Black Hammer/Justice League: Hammer of Justice!
Jeff Lemire, writer; Michael Walsh, artist; Nate Piekos, letters
Dark Horse Books, 2020

Jeff Lemire's Black Hammer superheroes are a modern interpretation of classic superheroes to begin with, and are done with a light touch. So it should not be surprising that a crossover with DC Comic's august Justice League--surprising though it is--is done with a sense of fun, like a good old fashioned annual summer crossover. The Justice League has had varied membership over the years, but Lemire was allowed to use a definite A list of characters: Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman (the big DC trinity) as well as the Flash, Cyborg,  Green Lantern (mainly the John Stuart version), Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter, and Aquaman, Zatanna, and The Spectre.

The crossover event begins while the JL is battling Starro. A strange little man (who is apparently magical, and is described as "no man" by more than one of the heroes) appears and promises both teams a break from the usual. Next thing we know, the JL is on the farm, and the Hammer heroes are on the JL's world facing Starro. Needless to say, both teams are totally confused. Bizarro World also figures into the story, with Colonel Weird and the Green Lanterns both visiting. Colonel Weird's access to the Para-Zone is the ultimate solution. He can see that the crossover is not natural, which finally reveals the source: the imp Mr. Mxyzptlk. This might have been expected in a Silver Age story, but comes as a surprise here. In classic crossover style, both groups of heroes finally collaborate.

The collection concludes with an extensive group of variant covers, as well as artist Michael Walsh's Sketchbook. This includes several pages of art in both color and black & white, covering interior art as well as cover images.

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