Benjamin Snyder 10/11/17 Benjamin Snyder 10/11/17

Review: Royal City #6

By Ben Snyder

With Jeff Lemire’s second arc for Royal City, he sets up a fascinating introduction on the mystery that is Tommy from the original arc. Throughout the first five issues, the entire Pike family is haunted by their perceived version of Tommy; Tara by the baby brother she babysat and hoped the best for, Richie envisioned the brother he never got to spiral out and do drugs with; Patricia hallucinated the Tommy that took the cloth, but this is our first true glimpse into the true Tommy. The anxiety-ridden, possibly supernatural headache suffering teenager, filled with as much angst as anyone going through this period. And in this way, Lemire sets up what could be the most interesting arc the series could offer.

Justin McCarty 9/27/17 Justin McCarty 9/27/17

Review: Royal City vol. 1 - Next of Kin

By Justin McCarty

Jeff Lemire has made a name for himself telling personal stories about real people or at least relatable characters. His breakout hit was Essex County for Top Shelf, an Eisner award-winning graphic novel series. In Royal City, he has managed to circle back around to relatable archetypes that highlight the dysfunction in relationships. Lemire has written a haunting book that imagines what failed and lonely lives look like on a granular level. Next, of Kin collects the first five chapters chronicling the lives of the Pike family as they are forced to come to terms with the baggage weighing them down. Rendered in Lemire's trademark ink and watercolors, Royal City is full of atmosphere.

Press Release 9/26/17 Press Release 9/26/17

Dark Horse Comics Announces "Black Hammer: Age of Doom" by Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston

Press Release

Dark Horse Comics has announced that writer Jeff Lemire and artist Dean Ormston’s creator owned Black Hammer superhero saga will return in 2018 with a new ongoing series titled Black Hammer: Age of Doom. The new ongoing series will continue to chronicle the adventures of the forgotten champions of Spiral City, following the events of the cliffhanger ending of issue thirteen of Black Hammer.

Benjamin Snyder 9/20/17 Benjamin Snyder 9/20/17

Review: Descender #24

By Ben Snyder

In Descender #24, we catch up with a seemingly forgotten friend in Driller. It’s a true shame that issues like this don’t come more often, because in these quieter, smaller character driven issues Jeff Lemire’s skills as a writer prevail, shedding light and humanity on what could be a simplistic robotic character.

Patrick Wolf 8/2/17 Patrick Wolf 8/2/17

Review: Bloodshot Salvation #1

By Patrick Wolf

Some of the best stories I’ve ever read had incredibly boring intros. Examples that come to mind are Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, Sakaki’s Scrapped Princess, and Spielberg’s Schindler’s List. While it’s too early to tell if Bloodshot Salvation belongs in the same category as these titans, one thing is clear: its first issue is definitely skimpy on the action.

Benjamin Snyder 7/26/17 Benjamin Snyder 7/26/17

Review: Black Hammer #11

By Ben Snyder

Cleverly disguised as a classic Superhero serial, Jeff Lemire continues to subvert and praise that era with his Eisner winning run on Black Hammer with another fantastic issue of Black Hammer #11. Although this issue isn’t action packed or filled with a huge set piece cornerstone scene, Jeff Lemire continues to write what he writes best: human melancholy.

Jonathan Edwards 7/19/17 Jonathan Edwards 7/19/17

Review: Royal City #5

By Jonathan Edwards

Royal City #5 marks the end of the first story arc. Although, that is perhaps a loose definition. Because, though the stakes are higher this time around, I didn't find this issue to be distinctly more revelatory or terminating than any previous issue. I don't mean that as a bad thing either. I tore through this issue, enjoying every moment of my reading. And when I realized I was at the end, I only wanted more. But, it looks like we'll have to wait for October for the next arc, where Lemire sends us back to 1993 and the final days of Tommy Pike. However, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's on the issue at hand. Namely, issue #5 of Royal City.

Benjamin Snyder 7/19/17 Benjamin Snyder 7/19/17

Review: Descender #22

By Ben Snyder

With Telsa drowning, Andy and crew engaged in a heated space fight with the Hardwire fleet, and Tim-21 held hostage by the Hardwire Descender #22 begins the much-publicized “Rise of the Robots” arc. Dustin Nguyen continues to deliver some of the best and unique visuals in any book right now and Jeff Lemire’s plot doesn’t deviate too much and delivers a straightforward and surprising set-up issue.

