[Johnny L. Wilson]

Headline for Homicide: The old “Who’s watching the Watchers” quotation from an earlier era comes to mind when the editor of a major newspaper is sacked for being too close to the criminals he covers. Since journalists are supposed to be watching out for the general public, this taint is quickly demonstrated by a plot where the sacked editor founds a new paper with the mob’s money and uses it to “predict” (aka “plan”) intricate robberies. When the Black Hood finds out, he manages to put an end to the plot while also having a bit of fun with Sgt. McGinty. A fast-paced little treat!

The Riddle of Sgt. McGinty’s Voice: This one is light on explanation when one gets to the revelation of the mystery and I was expecting a more explicit tie to post-VE day Europe (kind of The Third Man-esque I suppose). Still, it allows for movie serial-style violence against our hero and features a nice piece of misdirection.

New Director of Orphan Asylum? That’s the headline on the title page, so I guess I’ll use it for the title of the story. This story was a cross between all of those street gang with hearts of gold films and Sherlock Holmes’ famous Baker Street Irregulars. The Black Hood catches onto the scam all right, but it takes a bunch of orphans to pull in the final capture.

The Hangman and the Crime of the Centuries: I’m not sure I understand the costume for the Hangman (unless it’s supposed to be a stylized version of the “Hanged Man” tarot card, perhaps?), but I enjoyed this story where the sci-fi theme fits the clever pun of the title. Further, the idea of the Hangman being caught up in a post-capital punishment age was pretty intriguing.

Bait for Murder: This token text-based story hinges upon a vital clue and a convenient coincidence. Of course, since the murderer was counting on that coincidence to a certain degree, the resolution comes together very nicely.

Dusty, The Spectacular Boy Detective: Even though this comic was published six years before I was born, this is just the sort of thing I was fascinated with. The Hardy Boys stories about detecting always got my sleuthing juices flowing. Since this one featured both a juvenile detective and some delightful breaking of the 4th wall by artist/writer Bill Vigoda, it met all my expectations. The mystery wasn’t much, but the resolution? It was corny and good.

Black Hood #10 is quick and lively escape reading. Even when the humor is obvious, it is so playful that I couldn’t help but smile.

Link to the book: Black Hood Comics 10