Tag Archives: dean ormston

Review: Black Hammer #4

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In the forties, Abraham Slam faced such menaces as the psychedelic Florist and the eldritch Cthu-Lou without breaking a sweat. But keeping the heroes of Black Hammer Farm from each other’s throats when his girlfriend comes to dinner proves far more perilous! Meanwhile, the Black Hammer’s daughter uncovers new clues to the exiled heroes’ disappearance!

With each issue of Black Hammer, writer Jeff Lemire manages to deliver something different. This time, the issue focus on Abraham. The issue shifts from his origin story and their present situation with ease. And when you get to the end the reader is left with even more of a  mystery. I’m curious to see how they use that in the upcoming issues.

Like previous issues the art by Dean Ormston is superb. The flashbacks of Abraham are interesting. It reveals why he decided to become a hero, and Ormston delivers action in his engaging style. And even with the focus on Abraham the issue manages to introduce the unseen title character, Black Hammer, for a brief spell.

This is a solid series, but from Jeff Lemire I expect no less.

Story: Jeff Lemire Art: Dean Ormston
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Review: Black Hammer #3

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Long before Spiral City’s greatest heroes were written out of their universe, the Martian champion Barbalien was already stranded far from home. Disguised as churchgoing Mark Markz in the timeless farming community where the heroes find themselves trapped, Barbalien faces a terrifying personal decision, even as he relives his painful past!

Black Hammer #3 manages to continue the strange mystery as past and present collide. Writer Jeff Lemire gives us a brief glimpse of the outside world near the end of the issue. The issue left me eager to see how they bring in the outside world. Is there more to them being unable to leave town then there appears? We’ll hopefully find out!

Artist Dean Ormston creates a spectacular cover that looks like some sort of old movie poster from the 50’s. Despite the short glimpse of Mars that is seen it looks fantastic. I’m curious to see if they will add in more of Barbalien’s people into the story and how that artistically will blend together with what we’ve seen. The flashback scenes of his arrival are the standout of the issue in my opinion. There’s a great collision of cultures as the hero arrives.

Story: Jeff Lemire Art: Dean Ormston
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Review: Black Hammer #2

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The Golden Age heroes of Spiral City have been “erased” from existence! Banished years ago to a timeless farming community, the team are torn between accepting their fate and finding a way home! Chapter two focuses on child hero Golden Gail, whose un-aging body most deeply feels the tragedy of their new lives.

This makeshift tale of banished heroes gets more intriguing with every tale. Writer Jeff Lemire manages to keep the main focus on how each character deals with their banishment while shifting the narrative style to focus on one particular character with each issue. It helps keeps things fresh and gives the reader a sense of a larger continuity.

Can we admit the cover is awesome? The retro style is absolutely fantastic. It reminds me of the old Superman show I watched growing up. The overall art style by Dean Ormston is a nice balance of flashback style scenes and their present existence.

Story: Jeff Lemire Art: Dean Ormston
Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Review: Black Hammer #1

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Black Hammer #1 1A new story from the prodigious brain of Jeff Lemire, amazingly realized by Dean Ormston and Dave Stewart!

Once they were heroes, but that age has long since passed. Banished from existence by a multiversal crisis, the old champions of Spiral City—Abraham Slam, Golden Gail, Colonel Weird, Madame Dragonfly, and Barbalien—now lead simple lives in a timeless farming town. Even as they try to find their way home, trouble has a unique way of finding heroes wherever they are!

Dark Horse is known for their strange tales, and this one is no exception. Black Hammer features heroes of a lost age who begin to question their forced retirement. That is, all but one who seems to enjoy the simpler life of being a farmer. Yet someone from the outside, doesn’t believe that they are dead like the rest of the world. She seems determined to find them, if only to find her father. This is Jeff Lemire‘s latest spin on superheroes and it’s one to definitely check out as Lemire rarely doesn’t deliver.

The art by Dean Ormston has an rich old time style feel to it. The issue manages to showcase the person under the mask instead of the masked part of their life, which adds a bit of mystery to it all. While the art does show some brief flashbacks to that time, they do leave one a little curious as to the individual backstory. I’m curious to see if they manage to bring some of that in both the story and the art as the series continues.

