Yep, it's comin'. (Placeholder for easy editing of thread title later.)

I have some of these somewhere. I think that Rich Buckler was the editor of the line in the 80s.

Yep, and he got an AMAZING array of talent to work on these books! Unfortunately, they came off as very disorganized... stories would start in one book and finish in another. The line just wasn't very cohesive under Rich. But when Rich was pulled, the quality of the books went way down (with one notable exception).

I've loved the Archie heroes ever since I first read the Archie Superhero digest back in 1979.

Black Hood #2, August 1983

There's really three takes on The Black Hood by Archie. There's the original 1940s version, a kind of Spirit-esque character who dressed in a similar costume as the golden-age Sandman. He was a cop framed for a crime he didn't commit. Then there was the attempt to cash in on both the success of Stan Lee's Marvel books and the campy Batman TV show. Finally, there was the Neal Adams revision, turning him into a generational hero like the Phantom - an identity passed down in a family through the ages. He also ditched the tights for a biker outfit.




There's been others (DC, Impact), but I don't know anything about those. For me, its the Golden Age version all the way. Which isn't to say that Black Hood #2 (Red Circle, 1983) wasn't fun. We had an awesome Alex Toth cover (and backcover!), and two Black Hood stories by two excellent but under-appreciate comic artists. First up is Pat Boyette, better known for his Charlton work. He did a great job here, much better than his Charlton stuff. On the other hand, he probably got more pay from Archie, too. The second story was Dan Spiegle, whom I know best from Gold Key comics (Space Family Robinson, etc.). It is a pretty intense story for its era - the hero lets the villain burn alive. See, the villain is a mobster who killed BH's lover.... anyway, you get the drift.

Now, just these alone would make this a worthwhile issue, but the book also has one of two FABULOUS Fox stories that Alex Toth did for Archie. These two stories are two of my favorite comic stories ever (super-hero or otherwise!), just brilliant examples of Alex Toth's genius. If you don't love these Toth pages, you have a hole in your soul.