After the announcement made at (I believe) the 2008 San Diego ComicCon that DC had acquired the rights to use the Archie heroes, I started to eagerly await their appearances in DC books. The actual logistics of the deal are a mystery to me, though....if DC is attempting to integrate the characters into the mainstream continuity, does this mean that this new deal with Archie is somehow different than the licensing deal that spawned the !mpact imprint of nearly two decades ago? Does DC own the characters outright now, or are they still licensing them?
Of the products they have released so far, the main features in the two on-going titles The Shield and The Web (i.e., the title features) have impressed me the most. The two back-up centering on the Hangman and Inferno....eh....not so much. The art and storyline of Hangman seems stunted and kinda telegraphed (not to detract from the talents of the creative team behind it) and the Inferno story is just...well,....confusing. The storytelling is chaotic and scattershot. I've read the thing and couldn't honestly tell you what's going on. Possibly another read-through (this time trying to digest the entire storyline at once instead of an issue at a time) will clear things up. Here's hoping that the relaunch of the Fox, Jaguar, Mr. Justice, the Black Hood, and the Comet run a little smoother.
