Black Hammer Library Edition Volume 1

I really enjoyed this one. It's well written and done by someone with an obvious love of the golden and silver age of comics in all their variety. From classic superheroes to weird science sci-fi and creepy horror comics. The real focus though is on making all of these characters feel like real people with actual desires, fears, and the trauma that comes from the lives they've led and the place they've become trapped. The books has a darker tone because of how it explores that trauma, and because of the mystery that wraps it all together.As for the physical collection, the book itself is well put together. Good print and color, everything is clear and vibrant. The binding looks solid, though I've only had it a month and only read through it once so hard to tell how it will last long term. I don't see any loosening or bend in the binding at this time though. Really happy with the total package.

There's a well executed, fun, combination of paying homage to classic characters and tropes along with some good natured parody in these stories but what really makes them special is the use of all that as a jumping off point to create fleshed out human characters that are also superheroes. Usually "realistic" characters in comics live in worlds that are unceasingly gritty and dystopian; but much like the Astro City comics the creators of Black Hammer manage to keep the wonder and hope of a golden age universe yet still ground them in enough reality so that they're not only relatable but resonant. -This is great work across the board and I'll be checking out more of this series.

Great story line hooked after reading the sampleLibrary edition is big book fair warning lol but overall great book the string bookmark nice touch lol

With its world-building, humor, and sentimentality, this is a love letter to superhero comics.By examining the origin of these borrowed characters and forcing them into his classic rural existentialism, Lemire humanizes and emboldens them. He examines Golden Age comics, horror comics, comic tropes like DC’s “Crisis,” and characters that are akin to Adam Strange, Mary Marvel, Captain America, Martian Manhunter, Raven, and Swamp Thing, to name a few.And it's beautifully illustrated. Like Lemire says, Ormston has a wonderful "idiosyncratic" style that looks like an indie comic while featuring superheroes.A Short Note on the Library Edition: This is a crisply designed book, like all hardcovers from Dark Horse. The jacket-less cover is beautiful. The paper is super thick. The sewn binding all but eliminates gutter loss. Then there’s a sewn-in ribbon bookmark and loads of extras, interviews and illustrations.

Fantastic edition for a wonderful intimate original super hero story. If you like Lemire and superhero, you will love this book. If you love Lemire and not superhero, you will still love this book. If you do not love Lemire, probably you do not know Lemire or this book is not for you.

Story is great. Art looks so good in the library edition. Jeff Lemire is top 5 for me

This book, (the "Library Edition" that collects the first two separately available "Black Hammer" volumes), confirms all of the good things that have been said about this series - the deconstruction of the Golden Age heroes, the melancholy of the old tropes, the personal toll that is paid privately by these publicly heroic figures. It is a thoughtful homage, but with great energy and style and an engagingly rueful sense of humor. For what it's worth this collection has enough monologuing and enough flashbacking that a newbie could jump in at any point, as I did, and pretty easily pick up all of the important character and story threads. So don't be hesitant to come on in.(WARNING - the real "Library Edition" is 408 pages and will be released in December, 2018. Many sites, including sometimes this one, reference the Library Edition, but are really addressed to Volume 1, which is 220 pages and just the first half of the Library Edition. So be careful if you're buying something.)All of Black Hammer's superhero companions have been trapped in some dullsville pocket universe for the past ten years. The first half of the book, (the original Volume 1), introduces us to the characters, sets up the premise, and shows us life for these trapped and restless heroes. In the second half of the book, (Volume 2), Hammer's daughter, Lucy, is somehow transported into that bland nowheresville, and being the good reporter she is, she pokes around and starts asking questions. Apart from some flashbacks about the early days of some of the heroes, (Colonel Weird, Black Hammer, Barbalien, Abraham Slam, Golden Gail, Madame Dragonfly, and even Talky-Walky), there isn't much "action" going on. But, there is an awful lot in terms of interest, character, and depth. Each hero reacts differently, (despair, frustration, relief, acceptance, regret), to this forced banishment, and those different reactions are played out convincingly. Who knew Pirandello wrote comics?A lot of attention is devoted to Abraham Slam and Barbalien, especially regarding how they are accommodating to a life of exile on "the Farm". Golden Gail and Colonel Weird get the best flashbacks, although there are more than enough flashback "mini-comics" for this to qualify as a superior anthology collection of each superhero's best work. Madame Dragonfly is sadly, to me, somewhat overlooked, but she'd probably be O.K. with that. Meanwhile, by the end, Lucy starts to become a more and more central character.As you might expect, the volume concludes with a display of variant covers and with a very interesting set of work-in-progress pages that demonstrate how a page is penciled and inked. We also get character pages for not only the heroes but for characters who didn't make it into the final project. That was all especially ineteresting.My bottom line is that I wasn't really familiar with Black Hammer before coming upon this book, and it was a revelation. This was consistently superior storytelling that went way beyond conventional comics. I'm intrigued and impressed enough to most definitely keep following the series. Lemire has done a lot of interesting things with these characters beyond the usual superhero mishegoss, and I'm curious to see where he goes next. Volume 3 is supposed to be very much centered on Lucy, so I suspect we are going to start looking forward instead of dwelling on the past. I'd be happy to follow these characters for a long time.(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Came in great condition

Bought this for my brother in-laws b'day, and he was well chuffed with it. I even got it personally signed by Dean Ormston for him too.

The media could not be loaded.  Una edizione library veramente imponente. Una serie bella e appassionate.Se non conoscete Black Hammer questo è il momento di scoprirlo.Consigliatissimo.Il lingua originale!

Great book.The article was delivered in good conditions, the only thing that did not like was the fact that the box was openned by someone before the arrival at my address.

If you know anything about Dark Horse Library Editions, you know they're about as good a comic product there is.If you don't know anything about Black Hammer, READ IT!!! Ultimate love letter to the superhero genre. I can't praise this thing enough. Just perfect. Take a bow, Jeff Lemire.

I love Dark Horse Library Editions. They are similar to Dc's Absolute Edition (apart from the Slipcase) but lot more cheaper. If compared side by side, I think Library Editions are better than Absolutes. The page quality. binding, printing all are very satisfying. To a comics book collector this type of editions are obvious choice.This present volume is no exception. Apart from the 13+ 1 (annual) issues it contains fifty plus pages of bonus material (introduction of the series, character profile, sketches, pencil pages etc).If you love Black Hammer this must be your obvious choice.Highly recommended.