Dark Horse Comics 2018
Written by Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Dean Ormston
Coloured by Dave Stewart
Lettered by Todd Klein
As new Black Hammer Lucy Weber fights her way out of this gritty new dimension, she finds herself caught in Hell itself and up against trickster demons, Satan, and a bizarre emo god.
So I have to admit that this is what I was really hoping for during the whole Legion of Evil of arc where Lucy was being ace reporter. Now that it’s here it literally is better than I could have hoped for. I love that just as Lucy was going to tell them how they all could get home she was whisked away unexpectedly and this time it wasn’t due to anyone on the farm. She found herself in a bar where she was not getting any answers and that is where we pick up here.
Jeff has really put some extreme thought into how all this was going to work. It is like the never-ending story and much like the energizer bunny it keeps on going. There is another aspect to this that he’s doing which is really rather good is that he’s telling dual stories. While Lucy is trying to find her way we see Gail and Barbie going to the town library looking for information. They’ve been here so long and seem to be grasping at straws but you never know what can be found now. With Lucy’s arrival I think it might that the whole game has changed.
I have to say the characterisation and dialogue of these characters really is among some of the best there is. Gail feels like while she remembers her life as it was and being stuck in the body of a small girl and there are times I feel like she can’t detach herself from that age long enough and be her full self. There is something bout this stunted growth that seems to be affecting here and it’s not just because she’s stuck. I mean psychologically this is something that who knows what affect the body’s age is having on the mind’s capability to process everything? Yes I am thinking way too much about it but that’s just another thing Jeff’s writing seems to be able to do.
Dean and Dave’s work on the interiors is the same exact quality time and time again and there’s something to be said for this level of consistency in the work. The mood, tone and feel of what we see continues to evoke all kinds of feelings and emotion from the reader. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off that really strong eye for storytelling. While yes I always want more backgrounds there’s some very judicious use of them here and I can forgive that we don’t see them used prolifically.
The fact that this is so going to focus on Lucy traversing these corridors as she searches for a way back to the farm and then hopefully home is something I am looking forward to seeing. That mixed in with the ongoing revelations such who Gail was having a relationship with keeps things going in directions I hadn’t seen coming which means that the whole curiosity piquing business is strong. Also the introduction of new characters along with one that ya never know could be staying around for a bit makes this continually growing and evolving.
Jeff and Dean have created this universe in almost a joke like manner in regards to the homage of the familiar but it far surpasses anything it might remind you of. This is infinity more interesting and dynamic than any other team book currently on stands today.