Duane Swierczynski Expands His Antihero's World in The Black Hood Season 2

Fans of Archie Comics' Dark Circle imprint are just weeks away from the return of Duane Swierczynski's The Black Hood.

As "The Nobody Murders" begins, the Black Hood is no more. There are still persistent rumors that the former cop known as Greg Hettinger is still out there, blending in with the homeless population occasionally intervening on the side of victims of violent crimes -- but the ruthless assassin known as The Nobody considers the Black Hood a loose end, and he's willing to slaughter dozens to flush him out. The question then becomes, how high must the body count rise before Greg steps forward to face an opponent he can't possibly beat?

"After the gory climax of #10, the Hood has definitely changed," Swierczynski told ComicBook.com. "There are lines he simply refuses to cross. So of course, his antagonist — 'The Nobody' — is going to force his hand as much as possible."

Of course, even while the antagonist himself is called The Nobody, there's a bit of metaphor at work in the fact that he's killing people who are hardly visible. The writer confirmed that it was an intentional bit of wordplay with the title, suggesting that he's been keeping this particular story name in stock for a while now.

"I actually swiped this headline from a magazine story I read back in the 80s about a serial killer in Philadelphia who targeted prostitutes," the author said. "What can I say? Writers steal."

The decision to essentially relaunch between storylines was more than just marketing -- although a new #1 and a new Volume 1 in the bookstores and graphic novel shelves likely won't hurt anybody.

"Well, with #11 we sort of came full circle with the story, looping back to where things kicked off for the Black Hood back in the first issue," Swierczynski explained. "So it made a lot of sense to start fresh with a new 'season' — to borrow a TV term. There's no new mission statement, but the world of the Hood is about to expand in a new and exciting way. If the scope of the first 'season' was a tight, moody Martin Scorcese-style story, we're going full-on Christopher Nolan with season two."

And, going with the filmmaking metaphor, its the cinematography that makes Swierczynski eager to hear what fans have to say next.

"I'm really dying for people to see Greg Scott's amazing artwork," Swierczynski said. "With each panel, he's conjuring the best neo-noir film you've never seen."

The Black Hood Season Two #1 hits the stands on October 19, but final order cutoff is today, so if you want to be guaranteed a copy, tell your retailer now. You can check out some covers and interior art from #1 in the attached image gallery.