to the Flash, it appears that things for these golden age heroes fell apart. Their definitive roles have been obliterated and now they have no compass. Just how are they supposed to try to live normally?
Anything that is read or seen first whether it be a television series or comic with echoes of a well-worn storyline must hold some ring of truth. “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow†has that. A television shows that embraces campiness with action and drama alongside acknowledging its part of a larger universe feels right. To the audience that tunes in there is an idea that as distressing as the characters’ choices may be it is still entertaining. In “Black Hammer†the reader may feel stagnant in reading about people who seem stuck in a hopeless situation. Better still, after consuming this narrative will you stick around long enough to care about what happens to these out of place heroes next time?
Leave a Reply