On Friday, Dark Horse announced Black Hammer 3 for $1, an small anthology aimed at inviting new readers into Spiral City. The Jeff Lemire-lead universe seems to be expanding all the time with spin-offs, villain titles and different timelines, so the publisher is hoping this bundle will make the series more approachable for new readers.
Jeff Lemire’s Black Hammer tells the story of a group of superheroes fighting battles both physical and psychological; it’s been equated to the writer’s indie take on the Justice League. To add to the hype, Black Hammer has also appeared at the Eisners every year since it hit shelves in 2017, either through the main title or one of its spin-offs.
This purchase includes Black Hammer #1, the series’ debut, Sherlock Frankenstein #1, a villain-centric series and Quantum Age #1, a comic that takes place a futuristic Spiral City. Altogether it’s a 72 page book collecting art from Dean Ormston, David Rubín and Wilfredo Torres.
Along with the news of Black Hammer 3 for $1, Dark Horse announces yet another new series under the Lemire superhero-verse, Skulldigger + Skeleton Boy. Lemire is joined by Lobster Johnson artist, Tonci Zonjic and the ubiquitous letterer Steve Wands. Here’s how Dark Horse describes the upcoming comic: “this tale of dark tragedy finds Spiral City trapped in a vicious cycle of crime, corruption, and violence. With the heart of the city at stake, a vigilante rises in Skulldigger. However, when the nefarious Grimjim escapes from prison, will Skulldigger and his ward, Skeleton Boy, be enough to save Spiral City?” The latest in the Black Hammer series is set to be a 12 issue maxiseries.
Black Hammer 3 for $1 arrives on November 6 – plenty of time for readers to catch up and prepare for the release of Skulldigger + Skeleton Boy on December 11. Check out cover art for both below and, for even more, be sure to see what Lemire himself has to say about working on Black Hammer in our interview.