Story: Jeff Lemire Art: Dean Ormston
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

‘Black Hammer’ #1 is a strong, smart, intriguing beginning

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black_hammer1Black Hammer #1 already establishes the potential for a very special story. Jeff Lemire has steadily been writing a wide range of fantastic titles over the last couple of years and it looks like Black Hammer will be yet another one to add to the pile of hits. He firmly plants throughout the issue a confident understanding of each of the unique characters, as much as they are a mish mash of The Avengers and Justice League respectively; originality is something that perhaps Lemire is jabbing at with the superhero genre.

A team of superheroes find themselves living together on a large piece of farmland, stranded there for ten years. The Golden Age of their time as superheroes, saving the lives of Spiral City, is a thing of the past. Abraham Slam revels in the repetitions of the everyday farm chores, Barbalien, a shapeshifting alien from Mars, regrets his past self, Col. Weird drifts between reality and the Para-Zone as if affected by some sort of superhero PTSD, Talky-Walky, a robot, constructs a probe in search of rescue from their current lives, Golden Gail, now stuck and angrily so, in the body of a nine year old reminisces about the glory days, and Madame Dragonfly idly bides her time by conversing with crows. There is little information learned about each of the characters but there is a real, heavy sense of the past weighing heavily on each and every one.

There is a great conversation between Gail and Barbalien that encapsulates how the former heroes either miss their golden glory days or are glad to talk of those times in the past tense. As they sit on the top of their house on the farm, Gail asks Barbalien (or, Barbie, as she calls him) if he misses the golden days. Barbalien responds by saying: “Oh, I don’t know. Sometimes. But the way you miss old friends you haven’t seen in years. You know that if you went back, it wouldn’t be the same as it was.” This moment really captures the transition that took place in the Modern Age of comics as a whole, especially affecting the way super hero comics were approached. Perhaps the changes that took place were and are a good thing. Often it can become toxic to hold too tightly to a past that has its nostalgic value but remains in the past for a reason. Black Hammer also does an excellent job through its art style at showing the differences.

Dean Ormston’s artwork is fairly heavy on its line work, drawing attention to the lines on peoples’ faces and clothing to provide a real sense of texture. It’s almost like a combination between Steve Dillon and Frank Quitely, though Ormston’s faces feel more worn and weathered through his distinct style. Ormston also does a consistent job at drawing water spots on tables, cracks on wood within the barn, dirt and rust on Abraham’s truck and a general sense of worn environments to really get the sense of a lived-in world in which time has affected not just the people living within it.

Dave Stewart’s colouring, as it usually is, is the real standout to this comic thus far. Stewart’s paralleling of colour palettes perfectly connects with this deconstruction of the superhero genre and how time has affected it aesthetically. The present time is coloured with more colder, muted browns and greys, giving off a real serious, melancholic and almost sentimental tone to the heroes who have found contempt and acceptance. The past, Golden Age of the super hero battles, shown in brief flashback panels, appear with very bright, punchy yellows, blues and reds. These prominent colours do appear in the present through the spacesuit of Col. Weird, the skin of Barbalien, the door of the farm house and even as a blue flame under a pan of eggs and bacon that Talky-Walky is frying up, yet, are more diluted. Whether this is an intentional commentary on the tired super hero genre within comics (perhaps even their Hollywood adaptations) or not, it is an aesthetically pleasing choice that fits the tone of this title.

Todd Klein, lettering legend, is one of the best in business at using his fonts and word balloon choice to add a further layer to specific characters. Talky-Walky’s green balloons (matching with his lime green helmet) and font are rigid, suitable for a robot that weighs heavily on cold, hard facts. Col. Weird’s balloons and text are shaky and rough, making it seem like if his voice could be heard it would crack and mumble. Its additionally suitable that these two characters just so happen to have once been bonded as a duo.

Black Hammer begins with a very somber tone that strikes directly at the ticking heart of super hero comics and looks to break down a few tropes along the way. The creative team has crafted a very strong beginning with some well put together characters and an array of questions that builds towards a curious final few pages.

Black Hammer #1

Illustrated by Dean Ormston

Colours by Dave Stewart

Written by Jeff Lemire

Lettering by Todd Klein

Published by Dark Horse Comics

Story: 9 Art: 8.5 Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.

Preview: Black Hammer #1

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Black Hammer #1

Jeff Lemire (W), Dean Ormston (A)

A new story from the prodigious brain of Jeff Lemire (Descender), amazingly realized by Dean Ormston (The Sandman) and Dave Stewart (Hellboy)!

