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The Green Hornet: Year One #1
Green Hornet: Year One Vol 1: The Sting of Justice
The Green Hornet expansion continues as Dynamite presents the original tales of comics most iconic hero And Matt Wagner, one of the most creative creators in comics, takes the reins, bringing the characters to their basic roots. Joining Wagner is artist Aaron (Sherlock Holmes) Campbell, whose stunning recreation of the industrial world of 30s Chicago is sure to wow fans across the globe. Reprinting issues #1-6, along with a complete cover gallery.
140 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2010
30 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
Matt Wagner
967 books231 followersMatt Wagner is an American comic book writer and artist. In addition to his creator-owned series' Mage and Grendel, he has also worked on comics featuring The Demon and Batman as well as such titles as Sandman Mystery Theatre and Trinity, a DC Comics limited series featuring Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
July 15, 2021
Sadly, most people out there who have even heard of the Green Hornet probably only know about it because of Seth Rogen's terrible film adaptation. Having seen the film and now read Volume 1 of this graphic novel adaptation, I now know two things I didn't know before reading this book:
1. This graphic novel would have made a much better basis for a film adaptation
2. If this graphic novel was the basis for the film, Rogen would never have been involved in the project, because the studio wouldn't trust such high-quality material to be adapted by someone like Seth Rogen; they would have gotten someone else to write it
I was asking myself while reading this, "Why does this book only have around 150 ratings on GR? I've seen self-published works get more ratings than that. Does nobody on Earth know who Green Hornet is or something? Is he a crappy, bottom of the barrel superhero?"
I think the reason could be multi-part. For one, where most comic book superheroes start out life in, well, comic books (aduh!), Green Hornet started out life as a radio show back in 1936. Other superhero characters created around the same time, like Superman in 1938 and Batman in 1939, ended up becoming infinitely more popular than Green Hornet, and they still are to this day. Maybe Green Hornet's obscure beginnings and his being drowned out by cooler superheroes has contributed to his being relatively unknown today. Who knows.
In any case, Green Hornet is not a bottom of the barrel superhero, he's actually pretty cool, and his backstory is too. Green Hornet is really Britt Reid, son of wealthy newspaperman Daniel Reid, publisher of the newspaper The Daily Sentinel. Not wanting to follow in his father's footsteps and take over the Sentinel someday, which of course his father wants him to do, young Britt travels the world instead, where he ends up meeting his future sidekick, a disgruntled Japanese army deserter known as Kato, who is conveniently also versed in Samurai martial arts and doctrine.
They both end up returning to America to fight crime, with Reid becoming the Green Hornet and Kato becoming...well...Kato! Lol. Where Reid's father was never able to successfully stop the mob by attacking them in the news media (it didn't rid America of Trump either...maybe America needed an Orange Hornet?), Britt plans to use weapons and fists to deal with them more effectively as the masked vigilante Green Hornet (holy sh*t does this sound a lot like Batman...).
Some parts of this book were a little ridiculous, like the scene where Green Hornet and Kato were interrogating one of the mobsters to try to get him to reveal critical information. The mobster was a loner, so to try to intimidate him they started breaking his furniture! Rofl. I don't know about you, but some guy breaking my divan isn't exactly going to make me spill information that, if my boss finds out I leaked, would get me killed.
Also, there was just something about this book that made me omit the fifth star. I mean, technically there's nothing wrong with it. The art is pretty good, the story is enjoyable, and overall it's a great character backstory. Maybe Green Hornet just doesn't appeal to me as much as Batman or Superman. This is still a very good book, however, and I will definitely be seeking out Volume 2.
Recommended!
1. This graphic novel would have made a much better basis for a film adaptation
2. If this graphic novel was the basis for the film, Rogen would never have been involved in the project, because the studio wouldn't trust such high-quality material to be adapted by someone like Seth Rogen; they would have gotten someone else to write it
I was asking myself while reading this, "Why does this book only have around 150 ratings on GR? I've seen self-published works get more ratings than that. Does nobody on Earth know who Green Hornet is or something? Is he a crappy, bottom of the barrel superhero?"
