Alt 928, Part 2: Fall of the Hammer

Grade: F+

A mysterious floating city called Valhalla arrives with beings who claim to be the Norse gods of old. The heroes of 2099 need to get to bottom of what is really going on to prevent further damage to the environment and learn what truth behind the sudden appearance.

This first 2099 crossover event was very confusing. The numbering sequence implied that The Fall of the Hammer was a self-contained arc told in five parts, but that didn't seem to be the case since much of the leading backstory was in earlier issues of the various 2099 titles. Without any indication that I needed any other comics, I only bought those with The Fall of the Hammer logo. As a result, I had a hard time understanding what was going on.

Normally, a crossover across titles will read like a single story told from the perspective of the lead characters. That did not happen here. The reading order was jumbled and unfocused which only added to my confusion. Only some of the X-Men were part of the story and then for only the first three part.

Part 1: Spider-Man 2099 #16 - "The Hammer Strikes" Valhalla hovers over the city with boastful "gods" terrorizing the people. Spider-Man 2099 confronts Heimdall and Thor convinced they are not the same champions from the Heroic Age.

Part 2: Ravage 2099 #15 - "Horns of Dilemma" Ravage 2099 meets members of X-Men 2099 in their search for Meanstreak's friend Boone whom they believe is a captive in Valhalla. Ravage decides to join them in their attempt to sneak onboard so he can learn more about the floating city that is destroying the environment. He soon discovers that the new Hela may be an old friend.

Part 3: X-Men 2099 #5 - "Lightningstrike" The X-Men 2099 learn the fate of Boone and the truth behind the new Norse "gods".

Part 4: Doom 2099 #14 - "The Anvil or The Hammer" Doom 2099 works with Spider-Man, Punisher and Ravage to battle the new Norse "gods" while keeping the Valhalla afloat.

Part 5: Punisher 2099 #13 - "All for One" Alchemax is one of the world's biggest corporation, and they plan to use the Norse "gods" to usher in a new era of heroes that they control. Their plan is unraveling as Valhalla threatens to crash and their "heroes" slip further into insanity. Punisher 2099 continues to work with Doom, Spider-Man and Ravage to keep the floating city afloat and put an end to Alcehmax's plans.