Press Release 7/11/17 Press Release 7/11/17

The Black Hammer Universe Expands This Fall

Press Release

Writer Jeff Lemire and artist Dean Ormston have captivated readers and critics alike with their “sad, dark, and brilliant”* creator owned superhero saga Black Hammer, which follows the forgotten champions of Spiral City long after the age of heroes has passed. This fall, Dark Horse Comics will expand the universe of the Black Hammer with Sherlock Frankenstein & The Legion of Evil, written by Lemire and illustrated by artist David Rubín, for the first of several high profile mini-series featuring different artists. While the main, Eisner-nominated Black Hammer series focuses on the heroes of Spiral City—Abraham Slam, Golden Gail, Colonel Weird, Madame Dragonfly, and Barbalien—Sherlock Frankenstein & The Legion of Evil reveals the secret origins of the Black Hammer’s greatest villains.

Jonathan Edwards 6/21/17 Jonathan Edwards 6/21/17

Review: Royal City #4

By Jonathan Edwards

I've been championing this book since pretty much the get go, and as far as I'm concerned, it's been doing a pretty good job of consistently living up to that hype. However, with the next issue marking the end of Royal City's introductory story arc, it seems that Lemire has slowed down his momentum a touch for this fourth installment. Mind you, it's by no means a bad issue. The priority is just different. Rather than following in the footsteps of the last couple issues by introducing new plot threads, we see those that already exist start to get pulled together. Although, Lemire still leaves us with the lingering question of who exactly is the young woman that Patrick keeps running into? And perhaps more importantly, how does she fit into what all's going on with Tommy and Royal City?

Daniel Vlasaty 5/24/17 Daniel Vlasaty 5/24/17

Review: Black Hammer #9

By Daniel Vlasaty

Black Hammer is a book I have read and enjoyed as long as it’s been coming out. But I never reviewed it. I’m not really sure why this is. Maybe because I didn’t want to write a review that was basically just OMG GUYS THIS FREAKING BOOK IS AMAZING, TOTALLY AWESOME YES. But I decided to put all that out of my mind and review Black Hammer #9. Mainly because David Rubin is doing the art in this issue. Black Hammer is a great book with solid characters and intrigue and mystery. It’s the perfect book for the comic reader who loves superhero stories but is tired of all the same old bullshit. But you already know that. This is a review for the ninth issue. You know what the overall story is about. But what about this issue, on its own, away from all the other issues that came before it?

Jonathan Edwards 5/17/17 Jonathan Edwards 5/17/17

Review: Royal City #3

By Jonathan Edwards

I swear, with every new issue of Royal City, I read it, love it, and want more. Lemire does such a good job of setting and maintaining a tone that it hardly takes any effort to slip back into the same emotional space each month. Furthermore, he has a specific way of revealing information so that it informs about the characters and world while also generating further intrigue and follow-up questions. As far as I can tell, the "model" (if you want to call it that) tends to be something of a reversed order of events. We meet a character who's feeling a certain way or in a certain state of mind. Then, we slowly move backwards to find out the actual event that got them there. And after that, we uncover what led to that event. For example, Tara and her husband Steve have been at odds since the first issue, and with this one we finally learn what the cause of that was (I refuse to spoil it). And now, the question becomes "what else was going on before it that affected and led up to it?" It's really great stuff, and I can only presume it will all eventually lead back to finding out exactly what happened to Tommy Pike.

Press Release 4/24/17 Press Release 4/24/17

Preview: Bloodshot Salvation #1

Valiant is proud to present your first look inside BLOODSHOT SALVATION #1 – the FIRST ISSUE of the BLOCKBUSTER NEW ONGOING SERIES from New York Times best-selling writer Jeff Lemire (BLOODSHOT REBORN, Moon Knight) and extraordinary artists Lewis LaRosa (BLOODSHOT REBORN, SAVAGE) & Mico Suayan (BLOODSHOT REBORN)! On September 27th, to protect his true love and newborn daughter from the forces that made him a walking weapon, Valiant’s machine-made soldier will be forced to run his most dangerous mission yet…and begin a harrowing gauntlet of revenge and bloodshed that will forever redefine the course of Bloodshot’s present and future…