I think the reason could be multi-part. For one, where most comic book superheroes start out life in, well, comic books (aduh!), Green Hornet started out life as a radio show back in 1936. Other superhero characters created around the same time, like Superman in 1938 and Batman in 1939, ended up becoming infinitely more popular than Green Hornet, and they still are to this day. Maybe Green Hornet's obscure beginnings and his being drowned out by cooler superheroes has contributed to his being relatively unknown today. Who knows.
In any case, Green Hornet is not a bottom of the barrel superhero, he's actually pretty cool, and his backstory is too. Green Hornet is really Britt Reid, son of wealthy newspaperman Daniel Reid, publisher of the newspaper The Daily Sentinel. Not wanting to follow in his father's footsteps and take over the Sentinel someday, which of course his father wants him to do, young Britt travels the world instead, where he ends up meeting his future sidekick, a disgruntled Japanese army deserter known as Kato, who is conveniently also versed in Samurai martial arts and doctrine.
They both end up returning to America to fight crime, with Reid becoming the Green Hornet and Kato becoming...well...Kato! Lol. Where Reid's father was never able to successfully stop the mob by attacking them in the news media (it didn't rid America of Trump either...maybe America needed an Orange Hornet?), Britt plans to use weapons and fists to deal with them more effectively as the masked vigilante Green Hornet (holy sh*t does this sound a lot like Batman...).
Some parts of this book were a little ridiculous, like the scene where Green Hornet and Kato were interrogating one of the mobsters to try to get him to reveal critical information. The mobster was a loner, so to try to intimidate him they started breaking his furniture! Rofl. I don't know about you, but some guy breaking my divan isn't exactly going to make me spill information that, if my boss finds out I leaked, would get me killed.
Also, there was just something about this book that made me omit the fifth star. I mean, technically there's nothing wrong with it. The art is pretty good, the story is enjoyable, and overall it's a great character backstory. Maybe Green Hornet just doesn't appeal to me as much as Batman or Superman. This is still a very good book, however, and I will definitely be seeking out Volume 2.
Recommended!
August 21, 2013
Ignore Seth Rogen’s Green Hornet film – it was garbage. Ignore Kevin Smith’s updated reimagining of Green Hornet which was average at best. Matt Wagner takes Green Hornet back to his classic pulp era roots in Green Hornet: Year One – and it’s pretty good.
Set in the 1930s when Green Hornet/Britt Reid and his deadly samurai chauffeur Kato are kicking gangster butt in Century City, Wagner jumps back and forth between Britt and Kato’s youths and the present (1930s) to tell their stories of how they wound up together and why they decided to become masked vigilantes.
And Wagner does it well. Perhaps the biggest problem of Rogen and Smith’s Green Hornet stories was failing to put across that Green Hornet and Kato intentionally portrayed themselves as villains in an effort to control crime in their city, thus discouraging their competitors ie. other criminals, from plying their wares in their city. They want people to think they’re the bad guys, not superheroes. It’s a vital part of the Green Hornet story yet often gets overlooked, but Wagner gets it right, explaining how they arrive at that conclusion rather than become outright good guy vigilantes.
I won’t go into the hows and whys of the story as that’s basically the whole point of reading the origin story of any character, but it all makes sense and slots together nicely. The flashbacks between the past and the present work really well together as the flashbacks eventually catch up to the present by the end of the book so you finish it all caught up on Green Hornet and Kato and ready to start reading Green Hornet comics. The one detail of Green Hornet’s myth that Wagner left out that I would’ve liked Wagner to have at least hinted at is that Green Hornet is the Lone Ranger’s grandson. There’s a framed picture of Lone Ranger and Tonto in the background of one of the panels but if you’re a new reader you won’t know this brilliant piece of info.
So why the average rating? I realised reading this that I’m just not a Green Hornet fan. I have no real criticisms of the book, the writing and art are both handled nicely, and this is as good an origin story for the character as could be hoped for. But I read the book disinterestedly because the characters don’t mean much to me, not like in the same way that Superman and his origin would enthral me because Superman is a character I do really care about. I suppose the argument could be made that Wagner should make me care about Green Hornet - that’s his responsibility as the writer – but if he’s sticking to the original character and hitting all the right notes, and I’m still not into the book, then it’s not the writer’s fault, it’s just that I’m simply not interested in the character and subject matter.
