So, your Kevin Smith. You’ve got an unsold script to a Green Hornet movie treatment. What do you do with it? Sell it to Dynamic Entertainment (DE), of course.
Green Hornet is the tent pole title that Dynamite Entertainment is pitching an entire line of comics on. Based on Kevin Smith’s five-year old treatment for a Green Hornet movie that was supposed to bring the character into the new millenium and to a new fans base. Unfortunately, the powers that be didn’t pick up the script for their upcoming movie starring Seth Rogen. Instead, Smith is using it for the basis for a new monthly title.
The story opens with what we are shown as the Hornet and faithful sidekick Kato’s last case together. We are treated to a spectacular fight scene where our heroes dispatch fifty some mob bosses from both the Italian and Japanese sides of the cartels that are controlling the city. Once dispatched, Kato and the Green Hornet jump into the Black Beauty and head back to their HQ to part ways. And it’s from here our story is put into motion.
I personally don’t remember much of the original TV series besides that the Hornet was a Batman clone that used dart guns. Plus since Bruce Lee played Kato, there was a more than fair amount of martial arts fight scenes. I imagine that was the draw for my cousin and I to watch the after school reruns. And that the Hornet’s car, the Black Beauty, which was on a revolving tilt table. The mundane, non-heroic convertible would drive onto a platform. The platform would tilt and spin around to reveal the Black Beauty. I never understood how a several ton car never slid off the platform as is was spinning around but it was pretty cool anyway.
The art on this book is dynamic and energetic. Jonathan Lau’s pencil’s jump off the page and convey the action going on. I was concerned that his style might be too Anime/Manga inspired. However, there is just enough to inject the emotion of the fight scenes without going over the top. I’m looking forward to seeing more of his art work in upcoming issues.
This issue comes with the option of about fourteen variations of several different covers by Alex Ross (25%), John Cassaday (25%), J. Scott Campbell (25%), Stephen Segovia (25%). Which cover you get will depend on your local comic shop’s ordering habits. Some are pencil drawings or negatives of the orginal covers. Although the covers are different, the artwork inside is the same so….buyer beware.
Besides this core Green Hornet book, Dynamite Entertainment is putting out Matt Wagner’s Green Hornet: Year One which will deal with the early days of our characters. In addition, we will have the upcoming Brett Matthews’ The Green Hornet Strikes! which will deal with a brand new character. And Finally, we will get a Kato: Origins title that will follow our Oriental hero at the earliest parts of his career, separate from the Green Hornet.
So, if you are Green Hornet fan looking for a long over due comics fix, this is your year. Just don’t over dose on covers!
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