The universe of Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston‘s Black Hammer has expanded out beyond the pages of the titular series, with half-a-dozen miniseries and one-shots fleshing out background characters and exploring new corners of the world. The initial thirteen-issue run of Black Hammer has been collected as a hardcover edition, and now Dark Horse has announced a companion volume. The World of Black Hammer Library Edition Volume 1 will collect two of the Lemire-written Black Hammer tie-in miniseries in an oversized hardcover. Included in the collection will be a pair of four-issue miniseries: the David Rubín-illustrated Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil, and the Max Fiumara-illustrated Doctor Andromeda and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows. The hardcover will also feature new behind-the-scenes material on the creation of the two series, as well as a new painted cover by Ormston
Sherlock Frankenstein, the first Black Hammer tie-in miniseries, follows Lucy Weber as she investigates the disappearance of her father, the original Black Hammer, and the other heroes of Spiral City—an investigation that leads her to arch-criminal and mad scientist Sherlock Frankenstein. The initial trade paperback collection of Sherlock Frankenstein included the four issues of the series, as well as an issue of Black Hammer that served as a prelude to the series. That issue has already been collected as part of the first Black Hammer Library Edition, so whether it will be included here is unclear.
Doctor Andromeda, meanwhile, was originally released under the name Doctor Star, before the name was changed last year. That series tells the story of Jimmy Robinson, a superhero from Earth who spent years traveling the cosmos and aiding alien civilizations, and his attempt to make peace with his dying son.
Dark Horse’s Library Edition hardcovers are beautiful, archival-quality packages, and I’m glad to see that not just the main Black Hammer series will be getting that treatment. Check out Dean Ormston’s new cover for the book below. With a retail price of $49.99, The World of Black Hammer Library Edition Volume 1 is due out in comic shops on June 10th, and in bookstores on June 23rd.