I like that Wagner made it a straight period piece rather than try to jazzify it by making him 21st century and “edgy” like Kevin Smith tried, with varying results, and that he avoided the comedy slapstick angle entirely like Seth Rogen attempted; the tone is instead just right, told straight. Green Hornet: Year One is a well put together origin tale that’s a great place to start if you’re new to Green Hornet and want to know more about the character and his world.
Set in the 1930s when Green Hornet/Britt Reid and his deadly samurai chauffeur Kato are kicking gangster butt in Century City, Wagner jumps back and forth between Britt and Kato’s youths and the present (1930s) to tell their stories of how they wound up together and why they decided to become masked vigilantes.
And Wagner does it well. Perhaps the biggest problem of Rogen and Smith’s Green Hornet stories was failing to put across that Green Hornet and Kato intentionally portrayed themselves as villains in an effort to control crime in their city, thus discouraging their competitors ie. other criminals, from plying their wares in their city. They want people to think they’re the bad guys, not superheroes. It’s a vital part of the Green Hornet story yet often gets overlooked, but Wagner gets it right, explaining how they arrive at that conclusion rather than become outright good guy vigilantes.
I won’t go into the hows and whys of the story as that’s basically the whole point of reading the origin story of any character, but it all makes sense and slots together nicely. The flashbacks between the past and the present work really well together as the flashbacks eventually catch up to the present by the end of the book so you finish it all caught up on Green Hornet and Kato and ready to start reading Green Hornet comics. The one detail of Green Hornet’s myth that Wagner left out that I would’ve liked Wagner to have at least hinted at is that Green Hornet is the Lone Ranger’s grandson. There’s a framed picture of Lone Ranger and Tonto in the background of one of the panels but if you’re a new reader you won’t know this brilliant piece of info.
So why the average rating? I realised reading this that I’m just not a Green Hornet fan. I have no real criticisms of the book, the writing and art are both handled nicely, and this is as good an origin story for the character as could be hoped for. But I read the book disinterestedly because the characters don’t mean much to me, not like in the same way that Superman and his origin would enthral me because Superman is a character I do really care about. I suppose the argument could be made that Wagner should make me care about Green Hornet - that’s his responsibility as the writer – but if he’s sticking to the original character and hitting all the right notes, and I’m still not into the book, then it’s not the writer’s fault, it’s just that I’m simply not interested in the character and subject matter.
I like that Wagner made it a straight period piece rather than try to jazzify it by making him 21st century and “edgy” like Kevin Smith tried, with varying results, and that he avoided the comedy slapstick angle entirely like Seth Rogen attempted; the tone is instead just right, told straight. Green Hornet: Year One is a well put together origin tale that’s a great place to start if you’re new to Green Hornet and want to know more about the character and his world.
May 24, 2018
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
Since I fondly remember NOW Comics' too-brief early 90's series - and have a certain admiration for the mid-60's TV show - I suppose it colors (haha) my enjoyment of a new Green Hornet book. But like Elvis once sang - "Baby, I Don't Care." The Sting of Justice was an excellent origin story - too bad that wretched 2011 movie didn't use THIS for a screenplay - and presented such a clear, concise and convincing picture as to why Green Hornet and Kato are out there to fight the never-ending good fight to clean up their troubled city. (If you think the duo seems too derivative of Batman & Robin -- that is, non-super-powered crime fighters with secret identities and specialized, non-lethal weapons and a gadget-laden car -- take note that they came first by about three years.)
Similar to the old radio show which premiered the character, The Sting of Justice is set as the tail-end of the Great Depression in a corruption- and gangster-infested Chicago. The only thing negative I can think of to say about the book is that it should've really been titled Green Hornet & Kato, as the sidekick (he's no junior man) is of equal significance to the overall story. When the duo jumps into 'The Black Beauty' and races after the bad guys through the streets of the Windy City you know justice will be served, and criminals will soon feel the sting of . . . THE GREEN HORNET!
