Although Black science fiction remains a fairly small sector of the market, I’ve found that one of more fascinating archetypes found the genre is that of the “Black Wandering Immortal Hero.”  Examples include Octavia E. Butler’s literary creation, Doro from her “Patternmaster” series; Dwayne McDuffie’s Icon from Milestone Comics; and Jaycen Wise, the independent comic book creation of the artist, Uraeus.  For many African-Americans, there is no family crest or immigration record to document their family’s earliest arrival in this country; sometimes the best they can hope for is an oral history or some record of a financial transaction as their ancestors passed from one set of hands to another.  Possibly this archetype speaks to the African-American desire to connect with a past that was lost to us due to broken family lines.  Possibly the Immortal Wanderer is literary wish fulfillment for Black Americans who, from time to time, might engage in the thought experiment of, “What would I have done if I had been there?” or ‘Man, if only I had been there…”  The latest addition to the ranks of the Black Wandering Immortal Heroes is Lucius Hammer, created by writer, Brian Williams, and artist, Christian Colbert of  Ravenhammer Comics.

The setting for the first issue of Lucius Hammer is the early 1970s, but his tale begins sometime near the turn of the 20th century.  Lucius was raised in the town of Possum Bend, Alabama, and from an early age, Lucius’ parents were aware that he was special and gifted with unique abilities.  His remarkable strength manifests as a youth, but throughout the course of the story, it becomes evident that Lucius may possibly be immortal.  After his mother’s death, Lucius’ father encourages him to explore the world and find his own direction in life, but he warns him to  guard his secret abilities closely.  Most of the first issue is a flashback, and provides the reader with a quick snapshot of Lucius’ life.  Like Benjamin Buttons, Forrest Gump, or Woody Allen’s Zelig, Lucius moves through the major events of the 20th century and reflects on how they  influenced him.  In the world of Lucius Hammer, superheroes began appearing sometime after World War II, and their arrival inspires him to openly use his powers in a similar manner to help and inspire others.  Sometime in the early 1970s, Lucius goes public under the nom de guerre of Powerhouse and forms his own superteam called The Dream Team  The consolidated power an all-Black team of superheroes draws the attention of the U.S. government, so President Nixon activates a Cold War super-soldier by the name of  The American Way to take down Powerhouse and The Dream Team.  The first issue ends with the threat of the impending confrontation between the Lucius and The American Way.

Overall, I thought Lucius Hammer was a blast.  Williams does a commendable job of compressing Lucius Hammer’s origin and setting up the conflict all within the span of twenty-two pages.  Williams throws a lot of information at the reader, but because much of it is conveyed  via Lucius Hammer’s first person narration, it comes across as more conversational and less purely expository.  This is a story very much in the old-school Marvel manner. Williams creates a fairly relatable hero and gives you everything you need to know about him before launching into the adventure.  Although Lucius Hammer’s story carries him through some bleak times in the 20th Century, and the notion of a government conspiracy to put Black superheroes in their place, might be fodder for a very dark story, the overall tone of Lucius Hammer was one of optimism.  Lucius makes mistakes in his effort to find his place and purpose in the world, but his heart and head are in the right place.

If I had one criticism for this book, it would be the implication in the opening page that Lucius is the “bastard son of John Henry.”  I understand the desire to tie the immortal Lucius Hammer into one of the few Black characters in American folklore, especially given Lucius’ surname, but the connection just reminds me of Bryan Singer’s Superman-as-Absentee-Father in Superman Returns.  And, man, I hate to be reminded of Superman Returns. Like Superman, I don’t see John Henry as a character who would knock up a chick and leave.  If nothing else, John Henry was all about honor and commitment, even if it killed him.  Also, the word “bastard” in the opening page might be the only thing keeping it from being an all-ages appropriate book.  But these are fairly minor quibbles in an otherwise fine book.

Christian Colbert reinforces the generally upbeat mood with bright, open art that is somewhat reminiscent of Ed McGuinness.  Colbert’s figure work shares the blocky, robust quality of McGuinness’, but the linework is more pared down, cartoonier, and accordingly, there’s just a little more fluidity to Colbert’s forms.  It was actually Colbert’s designs for Lucius Hammer and his supporting cast that attracted me to the book in the first place, and Colbert proves to be as strong a storyteller as he is character designer.  Colbert, with assistance from Derek King, is also the book’s colorist, and his selection and use of color is absolutely gorgeous.  I especially love the vibrant orange and the warm browns he selected for Powerhouse’s uniform.  Colbert is also effective at using color to further the storytelling and enhance the mood of individual scenes.  There’s one page in the book that perfectly demonstrates what a great team Williams and Colbert make.  It begins at the funeral of Lucius’ mother, with Lucius Hammer, and his family standing on a hillside where a single cross marks his mother’s freshly dug grave.  The color pallette features beautiful, rich autumnal colors. At the gravesite, his aging father encourages Hammer to leave their small town and explore his own path.  The final panel on the page shows two crosses on that same hill, now cold, grey, wintry and snowswept, with Lucius’ narration box stating that once he left Possum Bend, he never returned home.  There’s not a punch thrown or a hint of spandex in sight, but this page impressed me the most, because it was a wonderful synthesis of art, writing, and coloring, with an elegant economy in the storytelling.  While a lot was said on the page, there was still so much implied between the panels that gave a greater weight to the story.

I definitely look forward to more installments of Lucius Hammer and would encourage you to check out the Ravenhammer website and Brian Williams’ Lucius Hammer blog for more insight into the series.

- JEP