Jeff Lemire’s Black Hammer is one of the most critically acclaimed books of the 2010s and today publisher Dark Horse Comics announced a new series that continues the story, titled Black Hammer: Reborn. The new book will be written by creator Jeff Lemire, with Caitlin Yarsky taking over art from Dean Ormston.

Black Hammer has been one of Lemire’s most ambitious projects to date, a story told not only through a series focusing on the titular character, but also various minis and one-shots that explore the character’s universe. The project is a meta-commentary on superhero comics and often explores common tropes found in them. It tells the story of Black Hammer and the other heroes of Spiral City. During the course of a battle with the Anti-God, Hammer and the other heroes were seemingly killed but were actually transported to another dimension, where they lived out their lives as ordinary people in the idyllic town of Rockwood. Soon after their arrival, however, Black Hammer died. Over the course of the series, Hammer’s daughter Lucy fights her way to Rockwood and discovers the truth about her father. The previous series ended with Lucy taking up the mantle of Black Hammer, and now Lemire and Yarsky continue Lucy’s story in Black Hammer: Reborn.

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In a special first-look provided to Forbes, readers learn the book begins twenty years after the previous mini-series, Age of Doom. During that time, Lucy has given up being Black Hammer and is now living in the suburbs of Spiral City. Life is not good for her: her marriage is in shambles and is working a dead-end job. No explanation is given for her retirement, but the series will explore her reasons, and how they threaten to destroy her life and family. Check out the cover art for Black Hammer: Reborn #1 below:

black hammer reborn cover art

The first look quoted Lemire as saying this series was what they were “building towards” over the course of the original run. He also celebrated new artist Caitlin Yarsky, saying he was excited to be working with her on the project. Outgoing artist Dean Ormston also had praise for Yarsky, calling her work “incredible” and joking that he was a “little bit terrified” to see Yarsky’s art on the series. Yarsky had similar praise for Lemire and Ormston, saying working with the two was a “dream come true.”

Black Hammer has proven to be a huge hit for Dark Horse, and now Jeff Lemire returns to continue the saga in Black Hammer: Reborn. Caitlin Yarksy will illustrate issues one through four and Malachi Ward and Matt Sheean will pencil issues five through eight; colors will be provided by Dave Stewart and the first issue will be available in stores and on all digital comics platforms July 23.

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Source: Forbes