Since I fondly remember NOW Comics' too-brief early 90's series - and have a certain admiration for the mid-60's TV show - I suppose it colors (haha) my enjoyment of a new Green Hornet book. But like Elvis once sang - "Baby, I Don't Care." The Sting of Justice was an excellent origin story - too bad that wretched 2011 movie didn't use THIS for a screenplay - and presented such a clear, concise and convincing picture as to why Green Hornet and Kato are out there to fight the never-ending good fight to clean up their troubled city. (If you think the duo seems too derivative of Batman & Robin -- that is, non-super-powered crime fighters with secret identities and specialized, non-lethal weapons and a gadget-laden car -- take note that they came first by about three years.)
Similar to the old radio show which premiered the character, The Sting of Justice is set as the tail-end of the Great Depression in a corruption- and gangster-infested Chicago. The only thing negative I can think of to say about the book is that it should've really been titled Green Hornet & Kato, as the sidekick (he's no junior man) is of equal significance to the overall story. When the duo jumps into 'The Black Beauty' and races after the bad guys through the streets of the Windy City you know justice will be served, and criminals will soon feel the sting of . . . THE GREEN HORNET!
October 18, 2023
This makes me way more interested in the characters. Matt Wagner can craft a story, here an origin story - or two - and the art is very good. Color art by Francavilla is good but almost overwhelms the ink art.
Recommended.
Recommended.
June 30, 2017
This is a great book, it chronicles the first year of millionaire Britt Reid, owner of the daily sentinel turned vigilante the green hornet with assistance from his trusty aid kato
October 31, 2024
My interest in this title is primarily due to Bruce Lee having starred as Kato in the 60s TV show. I picked it up at a mall because it seemed like decent pulp. But it turns out it is a bit more than just that. It's set in the 1930s (which is when the character first appeared on radio) and it makes full use of the setting as the events leading up to WW2 are juxtaposed with mob violence in Chicago. It was nice of them to give Kato a bit of an origin story as well... the fact that he's Japanese makes it interesting in context of the world war. The visuals are decent too, and evoke the noir theme of the decade. Overall, I'd say it's a pretty decent, undemanding graphic novel.
August 9, 2020
Golden classic
Massive fan of this genre. Green Hornet delivers a punchy script and great art.Set in a 1930s backdrop, it’s great.
Massive fan of this genre. Green Hornet delivers a punchy script and great art.Set in a 1930s backdrop, it’s great.
October 6, 2016
This is the first comic book I read on the character “Green Hornet” and it has left me hooked! This tells the story of the origin of the Green Hornet and his sidekick Kato. Set in the early 1920s and 1930s the illustration and the colors definitely enhanced the experience of reading this work. But it was the story telling that I most appreciate from the book.
I love how the story tells the story of the background of both our protagonists while also telling the story of how both of them began their first adventures together as Green Hornet and Kato. Sometimes I have a hard time with stories that keeps on going back and forth in time but the work was able to do so in a way that was easy to track. I love the details that was given with Kato’s background in Imperial Japan. I love the historical feel of the story of 1920s Chicago and Kato joining the Imperial Army of Japan. The two characters’ relationship with their noble fathers were parallel even though they were in a different part of the world and in different culture. Great work that made me buy volume two right away!
I love how the story tells the story of the background of both our protagonists while also telling the story of how both of them began their first adventures together as Green Hornet and Kato. Sometimes I have a hard time with stories that keeps on going back and forth in time but the work was able to do so in a way that was easy to track. I love the details that was given with Kato’s background in Imperial Japan. I love the historical feel of the story of 1920s Chicago and Kato joining the Imperial Army of Japan. The two characters’ relationship with their noble fathers were parallel even though they were in a different part of the world and in different culture. Great work that made me buy volume two right away!
April 12, 2011
I usually enjoy Matt Wagner's work, and wanted to get the taste of the recent Green Hornet film out of my brain. This worked.
