Comic Review: The Black Hood (The Bullet's Kiss- Chapter Three)- Asking a question that has already been answered

Writer: Duane Swierczynski
Artist: Michael Gaydos
Publisher: Dark Circle Comics
Released: 22nd April 2015



Who is the Black Hood?

After reading this comic book my answer to that question would be the following:

The Black Hood is a cop in a mask who got framed for a crime that he didn’t commit, and is now running around the city in a black hood beating up drug dealers and homophobes and asking the question, ‘Tell me who’s above you?’

I was initially a little confused about the time period that the book was set in, as it reminded me of a late 1970’s/ 1980’s television cop show, with men drinking moodily at bars, old televisions and dimly lit inner city street alleyways. I enjoyed the art in this book quite a lot, but it screamed 1980’s not 2015, so when I saw a ‘cell-phone’ reference it jolted me a bit.

This book is set in the present day, so why does it feel so 1980’s? Perhaps it’s just me? Perhaps when I read any of these detective/cop/superhero books they just take me back a couple of decades when television was more of a big deal than it is today?

As far as I can gather from reading this one issue, the comic book isn’t really about social commentary, issues, larger debates, or connecting with what is happening in the US right now with the cop shooting controversies and nation-wide protests about police brutality. The book doesn’t appear to be trying to do anything at all. It’s about the story, about making it exciting, fast paced, gritty and interesting to the reader. That’s okay, you don’t have to say anything in your writing if you don’t want to, but if you are trying to write an interesting story then you need a good idea to carry it, and I can’t see one in this book.

The story appears to be that old tale about drugs, cops, corruption and all of the issues that movies such as Serpico dealt with in 1973. It’s about a cop fighting drug gangs and trying to find out who controls them. The only difference here is that the cop is a superhero, so it’s already a bit silly. Plus the question about who controls street drugs was answered quite conclusively many decades ago. The answer is that corrupt cops, and their higher level (government three letter agency) handlers are the people responsible, not the lower level drug dealers themselves.

Drugs are allowed to flood into inner cities, criminalising (mainly black) young men, and allowing the ‘authorities’ a good excuse to take them into the privately ran prison system that is so profitable to so many people. The reason for this is obvious, and two-fold. Making drugs illegal and abundant helps to control the poor, and to enrich the already wealthy.

So when the Black Hood is going around the city punching people and asking them, ‘Who’s above you? It’s a pretty redundant question. We already know, and if he really wants to know he should do a five minute Google search and it will save him a whole lot of time, and wear and tear on his fists.

The book then is to be judged not on how it connects to reality (it doesn’t) but whether or not it’s an exciting story with an interesting or likeable protagonist. The book has the Hood narrating his own story, and although that's becoming a bit cliche now, it still works as it gets you to empathise and root for the guy.

Despite this usually reliable technique I couldn't find anything in the character to hook me or capture my interest. He didn’t feel particularly contemporary, or very real to me, and I couldn’t empathise with him, not just because he’s a cop, but because he felt like a character, not a real-life flesh and blood person.

The story itself is a bit static as well. It begins with the Hood asking a question, and ends with him asking the same question. The rest of the book is pretty much him explaining what has happened to him, with a bit of social justice warrior crime fighting thrown in there as well, just to remind you that this is a comic book written in 2015.

I enjoyed the terrific Francavilla front cover of this book, and the intense, gritty, grainy interior art is just as good as well. Unfortunately though the story barely held my interest. There is a serious tone to the book that borders on the comedic, and as the Black Hood told his generic tale of corruption and betrayal all I could think about was that South Park episode with Cartman running around in a daft Coon mask.


Rating: 5/10 (Looks great, but there’s nothing new or exciting happening here)