Once they were heroes, but that age has long since passed. Banished from existence by a multiversal crisis, the old champions of Spiral City—Abraham Slam, Golden Gail, Colonel Weird, Madame Dragonfly, and Barbalien—now lead simple lives in a timeless farming town. Even as they try to find their way home, trouble has a unique way of finding heroes wherever they are!

Black Hammer #1 1

ECCC 2016: Jeff Lemire’s Black Hammer Back on Track

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Black HammerAfter a series delay, Dark Horse Comics has announced the return of Xeric Award–winning and Eisner, Ignatz, and Harvey Award–nominated cartoonist Jeff Lemire and artist Dean Ormston‘s much-anticipated original ongoing series Black Hammer.

From the prodigious brain of Lemire comes Black Hammer, a character-based superhero drama amazingly brought to life by Ormston with colors by none other than Eisner Award–winning veteran Dave Stewart.

Once they were heroes, but the age of heroes has long since passed. Banished from existence by a multiversal crisis, the old champions of Spiral City—Abraham Slam, Golden Gail, Colonel Weird, Madame Dragonfly, and Barbalien—now lead simple lives in a timeless farming town. Even as they try to find their way home, trouble has a unique way of finding heroes wherever they are!

With a variant cover by Lemire, Black Hammer #1 launches on July 20 and retails for $2.99.

Lemire & Ormston’s Black Hammer Delayed

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Dark Horse Comics has announced that due to an unforeseen health issue, Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston’s anticipated creator-owned series Black Hammer has been delayed until a future date.

In a release Lemire said:

Black Hammer has been a labor of love for me. It’s a project that I’ve been working on in various forms for seven years. And as excited as I am to share it, sometimes life gets in the way of comics.

On March 26, my amazing collaborator Dean Ormston suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on the left side of his brain, which affected his whole right side,” he continued. “Dean is now at home and recovering. As a result, we have decided to postpone the launch of Black Hammer until Dean is able to work regularly again. I’d like to thank all the fans and retailers for their patience and understanding as Dean recovers and promise that Black Hammer will be worth the wait.

In an interview, Ormston said:

In essence, this is a dream project, and to top it all off, I get to have my art enhanced by colorist supremo Dave Stewart. Sadly, about a month ago, I had a bleed on the brain, so things have been put on hold until I recover and get back to drawing fully. I am tentatively getting back to drawing Black Hammer, albeit slowly, but the outlook is positive and I’m confident of a full recovery.

Retailers will be notified of a new date for Black Hammer in a future communication.

We wish Dean Ormston a smooth and speedy recovery.

Black Hammer

SDCC 2014: Dark Horse Kicks Off the Show Announcing 12 Creator-Owned Series

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Dark Horse Comics is kicking this year’s San Diego Comic-Con off right, announcing twelve new creator-owned series from twelve creative teams that will take the world’s most popular art form to new levels through 2015!

Colder: The Bad Seed

Writer: Paul Tobin
Artist: Juan Ferreyra
On sale October 22, 2014

Life goes on for Declan Thomas after his deadly encounter with the psychotic Nimble Jack, but Declan’s strange powers continue to develop, offering him a profound connection with the nature of insanity. Little does he know that the malevolent Swivel wishes to pick up where Nimble Jack left off!

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.

Writer: Mike Mignola with John Arcudi
Artist: Alexander Maleev
On sale December 3, 2014

A bizarre series of murders and rumors of something worse lead Professor Bruttenholm to send a young Hellboy to a Brazilian village on his first mission. Hellboy and a small group of agents uncover something terrible in the shadows of a sixteenth-century Portuguese fortress . . .

Lady Killer

Writers: Joëlle Jones, Jamie S. Rich
Artist: Joëlle Jones
On sale January 7, 2015

The Schullers are every bit the American family: father, mother, and twin girls. Daddy has a good job, and though he works in the city, he can afford a nice house for his family in the suburbs. It’s a good place for the kids to grow up, away from the crime and questionable morals of city life. But what if the crime and the violence aren’t that far away? What if Mom isn’t just a housekeeper and a cook, but she’s also a highly paid professional assassin?