Unlike the painfully mishandled movie, this graphic novel kept to the concepts from the original radio show...a gritty crimebusting saga with cool gadgets that add to the story, rather than dominating it.
This is told in the form of an origin story for both Britt Reid and Kato, showing how events shape them both into the men they are by the time of the first Green Hornet crusade against crime. Wagner fleshed out the original tale without contradicting it. Aaron Campbell's interior artwork was excellent even when the story called for what another artist might have turned into a gorefest. Yes, there are violent deaths and other horrible sequences, especially during the travels of both Britt and Kato, but they are never over the top.
If you want to see what the film could have been, with better writing and directing, take a look at this book.
Unlike the painfully mishandled movie, this graphic novel kept to the concepts from the original radio show...a gritty crimebusting saga with cool gadgets that add to the story, rather than dominating it.
This is told in the form of an origin story for both Britt Reid and Kato, showing how events shape them both into the men they are by the time of the first Green Hornet crusade against crime. Wagner fleshed out the original tale without contradicting it. Aaron Campbell's interior artwork was excellent even when the story called for what another artist might have turned into a gorefest. Yes, there are violent deaths and other horrible sequences, especially during the travels of both Britt and Kato, but they are never over the top.
If you want to see what the film could have been, with better writing and directing, take a look at this book.
May 24, 2012
To a true Green Hornet fan this mini series explores the origins of the masked crusader of justice. The story flows between 1938 ( which is present for the story's sake) and the history of Kato and Britt Reid. This is an excellent plot device used to perfection. This volume ends on a strong cliffhanger. The artwork is amazing! 5 stars!
June 9, 2011
Dynamite Entertain really hit one out of the park with their Green Hornet revival. The Kevin Smith/Phil Hester series was good, but holy mother of god, Matt Wagner's Year One is incredible. I read this the same weekend as Morning Glories Vol. 1, Orc Stain Vol. 1, The Last Phantom Vol. 1 and The Sixth Gun Vol. 1. Lots of volume ones, but lots of good books, too.
July 7, 2020
Thank you Matt Wagner and Aaron Campbell for breathing new life into classic characters. It's been awhile since I've read a trade all in one sitting ( thankfully it was my day off). I noticed this was from 10 years ago so I've got some catching up to do and will seek out more. Great use of colors by Francesco Francavilla as well.
September 12, 2016
This is shaping up to be a really good origin story. The artwork, especially the colors, is perfect for this kind of book and the dialogue feels really authentic.
August 15, 2018
I know very little of the Green Hornet other than a show that aired with the old Batman show at lunchtime when I was young. The shows were simple but fun - with the highlight being Kato and Bruce Lee. This is a typical retelling his origin story but Matt Wagner - like he has done with The Shadow and Sandman - does it extremely well. He makes the transformation of Britt Reed from "young man seeking adventure" to "crime fighter" and Kato from "Samurai warrior" to "sidekick" (emphasis on "kick") very logical and at the same time clever and original. I don't know if he borrowed from other sources but for me it was well done and an entertaining read. Wagner keeps the idea Kato is the superior warrior but also makes sure Britt has a strong role in the team. The movie with Seth Rogan went too far making Kato the brains and Britt "along for the ride", this comic finds the perfect balance.
The art is perfect and for someone who loves the idea of old time pulp adventure stories this is great modernization of those stories. Very enjoyable. I look forward to the next volume.
The art is perfect and for someone who loves the idea of old time pulp adventure stories this is great modernization of those stories. Very enjoyable. I look forward to the next volume.
July 22, 2023
Green Hornet: Year One was an enjoyable book. I like how the writer, Matt Wagner, set the time and look of our main hero on the early Hornet serial.
A gripe I had is the artwork. Sometimes I couldn't tell who was who. For example, several times, I mixed up the minions of the villain Skid Caruso. They almost had similar dialogue and looked the same.
Even Britt Reid and Kato looked alike in some panels.
I also felt the pacing of the story change when the story went into flashback.
A gripe I had is the artwork. Sometimes I couldn't tell who was who. For example, several times, I mixed up the minions of the villain Skid Caruso. They almost had similar dialogue and looked the same.
