Secret Origins (story arc)

***Secret Origins*** is the first arc of *Black Hammer*. Written by Jeff Lemire and illustrated by Dean Ormston, this arc introduces Black Hammer farm and the superheroes that live there.

## Cast

### Main

* Abraham Slamkowski
* Gail Gibbons
* Talky Walky
* Mark Markz
* Col. Randall Weird
* Madame Dragonfly
* Lucy Weber

### Supporting

* Tammy Trueheart
* Father Quinn
* Sheriff Earl "Redd" Trueheart
* Ms. Roundtree
* Dr. Triggs
* James Robinson

### Flashbacks

* The Black Hammer
* Anti-God
* Zafram
* Dr. Sherlock Frankenstein
* Brock Hanson
* Chancellor Lok Lokz
* Jan Janz
* Metal Minotaur
* Cole
* Punch Socklingham
* Mr. Olsen
* Louis Love
* Eve Everly
* Bernie
* Lenny

## Synopsis

### *Black Hammer* #1

**"Welcome to Black Hammer"**

Once they were heroes, but that age has long since passed. Banished from existence by a multiversal crisis, the old champions of Spiral City—Abraham Slam, Golden Gail, Colonel Weird, Madame Dragonfly, and Barbalien—now lead simple lives in a timeless farming town. Even as they try to find their way home, trouble has a unique way of finding heroes wherever they are!

### *Black Hammer* #2

**"The Curse of Zafram!"**

The Golden Age heroes of Spiral City have been “erased” from existence! Banished years ago to a timeless farming community, the team are torn between accepting their fate and finding a way home! Chapter two focuses on child hero Golden Gail, whose un-aging body most deeply feels the tragedy of their new lives.

### *Black Hammer* #3

**"The Warlord of Mars"**

Long before Spiral City’s greatest heroes were written out of their universe, the Martian champion Barbalien was already stranded far from home. Disguised as churchgoing Mark Markz in the timeless farming community where the heroes find themselves trapped, Barbalien faces a terrifying personal decision, even as he relives his painful past!

### *Black Hammer* #4

**"Slam Bam Thank You, Ma'am!"**

In the forties, Abraham Slam faced such menaces as the psychedelic Florist and the eldritch Cthu-Lou without breaking a sweat. But keeping the heroes of Black Hammer Farm from each other’s throats when his girlfriend comes to dinner proves far more perilous! Meanwhile, the Black Hammer’s daughter uncovers new clues to the exiled heroes’ disappearance!

### *Black Hammer* #5

**"The Odyssey of Randall Weird"**

Of the exiled heroes, only Colonel Weird can leave the mysterious farm where they’ve spent the last ten years. But the confusion of the Para-Zone may hamper their escape more than it helps!

### *Black Hammer* #6

**"The Cabin of Horrors"**

Madame Dragonfly has been harboring dark secrets for hundreds of years, keeping them locked up in the mysterious Cabin of Horrors. Now that her cabin is trapped on Black Hammer Farm, the only secrets she can collect are the broken hearts of small-town folk. But the arrival of a new visitor to the farm will change everything.

## Publication history

### Director's Cut

On January 16, 2019, Dark Horse released a "Director's Cut" edition of *Black Hammer* #1. Presented in black and white, the book features uncleaned high resolution scans of Dean Ormston's art with Todd Klein's lettering overlayed. The issue also includes Jeff Lemire's original script.

## Cover gallery

*Black Hammer* #1
by Dean Ormston*Black Hammer* #1
variant by Jeff Lemire*Black Hammer* #1
SDCC exclusive by Dustin Nguyen (2016)*Black Hammer* #1
ECCC exclusive by Fábio Moon (2018)*Black Hammer* #2
by Dean Ormston*Black Hammer* #2
variant by Jeff Lemire*Black Hammer* #3
by Dean Ormston*Black Hammer* #3
variant by Jeff Lemire*Black Hammer* #4
by Dean Ormston*Black Hammer* #4
variant by Jeff Lemire*Black Hammer* #5
by Dean Ormston*Black Hammer* #5
variant by Jeff Lemire*Black Hammer* #6
by Dean Ormston*Black Hammer* #6
variant by Jeff Lemire*Black Hammer* #1
(Director's Cut)
by Dean Ormston
## Trivia

* In the original *Black Hammer* #2 issue, Abe's surname was Slamstein.
* In the original *Black Hammer* #3 issue, Metal Minotaur was called Taurus.