Black Hammer Does a Batman/Catwoman in Its Latest Visions

Eisner-nominated writer Kelly Thompson and her collaborators on Hawkeye, artist Leonardo Romero and colorist Jordie Bellaire, team up once again for an action-packed Black Hammer one-shot that pits the Spiral City vigilante Skulldigger against a new and cunning thief who is sure to leave him with scars. Lettered by Nate Piekos for Dark Horse Comics.

2019-21’s Skulldigger and Skeleton Boy miniseries introduced us to the grim and gritty 1990s of Jeff Lemire’s Black Hammer universe. In it, the masked vigilante crime fighter Skulldigger adopts/kidnaps an orphaned ward who names himself Skeleton Boy. Unlike the relationship between Batman and Robin upon which it’s based, Skulldigger and Skeleton Boy deconstructs the “costumed vigilante and child sidekick” dynamic and explores it as a cycle of abuse perpetuated through generations of costumed heroes and villains. 

Black Hammer: Visions #5 revisits Skulldigger, exploring a different central relationship of Batman comics: that of Batman and Catwoman. The Catwoman pastiche in this case is a cat burglar named Bijou, who stylishly, gracefully attempts to bring down a Spiral City industrialist in the name of environmental justice. The comic follows their cat-and-mouse game, tinged with a blossoming attraction between the two criminals, culminating in a high society party which they both attend incognito.

Romero’s clean, elegant line work is a good match for Skulldigger’s design as created by Tonči Zonjić. Romero impresses with his use of stark shadows, and his character acting is always a joy to see. His designs for Bijou, in her three different outfits, manage to be simple yet stylish, showcasing strong and distinct silhouettes. Bellaire’s color palettes are heavily constrained in this issue, a far cry from the bright California tones of her and Romero’s work on Hawkeye and more reminiscent of Matt Hollingsworth’s coloring of Darwyn Cooke’s lines on Selina’s Big Score. 

All in all, though, what does this comic accomplish? While Skulldigger and Skeleton Boy recontextualized a common superhero trope by exploring the ramifications of indoctrinating a traumatized child into a world of violence and revenge, the story of Skulldigger and Bijou doesn’t seem to have any deeper exploration, no turning the pastiche on its head to examine it in a new light. As a Batman and Catwoman rivals-to-lovers story, it’s entertaining enough, and lord knows I loved the art, but the story for me just lacks that extra turn that makes me think about the source material in a new and interesting way. 

As for the ending, which I won’t spoil here, while it’s in keeping with the overall dynamic of Skulldigger’s relationship with his rogue’s gallery, I can’t help but feel let down. The conclusion hinges on a tired trope without adding any kind of depth to it. It’s pretty much a bummer.

Dispatches From The Para-Zone:

• Speaking of clever design elements: Bijou’s domino mask is a letter B!
• The scar that Skulldigger received in this issue is present throughout the Skulldigger and Skeleton Boy mini; a clever means of indicating where this issue takes place in the chronology.
• Next month, Cullen Bunn and Malachi Ward take on Cthu-Lou!
• BUT FIRST: The start of Black Hammer Reborn, the first Black Hammer ongoing since 2019!

Mark Turetsky

Mark Turetsky is an audiobook narrator and voice actor who sometimes writes about comic books. Originally from Montreal, Canada, he now lives in Northern Louisiana.