Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil

In October 2017, shortly after the cliffhanger ending of Black Hammer #13, Dark Horse Comics launched Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil, the first Black Hammer spinoff miniseries, written by Jeff Lemire with art by David Rubín. The series focused on Lucy Weber, a young investigative reporter searching for the truth about what happened ten years ago when her father, the Black Hammer, disappeared.^[9] The miniseries introduced numerous characters that would go on to play larger roles in future stories, such as Cthu-Louise and Grimjim.

Doctor Andromeda and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows

Originally published as Doctor Star and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows, this second Black Hammer spinoff miniseries was written by Jeff Lemire with art by Max Fiumara was launched in December 2017. The series focuses on Doctor Star (later renamed Doctor Andromeda), a Golden Age superhero and contemporary of Abraham Slam.^[10]

The series was retitled "Doctor Andromeda and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows" following a legal issue with another publisher. As Lemire himself explained in a 2020 interview:

"I have been cagey about this because the honest truth is that there was a legal issue with the name and its similarity to another publisher's character and there is very little I can actually discuss. But we worked it out very amicably with that other publisher and we agreed to change his name and costume a bit. Not any drama or anything, it was all very civil. The good thing is the name changed, but the story is exactly the same. And that original printing of Doctor Star trades and floppies will probably be collector's items to a degree now, I guess. This being Black Hammer, I do have a fun meta way of explaining the name change within the universe itself that will unfold next year in some new Black Hammer projects".^[11]

Doctor Andromeda originally appeared in a cameo role in the original Black Hammer series as an homage to Starman, specifically the incarnation written by James Robinson, to the point that the character's alter ego was named "Jimmy Robinson".

Black Hammer: Age of Doom

Black Hammer series ended and was relaunched as Black Hammer: Age of Doom in 2018.^[12] Lemire explained the name change in a press release:

"One thing Black Hammer has always done is comment on the history of superhero comics and we live in a world where superhero universes seem to be rebooted, relaunched, and rebirthed every year. It felt like we needed to play around with that idea, but put a Black Hammer spin on it".^[13]

Age of Doom finished the story that Lemire had originally pitched to Dark Horse about the superheroes stranded on Black Hammer farm. However, in a July 2019 interview, he explained this was simply the end of Phase I, and went on to tease developments for Phase II with more spinoffs and a new core Black Hammer series.^[14]

The Quantum Age

The Quantum Age, a spinoff set in 2141 (originally 3041, but this date was revised in the trade paperback) about a group of superheroes, inspired by the heroes of Black Hammer Farm, was released in March 2018.^[15] The series deals with some of the aftermath of Age of Doom.

Black Hammer ’45

Black Hammer ’45, a four-issue miniseries about the Black Hammer Squadron in World War II, was published in December 2018. This miniseries marked the first time a Black Hammer title wasn't solely written by Jeff Lemire, with Ray Fawkes joining as co-writer.^[16] Matt Kindt, who had previously worked on the Black Hammer: Giant-Sized Annual, returned as the artist.

Skulldigger + Skeleton Boy

Just prior to SDCC 2019, Newsarama announced Skulldigger + Skeleton Boy, a six-issue miniseries about the vigilante Skulldigger, written by Jeff Lemire with art by Tonci Zonjic. The series had previously been mentioned in the Stranger Things / Black Hammer Free Comic Book Day 2019 issue^[17] and in The World of Black Hammer Encyclopedia.^[18] Jeff Lemire said that this book would be the first title in "Phase II" of the Black Hammer universe.^[19] Early on, Lemire had planned on drawing the series himself, but he couldn't find time in his schedule.^[20]

Colonel Weird: Cosmagog

Colonel Weird: Cosmagog, a four-issue miniseries was published in October 2020, written by Jeff Lemire with art by Tyler Crook.^[21] It looks at Colonel Randall Weird's past and his future beyond the ending of Black Hammer: Age of Doom. Lemire described the series as a bridge from the Phase I Black Hammer series to the stories he has planned for the future.^[22]

Barbalien: Red Planet

Barbalien: Red Planet, a five-issue miniseries written by Jeff Lemire and Tate Brombal with art by Gabriel Hernández Walta was announced in spring 2020.^[23] The miniseries explores Mark Markz's time as a police officer during the 1980s AIDS crisis. It was originally scheduled to launch in LGBTQ Pride Month, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Black Hammer: Visions

In November 2020, Dark Horse announced an eight-issue anthology series, with each story from different creative teams.^[24] Lemire has clarified that Visions is not in continuity.^[25]

Black Hammer: Reborn

This will be the core title of Phase II. It will be a twelve-issue series with a new artist, Caitlin Yarsky. Dean Ormston will continue to work in the World of Black Hammer on another title with more of a horror focus. The series jumps ahead twenty years after the finale of Black Hammer: Age of Doom with Lucy living in the suburbs with her partner and children.^[26] Lemire described it as "Lucy Weber's Mid-Life Crisis on Multiple Earths".^[27] It will focus on Lucy Weber as the new Black Hammer and include Skulldigger in a prominent role as well as many other returning characters.^[20]

The Unbelievable Unteens

Dark Horse announced a new spinoff reuniting Jeff Lemire and Tyler Crook, The Unbelievable Unteens in May 2021.^[28] This story is set to focus on comic artist Jane Ito meeting one of her comics creations. Earlier that year, Lemire had posted a teaser image by Crook featuring Jack Sabbath holding the fictional final issue of The Incredible Unteens.^[29]

The Last Days of Black Hammer

In March 2022, Lemire launched The Last Days of Black Hammer, a 110-page comic that was serialized weekly through his Substack newsletter, Tales from the Farm. Drawn by Stefano Simeone, this story is a prequel to the original Black Hammer run, set in 1986 and focused on Joe Weber and his family.^[30]

Colonel Weird and Little Andromeda

Like The Last Days of Black Hammer, Colonel Weird and Little Andromeda was originally serialized through Jeff Lemire's Tales from the Farm newsletter. Written by Tate Brombal, the series has work from many artists. Ray Fawkes drew the framing sequences, while Tyler Bence, Shawn Kuruneru, Ariela Kristantina, Dani, Marguerite Sauvage, Andrea Sorrentino, Tyler Crook, Yuko Shimizu, and Nick Robles all drew self-contained stories within the framework.^[31] The series introduced the character Willow D. Whisper, created by Tate Brombal and Dani.^[32]

Black Hammer: The End

In September 2021, Lemire posted an image on Instagram teasing Black Hammer: The End.^[33] After it was announced that he had entered into an exclusive deal with Image Comics, Lemire posted a newsletter explaining what this would mean for Black Hammer—that the deal had an exemption for all his Black Hammer work. However, he also mentioned that he was planning to bring Black Hammer to an end in 2023.^[34] He has since clarified that The End will wrap up all the storylines that have been building over the last few years, and will set the stage for a whole new era of Black Hammer stories in 2024 and beyond.^[35][36]

Trade paperbacks

Hardcovers

Library editions