Review: The Black Hood #1 (Spoilers)

After reading the first issue of The Black Hood, the debut book in the new Dark Circle imprint from Archie Comics, one thing is certain: issue two can’t get here fast enough. The brainchild of Duane Swierczinski and Michael Gaydos, the book introduces readers to the newest hero to patrol the streets of Philadelphia, a man at war as much with himself than the vermin he encounters on the territory he’s sworn to protect and serve.

Lo, there be spoilers ahead!

Officer Greg Hettinger is out on patrol when a call comes in: four men with guns, one wearing a mask, were out near a school. Hettinger, the closest officer to the scene, responds. He’s rewarded with a shotgun blast to the face for his trouble.

During the ensuing fracas, he manages to squeeze off a round, and takes down the masked man. When he comes to in the hospital, Hettinger is horrified to learn that the man he killed, Kip Burland, wasn’t a perp, but instead a vigilante known to police as The Black Hood.

Hettinger, reeling from Burland’s murder, discovers another problem: half of his face was scarred by the shotgun blast, turning him from a handsome ladies man to a broken, grotesque man who pops pills like candy in an attempt to stem the pain.

After spending time in rehab and getting close with his therapist, Jessie, Hettinger returns to work. The force was divided; half were glad he put the vigilante down, while others were distraught, feeling he was doing some good work out there.  During a routine traffic stop, Hettinger crosses a pretty big line and we later find him in his apartment, wearing the hood. Hettinger asks himself near the end of the issue whether he’s a cop or a junkie…his answer is gloriously illustrated on the final page.

Swierczinski does grim and gritty characters better than almost anyone I’ve read. In Hettinger, he’s created someone both easy to like and loathe, someone with layer upon layer to peel back. Gaydos’s art is perfect for this book. In fact, it’s about as perfect as a first issue could get. In fact, The Black Hood is right up there with the first issue of Star Wars as the best number one I’ve read this year. Is it late March yet?  I’m ready for number two.

The Black Hood is an absolute must-read.