Even Britt Reid and Kato looked alike in some panels.
I also felt the pacing of the story change when the story went into flashback.
August 3, 2019
Tremendous
When i was in grade school, Batman had just started on t.v. Then came the green hornet, then the great debate: who wins in a fight? Well this collection is better than the t.v. Show ever was. A great origin tale st in the late 1930s, it's full of action, great writing, and fun.
When i was in grade school, Batman had just started on t.v. Then came the green hornet, then the great debate: who wins in a fight? Well this collection is better than the t.v. Show ever was. A great origin tale st in the late 1930s, it's full of action, great writing, and fun.
September 7, 2020
Love this origin !
not overdone just the right amount of plot,action, and character development
Matt wagner is at the height of his storytelling gift here
The art is great and old school nostalgic in the vein of Darwyn Cooke's The Spirit
A classic pulp hero done with class
not overdone just the right amount of plot,action, and character development
Matt wagner is at the height of his storytelling gift here
The art is great and old school nostalgic in the vein of Darwyn Cooke's The Spirit
A classic pulp hero done with class
April 7, 2021
This is a better telling of the Hornet’s back story and also ( if you’re looking for it) allusions to his family’s famous relative it doesn’t go overboard with a lot of things it gives you a taste and wanting more
Read
April 2, 2022A lot of fun and great art
Really good introduction to the character and terrific art. Looking forward to the next chapter. One of the better Dynamite books.
Really good introduction to the character and terrific art. Looking forward to the next chapter. One of the better Dynamite books.
February 26, 2024
Solid Story from Matt Wagner
Excellent pulp fiction that clearly explains a no killing rule. Atmospheric art that does a good job conveying the spirit of City of Chicago.
Excellent pulp fiction that clearly explains a no killing rule. Atmospheric art that does a good job conveying the spirit of City of Chicago.
October 22, 2024
This was great and it stroked all the feels in my nostalgia brain. Matt Wagner is amazing.
January 5, 2014
As the "Year One" title implies, this book tells the early career of the pulp hero the Green Hornet.
The story is decent if not all that spectacular as Britt Reid goes travelling and meets up with Kato, arrives in Chicago, and decides to fight crime as the Green Hornet.
Unfortunately, the big problem with this book is that Matt Wagner takes part of the issue and dedicates it to the Green Hornet's origin and training and part of it to his early case in pursuit of some Chicago mob boss in 1938. The problem with this is that it makes the main story very slow moving. Very little is accomplished in each issue. It's particularly to follow before Britt and Cato get together as the book as you have two back stories and one main story trying to be told in a short 20+ page comic.
The interior art doesn't help. The book's best art is its splash pages of which there are quite a few. Most of them are decent, but they take a lot of space away from stories where nothing happening already. In Issue 2, we get a one page splash followed by a two page splash (which doesn't really have a great impact because of the coloring.)
The book's coloring is atrocious. Characters are shaded in all sorts of bizarre and unnatural light. I do get some shots where pre-Green Hornet Britt is shadowed in Green but most of it is gratuitous and the result is just not pleasing to look at.
One thing I will say for the book is that the covers are good and the alternate covers included at the back are great. Alex Ross' Issue 1 Alternate is fantastic and Francisco Francavilla alternate covers for Issues 2-6 are drawn like old time movie posters. It's all very nice.
I should note for parents that this book is rated for Teens and that is not a good book for young kids. It's got a lot of violence and a bit of gore, but again it's at a PG-13 level.
The story is decent if not all that spectacular as Britt Reid goes travelling and meets up with Kato, arrives in Chicago, and decides to fight crime as the Green Hornet.
Unfortunately, the big problem with this book is that Matt Wagner takes part of the issue and dedicates it to the Green Hornet's origin and training and part of it to his early case in pursuit of some Chicago mob boss in 1938. The problem with this is that it makes the main story very slow moving. Very little is accomplished in each issue. It's particularly to follow before Britt and Cato get together as the book as you have two back stories and one main story trying to be told in a short 20+ page comic.
