An earth changing event known as the cataclysm, a daughter searching for the truth behind her father's disappearance, a world where superheros and villains are commonplace. It's a classic comic setup but told with a heart that I've rarely seen. A stubbornly strong black female lead jumping down the rabbit hole as she tracks down the last baddie that saw her father alive. What's not to love? The plot is simple but not boring or condescending. Art style in Sherlock Frankenstein is quality without the over polished look of the DC/Marvel tradition and features crisp coloring, wonderful shade complements. I''m not a big superhero person with my comics. I prefer darker themes, slice of life, drama....but Lemire really pulled me in with this one. ( )

Sherlock Frankenstein is a spin-off mini series from Jeff Lemire's Black Hammer series but can be probably be read just fine all on its own. (The trade starts with Black Hammer #12 which introduces the main character and sets the stage for the main story). The main character in this case, is not so much the villain Sherlock Frankenstein but Lucy Weber, the daughter of the missing Black Hammer and focuses on her search for her father. Deciding that if anyone might know of his fate it would be his arch nemesis, she sets off on a journey to track down the villain Sherlock Frankenstein. Its an entertaining and engaging character-driven story with touches of humour. ( )

I've never really been into superhero comics but Jeff Lemire has created a world of Golden Age Superheroes with his Black Hammer series that I am loving. He's now adding some spinoffs from that main series that expand the world of Black Hammer and fill in some background that our stranded heroes of the main series haven't been a part of.

This volume fills in a lot of history for a character introduced in the second Black Hammer book. The events in Spiral City after what is referred to as "The Cataclysm" when the superheroes clashed with Anti-God and disappeared. Black Hammer's daughter, Lucy grows up begins searching for answers about what happened.

I liked this one but for me it wasn't as rich as the main series. There was a lot going on and many characters and complex layouts to absorb. Lucy seemed to yell more than was necessary.

I have no idea what Lemire has planned for the World of Black Hammer but he's certainly created a world with a wide variety of possibilities for both the primary characters and any others he decides to create along the way.

I plan to be here for all of it. ( )

I'm still a bit lukewarm to the nostalgia wallow that is Lemire's Black Hammer universe, but I'm glad to see that this spin-off series features Black Hammer's daughter. She has some grit and gumption, unlike that morose bunch stuck in limbo in the mother title. Heck, the villainous Sherlock Frankenstein has more going for him than they do right now, even though his story runs second on the entertainment scale to the origin and present-day family life of supernatural schlub Cthu-Lou.

Anyhow, this story is way too predictable and doesn't really provide back-story that couldn't have been shoe-horned into an issue or two of a faster paced version of the main series. ( )