Dead Vengeance

Writer: Bill Morrison
Artist: Stéphane Roux
On sale January 21, 2015

It’s 1940, and a phony body on exhibit in a carnival sideshow suddenly springs to life and shambles away. Not so phony after all, he is John Doe, radio commentator and archenemy of Detroit’s notorious Purple Gang. But why did he disappear in 1930, and why did the mayor, the mob, and the cops all want him dead?

EI8HT

Creators: Rafael Albuquerque and Mike Johnson
Coming February 2015

Welcome to the Meld, an inhospitable dimension in time where Joshua, a chrononaut, finds himself trapped. With no memory or feedback from the team of scientists that sent him there, he can’t count on anything but his heart and a stranger’s voice to guide him to his destiny.

Neverboy

Writer: Shaun Simon
Artist: Tyler Jenkins
Colorist: Kelly Fitzpatrick
On sale March 4, 2015!

In what world do you belong?

Neverboy, an abandoned imaginary friend, wants the real world. Julian Drag, a struggling artist, wants the imaginary.
When Neverboy’s drugs wear off, the surreal hangover he’s been running from sets in. And a trip down the rabbit hole is just what Julian has been dying for. When these two meet, the real and the imaginary worlds collide in absolute chaos. Julian and Neverboy, the dreamer and the dream, will have to face who they are in order to put things right again.

The Black Hammer

Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Dean Ormston
On sale March 11, 2015

They were the greatest heroes of a lost era. But the age of heroes is over, and Abraham Slam, Col. Weird, Golden Gail, Barbalien, and Madame Dragonfly have been wiped out of continuity! Following a cosmic battle known only as the Event, the heroes awoke on a farm in a small town they are unable to leave, with the massive iron hammer of a fallen teammate the only reminder of the world they came from. As their tenth anniversary on Black Hammer Farm nears, they’ve largely given up on any chance of return, until the arrival of the Black Hammer’s daughter throws their new existence into chaos! The Black Hammer is part human drama, part multiverse-spanning adventure, and part journey into the DNA of the superhero genre!

PastAways

Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist: Scott Kolins
On sale March 18, 2015

When a deep-time research mission goes awry, four future explorers find themselves stranded in our present, where a side effect of their mission grants them unexpected immortality! As further time breaches cause dinosaurs to appear in Greece and buildings from the future to crash into Toronto, the unlikely heroes find themselves humanity’s best line of defense from the onslaught of time itself! The team achieves worldwide fame, and their adventures become more and more bizarre, even as their failure to get back to their own time leads to infighting and catastrophe!

Rebels

Writer: Brian Wood
Artist: Andrea Mutti
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Cover Artist: Tula Lotay
Coming April 2015

From Brian Wood, the creator of DMZ, Northlanders, and The Massive, comes Rebels, a gritty, ground-level look at the men and women who fought to win independence from tyranny and those who would stand in their way.
Cocreator Andrea Mutti (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) illustrates the opening story, introducing us to the Green Mountain Boys, America’s first militia, and one young couple’s journey across the battlefields of New England. Colorist Jordie Bellaire and cover artist Tula Lotay complete the team with gorgeous palettes and striking illustrations.

Harrow County

Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Tyler Crook
On sale April 8, 2015

“Her earliest memories were of the taste of freshly turned earth and the bleating of goats.”
There’s them that say you ought not get lost in Harrow County. Because once you lose your way among the pines and briar thistles and those sweet-smelling scuppernong, you won’t never find your way back. Born on the very day a hateful witch was put to violent death, seventeen-year-old Emmy has always felt a bit lost . . . but never alone. The deep, dark woods surrounding her home crawl with ghosts, goblins, and the restless dead. These haints whisper to Emmy, promising her that she has great power, warning her that the people of Harrow County want her dead.

Alabaster: The Good, the Bad, and the Bird

Writer: Caitlín R. Kiernan
Artist: Joëlle Jones
On sale May 20, 2015

A year after Dancy Flammarion’s death in a burning barn, her seraph comes to collect her from a hell of her own creation. A new evil haunts the sun-scorched back roads and ghost towns of the American South: murderous twins who command a legion of ghouls. Once again, Dancy must face down demons, both those who walk the world unchallenged and those in her own shattered mind.

Fight Club 2

Writer: Chuck Palahniuk
Artist: Cameron Stewart
Cover Artist: David Mack
Coming May 2015

The first rule is you don’t talk about it.

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