The Web

There seems to be an unwritten rule in comics that every 10 years or so, a company needs to trot out some of its older characters to see if they can be rebooted for a new generation of readers.

That seems to be in play at DC this year, as the company once again attempts a return for the line of heroes that originated with Archie Comics, some of whom date back to the Golden Age.

Here we have The Web, who I first saw in the mid-1960s as a supporting character under the Radio Comics banner. It was remarkable at the time because it was probably the worst comic I'd ever read (up to that time). It was written in an attempt to mimic the success of the Batman TV show and Marvel Comics, and the creative team got almost everything wrong, from the poor attempts at camp humor, the laughable "hip" dialogue, and the forgettable villains. The comic quickly died a well-deserved death.

The characters returned in the early '80s in Archie's short-lived Red Circle line of comics. The Web returned at DC in the early '90s as part of its ill-fated Impact Comics line, and this time it was (if I recall correctly) set up as a SHIELD-like organization, fighting the bad guys. Cancellation soon followed.

Now the concept is back yet again in DC's new imprint called The Red Circle, although this time around the heroes are apparently being folded into the DC Universe.

The title character is a hero in the Tony Stark / Bruce Wayne style - an ultra-rich businessman who decides to use his skills to fight the bad guys.

Of course, today the word "Web" has a completely different meaning, and the comic uses the Internet definition to good effect.

DC is smart to turn the Red Circle comics over to a darn good writer, J. Michael Straczynski, and a strong art team in Roger Robinson and Hilary Barta.

But despite the talented team, the comic seems awfully rushed, and we have lots of questions unanswered - the big one being, what are The Web's powers and where did they come from? He's powerful, but it would be nice to have some idea of how he's managing these stunts.

Still, it's a promising start. Hopefully this time around those Archie heroes can stick around for a while. Like Coach always said, "Keep running that play until you get it right."

Grade: B