The Black Hood finally corners the mysterious “Connection” on the abandoned seventh floor of City Hall. No cops, no witness—just the two of them, ready to throw down. But when the Connection finally reveals his identity, Greg realizes the game was rigged from the beginning. And it’s going to take all of the Black Hood’s strength to walk out of this building alive…

It’s all been leading to this. Writer Duane Swierczynski brings us the final chapter in the first arc, “The Bullet’s Kiss,” of The Black Hood. It absolutely delivers, wrapping up a lot of whats been set-up through the previous four issues.

The series has had interesting timing with what feels like constant news of abuse by police, and the overstepping of them in administering justice. Swierczynski has taken the character of Greg Hettinger through the ringer – from a hero cop to disfigured vigilante with a drug addiction – to bleeding out while on the run from his fellow police officers. It’s been a lot in four issues, and it comes full circle here. While the series might not have gone far enough into the questionable justice system that exists today, it does dance around in that world while at the same time entertaining and telling a story featuring a hooded vigilante. It’s a mix of a lot of genres, the noir vigilante, the crooked politician/cop, the mob, it picks and chooses from a lot and mixes it all together well.

Michael Gaydos provides the art, and it’s the fantastic gritty style we’ve come to expect from the previous issues. It fits perfectly with the subject and series, oozing the grime and dirt of the story, locations, and characters. The art is solid, and I’d love to see it some more, especially in a more traditional crime/mob comic.

The first arc of The Black Hood is fantastic and it wraps up nicely, setting up what comes next (after a short break). Those that have been reading this series should be very happy with how it ends, and for those that haven’t, I suggest going back and starting from the beginning. The Black Hood #5 is a satisfying ending, and an epilogue that shows off a nice future. This is Archie‘s flagship series for their Dark Circle Comics line, and it’s easy to understand why after this first arc.

Script: Duane Swierczynski Art: Michael Gaydos
Story: Art: Overall: Recommendation: Buy

Archie Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review