Anthologies always have a hard time with me, because while I enjoy short stories, I find that the rotating talent/subject matter nature of anthologies almost always results in a book that is hit or miss. Revolving Hammer is no exception, with a couple stories that just didn't connect with me, but there are also a couple of real gems in here. For the most part, Revolving Hammer is pretty focused on the disturbing, weird or horrific, and that subject matter suits many of the creators just fine. Though not every story resonated with me, the book is still worth a look if you've enjoyed the online Slices strips or if you're a fan of dark horror and humor.
Revolving Hammer opens strong with its best story, a short feature about someone who makes his living as a line-up filler. It's an interesting "job" to explore in the first place, and writer Brad Collins serves up a quick story that provides a dark and humorous punchline. I also really appreciated Jason Badower's work, particularly his attention to detail on the faces of the characters and his use of shadow, which reminds me of artists like Kelley Jones and Brian Bendis.
There were a couple other stories that were equally strong in terms of story and art. "To Whom It May Concern..." is a wistful and sad story of love and the strange extremes people will go to in order to salvage the good memories. Andrew Foley's narration, in the form of a letter from his protagonist, is lucid while just slightly crazy, and Strang-Frost maintains the sort of run-down but proud tone in the artwork that defines the bar at the center of the tale. Scott Grunewald's "Le Gout Du Sexe" is twisted and funny in terms of story and art, indicative of Grunewald's sharp sense of humor and based on probably the most imaginative premise in the book. And "Cut" by Allistair Pulling and Bevis Musson is an all-too-brief tribute to the sense of community that high school outcasts have, and how ill-equipped high schools are to handle kids for the most part. Though the story ends well, I really wanted to see more.
Some of the other stories worked for me in general but I found either the writing or the art to not quite be up to the level of the other half of the collaboration. Marc Bryant conveys the odd attractiveness of his protagonist in "Date Night," for example, but I thought Mal Jones made the final point of the piece a little unclear in the end, and to be honest I didn't quite get it until it was spelled out for me on the back cover. "Pals" by Diami Virgilio and Greg Rabbitt was generally clear, but I found the ending to be a bit of a letdown, as I found Xavier's decision to be pretty damn cold, and he had up to that point been the only likable character in the story. And "Phoenix Rising" by Mike Scigliano and Chris Royal manages to hit my pet peeve by being a brief teaser instead of a complete story in an anthology, as well as serving up a sort of action-oriented science-fiction story that doesn't really fit the rest of the book at all, making it the weakest story in the book from my point-of-view.
There are four other stories in the book as well, including a strong text piece on loneliness by Scott O. Brown and one of the most philosophical janitors I've ever seen in "Morton" by Marcel Guldemond. While not every story in the book resonated with me, I have the utmost respect for new creators who are trying out their craft in this challenging short-fiction format, and overall I'd call the first issue of Revolving Hammer a qualified success. I would definitely check in for another installment.
