THE QUANTUM AGE #1 REVIEW
Summary: Set in the Black Hammer universe, one thousand years in the future, a band of superheroes must band together to fight an oppressive regime.
4
Damn the man!
Jeff Lemire joins forces with Wilfredo Torres and Dave Stewart to bring us another superhero masterpiece set in the Black Hammer universe, one thousand years in the future. The Quantum Age is a six-issue miniseries that explores a dystopian future where a small band of superheroes come together to try and fight an authoritarian regime.
Once again Jeff Lemire expands his Black Hammer universe, bringing us futuristic superhero adventure set in a dystopian Spiral City in the year 3041 A.D. Earth is a pretty bleak and oppressive place, as a despotic government controls its citizens via heavy security surveillance, cyber scans, curfews and public manipulation. This oppressive government came about after a devastating Martian invasion that occurred 25 years earlier. Earth’s last superhero team – The Quantum League – did their best to defend the invaders, however, due to being overwhelmed were forced to take drastic actions that saw the decimation of Spiral City. Because of this, the Quantum League was dissolved, banning any superhero organisation and thus allowing the rise of the authoritarian regime. Desperate to liberate Earth and its inhabitants, a young rebellious Martian is trying to seek out the estranged members of the Quantum League 25 years later in the hopes that he can reunite them so that they can work together to liberate the world from tyranny.
One thing that I absolutely love about this series is how Jeff Lemire takes inspiration from classic superhero comics, genres and tropes, reworking them into his Black Hammer universe in a clever and original way. The Quantum League is reminiscent of DC’s Legion of Super-Heroes with its collection of intergalactic super-powered teens and young adults, who all possess a diverse array of powers and abilities. In this story, the team is fractured and broken up, forbidden to reform after being blamed for the devastating explosion that decimated the city. I’m curious to see more of this motley crew of superheroes and how they will tackle this oppressive government. This is the first time that we see Spiral City in a dystopian setting. This world is a bad place, with the good guys forced to run and hide from the city that they have always protected. I think Black Hammer fans will relish the fact that they get to explore Spiral City from a completely different slant and I have high hopes that this is going to be an exciting ride.
The art by Wilfredo Torres perfectly suits this expansive, futuristic setting. I love seeing his creativity when capturing the eclectic array of characters, each with their own unique and interesting look. The whole visual narrative is cinematic, especially during the flashback scenes, where we see some complex page layouts and lovely single page panels. I found these pages to be fast-paced and exciting, easily capturing the intensity and energy of these scenes. I also believe that Torres visually captures movement and action really well, giving the battle scenes a feeling of fluidity, which is what you want to see when superheroes are fighting aliens in space. Dave Stewart’s colouring works well alongside the art, helping to bring this futuristic world to life through a dynamic palette that is delicate and subtle.
Overall, I found this to be a highly engaging and entertaining introduction to this series. This is shaping up to be a compelling adventure that will hopefully continue to evolve in an unexpected and thrilling way. I’m particularly excited by the new characters, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they will influence the shape of this story.
I’m giving this issue 4 out of 5 stars!
COMIC DETAILS
CREATIVE TEAM: Jeff Lemire, Wilfredo Torres and Dave Stewart
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
GENRE: Science Fiction/Superhero
PUBLICATION DATE: July 04, 2018
REVIEWER: Dana Folkard
About the Author
Dana Folkard An absolute nerd with a passion for all things sci-fi! Lover of comics, coffee and Geralt of Rivia. Mother of Dragons!
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