2.5 stars. This wan't terrible but it just didn't work for me- it felt like it didn't really know what it wanted to do or what it wanted to be. It's called Black Hammer: Secret Origins, but we don't learn really anything about Black Hammer- he's long dead and doesn't even factor into the flashbacks- and this isn't much of a cohesive origin story, secret or otherwise. 
 A lot of people are talking up how great the characters are but I didn't see really anything new or particularly insightful here. A lot of the characters are pretty direct counterparts to superheroes that already exist, but since it doesn't feel like it's making a commentary on these archetypes they neither work as original characters or as compelling storytelling elements. 
 As for the writing, I found myself going back and forth between being impressed by crafty bits of exposition and cringing at the awkwardly info dumping thought bubbles. Unfortunately, overall I think the awkwardness outweighed the elegant bits. 
 On the plus side, I liked the artwork and the coloring was great (Rob pointed out that the colorist, Dave Stewart, is one of the best in the business!), but yeah- the story was just meandering enough that I don't think I care enough to keep going with it.