Duane Swierczynski and Michael Gaydos’s The Black Hood has been a standout in Archie Comics’s new Dark Circle Comics reinvention of their superhero line, and with its second arc coming soon, the series is pausing for a beat between big stories to tell a character-driven tale with art by Howard Chaykin.
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Swierczynski joined ComicBook.com to talk about the just-concluded first storyline of the series as well as #6, due out soon.
The final order cutoff for The Black Hood #6 is Monday, so if you weren’t already won over by great reviews and a stellar creative team, give the issue — a one-off tale with art by comics legend Howard Chaykin — a try. You won’t regret it. You can see the solicitation text for the issue at the bottom of this story, along with some exclusive preview art.
As you enter the second arc for this book, what have you “learned” about the character that changes your approach?
At the end of the first arc, Greg won a bitter “victory,” of sorts. But that’s about as bright as it’s going to get for our hero. The next issue is all about Greg trying his damndest to crawl out of the hole he’s dug for himself, only to feel the sand slipping out from under his fingers. So, if I’m learning anything along the way, it’s how a man like Greg deals with that kind of situation.
Given your attraction to the dark, f–ed up version of the character, will we see a supporting cast start to stabilize around him or do you think the book is probably too dangerous for anyone to stick around very long?
I really enjoy stories where it feels like anyone could be picked off at any moment, for any reason. Because that’s how life feels, doesn’t it? That said, Greg will be in desperate need for some stability. And he may even fool himself into thinking he’s found it. But… well, you’ll see.
We talked a bit last time about police-involved violence and the politics of the real world bleeding into this title. I asked at the time whether it was surreal, but what I’llask this time is whether you think it’s easier to kind of steer into that and use that cultural baggage, than it is to play up some of the more surreal elements of costumed vigilante fiction.
From the beginning, my editor (Alex Segura) and I have tried to keep this story ultra-grounded. And I think one way you do that is by letting real life bleed into the storyline. The Black Hood’s a product of our world, walking our streets. I wouldn’t know how to turn that off and write in a vacuum. Every story decision I make is informed by the real world. Just like night I was watching a VICE documentary on prison reform—the one where President Obama sits down with a half dozen prisoners for an amazing, candid talk about how they got there—and I couldn’t help but think about how this stuff will find its way into the Black Hood at some point.
That asked — would you steer away from “superhero fiction” a little bit to describe this, or are you happy with that label?
I usually don’t mind labels, as long as they’re accurate. And I think it’d be a big stretch to call this a superhero story. A lot of it, honestly, is about how far we can run from that label.
One thing that strikes me as interesting is that while most superheroes have somewhat vague reasons for anonymity, Greg’s a recognizable face, having been talking on camera in the first issue and the like, and his connections to law enforcement mean everyone he knows should be a step away from connecting those dots. Does that make him even more edgy once he’s got the hood on than he was before he made the decision, do you think?
The only reason to wear a mask is because you’re afraid somebody will recognize you. But with Greg, it goes a few psychological steps deeper. As you’ll see in issue #6, he’s both tormented and comforted by the hood. It’s kind of like a drug.
Since you had told me previously that your original pitch had been to kill off Greg at the end of this arc, how much reworking to this issue did you have to do in order to set up what comes next?
Hah! I pitched the idea of “kill off the Hood in #5” way earlier in the process, giving wiser heads the chance to prevail. So it’s not as if I plotted it that way; I always knew Greg would crawl away from the first arc somehow. But I did want him to take the next realistic step. And for Greg, that means rehab.
With #6, we get a guest issue by none other than industry legend Howard Chaykin. What was your work relationship like with him?
I met Howard a few years ago at a mystery writers’ event in Milwaukee and was immediately charmed. He’s screamingly funny, in just that kind of darkly bitter way I really admire. (So much so that I even named a character after him in my most recent crime novel, Canary. Shhhh… I don’t think he knows.) But for this issue, we just worked by email, with not much in the way of conversation. Which is usually how it works.
Chaykin’s style really suits the world you’ve built in the first five issues really well. When you found out there was going to be a fill-in, did you gravitate toward him or did Archie just come to you with it as a fait accompli?
When Alex told me it was a possibility, I was already doing backflips. When it was actually happening, with pages showing up in my inbox, I was doing cartwheels. Now that the issue is finished, I’m dizzy. I can’t imagine a scenario where a writer wouldn’t be thrilled to the point of hyperventilation for the chance to work with a legend like Howard Chaykin.
One-and-done stories to rest your engines after a big one/before a big one are more and more rare. Gien how intense this book is, do you think the readers (and you) benefit from the “break” as much as Gaydos does?
It’s a shame they’re rare, because I love one-and-done stories. I guess I got spoiled on them from my days at Marvel, where we’d routinely build in a one shot to give the artist a chance to catch up/take a breather. I’ve just been talking to Alex Segura about more one-shots, some that might really surprise people. So keep a look out for those after this second arc…
That said, because they’re often seen as not “important,” especially with Big Two books, they tend not to sell as well. Do you think bringing in an A-list fill-in artist is a good remedy for that?
Funny you use the word remedy. In the words of early-19th century surgeons who used to give their patients a belt of wine right before a grisly amputation procedure: Hey, it can’t hurt.
What do you want fans to know about #6?
HOWARD CHAYKIN. HOWARD CHAYKIN. HOWARD CHAYKIN. Oh, and there’s a murder mystery, too.
Also: one-shots rule, multi-part crossovers drool.
THE BLACK HOOD #6
THE ACCLAIMED DARK CIRCLE SERIES RETURNS! “Flor de Muerto” After the soul-crushing events of “Bullet’s Kiss,” disfigured cop Greg Hettinger leaves Philly and checks into a Southern California rehab clinic. But a plane ride can’t separate Greg from his troubles. A fellow patient believes her former drug dealer (and lover) has sent someone to kill her, and it’s up to Greg to figure out which member of their circle is preparing to pull the trigger… New to the dark, twisted world of The Black Hood? Then check yourself in for this thrilling one-shot from novelist Duane Swierczynski and superstar artist Howard Chaykin.
Script: Duane Swierczynski
Art: Howard Chaykin, Jesus Aburto, Rachel Deering
The Black Hood #6 CVR A Reg: Francesco Francavilla
The Black Hood #6 CVR B Variant: Howard Chaykin
The Black Hood #6 CVR C Variant: David Mack
The Black Hood #6 CVR D Variant: Greg Smallwood
On Sale Date: 10/28
32-page, full color comic
$3.99 U.S.