Jonathan Edwards 4/19/17 Jonathan Edwards 4/19/17

Review: Royal City #2

By Jonathan Edwards

There's something about Jeff Lemire and Royal City that makes it so damn engaging to read. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I know it's there, probably having to do with the sum of the parts over any individual aspect. It's the same type of dynamic that can happen when a comic incollected format versus issue to issue. Sometimes, the collection just adds another dimension. Consequently, that's exactly what I expect to happen with the eventual Royal City hardcovers and TPBs. Although, even if that does turn out to be the case, it won't dissuade from picking up and reading the individuals issues.

Dustin Cabeal 4/19/17 Dustin Cabeal 4/19/17

Review: Black Hammer #8

By Dustin Cabeal

I had to catch up on the past two issues in order to review Black Hammer #8 and let me tell you; it was worth it. Not only were the last two issues incredible, but it made me more excited for this issue. Each issue tends to follow one character’s backstory, and this time it’s Gail, who has become one of my favorite characters of this series due to her predicament. There is something extremely interesting about this old woman trapped in a young girl’s body.

Levi Remington 4/17/17 Levi Remington 4/17/17

Valiant Unveils a Staggering Line-Up of New Series Spanning 2017 with BLOODSHOT SALVATION, NINJA-K, QUANTUM AND WOODY!, and More!

Press Release

As revealed today during the #ValiantSummit 2017 event live from Twitch TV’s Hyper RPG studios in Los Angeles, Valiant Entertainment is proud to announce “ICONS” – an all-new wave of ongoing series, prestige format projects and standalone events spanning the Valiant Universe’s greatest heroes and top talents! Out of the record-setting success of X-O MANOWAR (2017) #1 – the year’s best-selling series debut from any independent publisher – “ICONS” will continue throughout 2017 with one major new series launch each month, featuring the publisher’s most enduring heroes:

Press Release 3/23/17 Press Release 3/23/17

Uncover the “Secret Origins” of Jeff Lemire’s “Black Hammer”

The first chapter of Dark Horse’s long-awaited superhero science-fiction mystery adventure has arrived! The critically acclaimed action-adventure series by famed creator Jeff Lemire (Essex County, Sweet Tooth) with art by Dean Ormston (Lucifer, 2000 AD) and Dave Stewart (Hellboy), Black Hammer: Secret Origins collects Black Hammer #1–#6 and will hit shelves March 29, 2017.

Levi Remington 3/22/17 Levi Remington 3/22/17

Review: Black Hammer #7

By Levi Remington

Jeff Lemire's grand homage to Golden Age heroes continues with the start of a new arc -- this time exploring the mysterious origins of Black Hammer, the hammer-wielding hero of the streets who sacrificed all he had to save Spiral City. In the spirit of previous issues, two stories of past and present are told concurrently. But how does this week's backstory stack up? Read ahead to find out!

Dustin Cabeal 3/3/17 Dustin Cabeal 3/3/17

Everyone Is Shitting Their Pants Over The Underwater Welder Movie Produced By Ryan Gosling

By Dustin Cabeal

The story wasn't the good and was very predictable. I'm sure it'll do well for everyone involved.

Dustin Cabeal 3/2/17 Dustin Cabeal 3/2/17

Bloodshot Gets Relaunched Again, With Jeff Lemire... Again

As revealed today at The Washington Post in advance of Emerald City Comicon 2017 (ECCC), Valiant is proud to announce BLOODSHOT SALVATION #1 – the FIRST ISSUE of A BLOCKBUSTER NEW ONGOING SERIES coming this September from New York Times best-selling writer Jeff Lemire (Bloodshot Reborn, Moon Knight) and extraordinary artists Lewis LaRosa (Bloodshot Reborn) & Mico Suayan (Bloodshot Reborn)! A bloody and vengeful new era for Bloodshot begins this fall as Ray Garrison escapes his violent past to build the one thing he never thought he’d earn: a family. But when a hateful secret from his true love’s past threatens their fragile peace, Bloodshot will be forced to run headlong into a barrage of blood, bullets, and broken bones for a revenge-fueled assault that will have crushing consequences for those he holds most dear…