One of the best new teams in comic books gets a crossover miniseries with one of the most established.

Black Hammer/Justice League: Hammer of Justice 1
Written by Jeff Lemire
Pencils and Inks by Michael Walsh
Colors by Dave Stewart and Michael Walsh

So much of the BLACK HAMMER series from Dark Horse takes its cues from the heroes from the DC Comics universe. Golden Gail is SHAZAM. Barbalien is the Martian Manhunter. Col. Weird is Adam Strange. It’s fun to see the little homages that writer Jeff Lemire puts in to each Black Hammer issue.

I was very excited for a Black Hammer crossover with the Justice League, not only because of how much I love this relatively new universe that Lemire has been building. But I was also excited to see Lemire take on some of the big guns of comic book heroes.

The first issue, though, was little more than a tease, as most opening chapters are. The set-up for the action takes the whole issue, introducing the players in this little drama and putting all the pieces in position for what is soon to come. A strange man visits both the Black Hammer farm and the members of the Justice League and switches them into the others’ universe.

There are slight logistical issues with this based on the recent reveal of what the Black Hammer farm actually was, but I trust Lemire to give us an explanation for that as we get rolling with the story.

After whetting my appetite for the story with this first issue, I am excited for more, especially to see Abraham Slam and his crew interacting with the rest of the DC Universe. This should be one of the more fun miniseries of the year.