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I’m a sucker for a good dirty B-movie, and Hammerfist #1 feels like someone took one of those crazy 1980s movies, threw it into a blender with horror and crime, and turned the whole thing into a comic.

Rick Remender and Steve Epting introduce Mike Denton, a seriously messed up guy who’s spent most of his life making bad decisions. He’s a criminal, a drug addict, and a lousy father, but his daughter is the one person who still gives him a reason to try to be something better.

Then things get weird.

The story starts out feeling like a pretty nasty crime story before taking a hard turn into supernatural territory. The whole thing has the energy of an old VHS rental that you picked up because the cover looked completely insane. I mean that as a compliment.

Steve Epting’s artwork is a huge part of why this first issue works so well. The book looks fantastic, and he gets to have a lot of fun with the darker material. The characters, violence, settings, and overall atmosphere all have that grimy B-movie quality that fits the story perfectly.

And then there’s the giant supernatural fist.

I’ll admit, when I first heard about the weapon, my mind immediately went to Fisto from Masters of the Universe and Hellboy. The big difference is Mike Denton. He’s not a hero who happens to have a ridiculous supernatural weapon. He’s a screw-up who’s being forced to confront the life he’s created and what he’s willing to do for his daughter. That gives the concept more weight than I expected.

The premise also brought a few movies to mind, particularly The Man with the Iron Fists and The Kid with the Golden Arm. There’s something about larger than life weapons, criminals, and over the top action that gives Hammerfist some of that same grindhouse flavor.

The pacing is another big plus. The issue doesn’t spend forever explaining everything. It gets Mike into trouble, throws some very strange ideas at him, and lets the reader figure things out along the way.

This is a really strong first issue. The giant fist might sound like a goofy concept on paper, but Remender and Epting make it work. More importantly, there’s a real reason behind Mike’s fight, and I’m interested to see if he can actually become the father his daughter needs.

I’m definitely coming back for issue 2.

-Scott Schlazer