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I was in my local comic shop several months ago, and the owner approached me as I was checking out. He held out a copy of "Black Hood #1" and told me he was so confident I'd like it that he'd refund the purchase if I didn't. I appreciated that he was making an effort to identify my tastes, although I was fairly certain he'd missed the mark. I thumbed through it, and my initial impression was that it was another "dark and violent for the sake of being dark and violent" title. Still, with a money-back guarantee I had nothing to lose. There was no way I'd have actually returned it had it been repulsive, but I was so impressed the owner's willingness to extend such an offer that I wanted to reward him. (As a friend tells me, I'm a salesperson's fantasy.)

Having never bought a single Archie comic before, whether or not the tone of the book was consistent with "the brand" was a non-issue for me. I was honestly expecting to hate it, and I'll be darned if it wasn't one of my biggest surprises of the year -- and it continues to tell quality stories.

The book is set in modern-day Philadelphia, but it looks and reads as if it could have taken place 30 years ago. Not sure how to classify it, unless "1970's noir" is an actual thing. The city as drawn is dingy, cluttered, and in a general state of decay (physically and morally), oozing with shadows. The artist (whose name I can't recall) has taken great care to make sure that the setting oozes with character, and the same care is taken with the main character, a cop with brutal scars inside and out whose sense of morality is at war with his desire to remove himself from reality as much as his addiction will allow.

It's not the sort of story I've ever been interested in, or would have imagined becoming interested in, and yet somehow the writer has me all in. It's just very well written, from the character's realistic internal monologues to the crisp action sequences. I've never found the violence to be gratuitous, and it consistently avoids most comic book cliches. I've found The Fox much less compelling, and I haven't yet sampled The Shield, but Black Hood has left me wanting more every month.

Is anyone else enjoying this?

I'm liking the Black Hood but do find it to be something I would not expect (or want) Archie to publish. I'm glad there are branding it as Dark Circle and not as an Archie comic. The 1970s feel to it works great and fits the title.

The Fox isn't working as well for me, particularly as a Dark Circle title as it isn't dark enough to really qualify for that.

As for The Shield, I haven't read that one yet because it keeps getting delayed. I'm not sure what is causing the problems getting that title out. There seems to be serious issues behind the scenes with it given the number of issues they have resolicited.

JohnMayo wrote:There seems to be serious issues behind the scenes with it given the number of issues they have resolicited.

I think the delays are really to Archie's detriment. DCBS has canceled issues of Sabrina off of my orders multiple times, to the point that I didn't even get issue 4 because I missed the resolicit. I may start trade waiting on the Archie titles because trying to catch issues has been frustrating.

I agree about the Fox not fitting the Dark Circle line up. I guess the line is just going to be their catch all for superheroes.

I have only read one issue of the Black Hood, but it did seem solid and well done. I would be willing to read the trade.

jacovny wrote:Black Hood has left me wanting more every month.

Is anyone else enjoying this?

I randomly picked up #1 & liked it, but then kinda forgot about it. Now I can't find the back issues. Differently will pick up the trade; if I remember or randomly hear that it is out.

Things are NOT looking good at Archie Comics these days. They just laid off about 1/6th of their staff.

The details here: http://jontrouten.blogspot.com/2015/09/ ... omics.html

Could they have overextended themselves hiring high level creators for their Archie titles and simultaneously launching Dark Circle Comics? This is never a good sign.

Wow. That is a bit alarming.

It makes me wonder if all of the attention grabbing stuff Archie has been doing the past year or so was out of some sort of financial necessity.

JohnMayo wrote:Wow. That is a bit alarming.

It makes me wonder if all of the attention grabbing stuff Archie has been doing the past year or so was out of some sort of financial necessity.

John, I think you may have hit the nail on the head. But doesn't that generally explain what all the major publishers do attention grabbing stuff for? I'm just thinking perhaps this last reboot was a 'hail Mary' attempt that didn't work out.

I first discovered the Black hood in an Archie Superhero digest i te late 197-/ It had the origin, a couple of run-of-the-mill stories, and one story written by (I think) Denny O'Neal and drawn by l Adams that broke several rules of the Comics code.

I enjoyed the character greatly. In that version he was very much a product of the 196's and early 70's. He had the stregth and adventured of an almost Bondian adventurer, but had the realism that enable him to took at super-vigilante adventures in a realistic way.

I have yet to read his new adventures, but I hope they are still good!