The interior art doesn't help. The book's best art is its splash pages of which there are quite a few. Most of them are decent, but they take a lot of space away from stories where nothing happening already. In Issue 2, we get a one page splash followed by a two page splash (which doesn't really have a great impact because of the coloring.)
The book's coloring is atrocious. Characters are shaded in all sorts of bizarre and unnatural light. I do get some shots where pre-Green Hornet Britt is shadowed in Green but most of it is gratuitous and the result is just not pleasing to look at.
One thing I will say for the book is that the covers are good and the alternate covers included at the back are great. Alex Ross' Issue 1 Alternate is fantastic and Francisco Francavilla alternate covers for Issues 2-6 are drawn like old time movie posters. It's all very nice.
I should note for parents that this book is rated for Teens and that is not a good book for young kids. It's got a lot of violence and a bit of gore, but again it's at a PG-13 level.
February 10, 2013
Two-fisted pulp action at it's best. Don't let that recent garbage movie by Seth Rogen put you off this awesome hero. Year One look back on how Britt Reid becomes the vigilante that doesn't kill along with his valet Kato and is one of the most interesting hero origins I've ever read and there is still another volume! While the tale's job is to show their origins it also jumps to the "current" timeline in the 1930's and they're first encounters as the masked duo encountering the mob in Chicago and the war they start with them.
Matt Wanger has a good handle on the idealistic Britt and actually makes him as interesting as his partner, Kato who usually eclipses him in the cool factor. The art has a nice old style feel to it with the colour palette reminding me of newspaper comic stripes but with a completely modern style.
Honestly I think Dynamite is producing some great pulp series even now what with The Shadow, The Spider and their Masks (pulp hero team-up!) event you could do a lot worse then giving Green Hornet Year One a try.
Matt Wanger has a good handle on the idealistic Britt and actually makes him as interesting as his partner, Kato who usually eclipses him in the cool factor. The art has a nice old style feel to it with the colour palette reminding me of newspaper comic stripes but with a completely modern style.
Honestly I think Dynamite is producing some great pulp series even now what with The Shadow, The Spider and their Masks (pulp hero team-up!) event you could do a lot worse then giving Green Hornet Year One a try.
August 28, 2013
Over the years I have read a many comic book and graphic novel, however Green Hornet has never been one of my focuses. Like many of the older franchises it can be hard to find a good starting point, here we having that starting point for newer fans. In this issue we see storylines from past and present. The issue starts out in the present as crime lords show their ugly faces, but as that story progresses the issue has flashback moments to tell the back story of the crime fighting duo. By the end of the issue new fans will walk away with a good foundation for future stories.
A good issue for old and new fans.
A good issue for old and new fans.
March 13, 2011
I love this book. Not only does it have excellent artwork, but it captures the feel of the original radio series beautifully. It provides a highly satisfying origin story for the Green Hornet (something the radio series itself never bothered with) while giving us a good amount of action at the same time. We also get a gallery of alternate covers, all a sight to behold. This is a book no Green Hornet fan should go without!
September 24, 2012
Decent retelling/reimagining of the origins of the Green Hornet and Kato.
I like how Wagner manages to balance actual history of the time period with cliffhanger serial style adventure.
Nothing earth shattering here, just a decent straight forward mystery/adventure.
Gains a star if you compare it to the other stories that tried to modernize the Hornet.
I like how Wagner manages to balance actual history of the time period with cliffhanger serial style adventure.
Nothing earth shattering here, just a decent straight forward mystery/adventure.
Gains a star if you compare it to the other stories that tried to modernize the Hornet.
March 4, 2012
A good look at the radio style Green Hornet, set in the 1930's. (YES, there was a Green Hornet before the 1966 Van Williams/Bruce Lee tv show)
Fans of the radio, TV show and even the 2011 film should like it.
Fans of the radio, TV show and even the 2011 film should like it.
August 2, 2012
Okay, but not ground-breaking retelling of the origin of The Green Hornet and his ass-kicking sidekick Kato. Enjoyable and a quick read but lots of time hopping and it wasn't something that would make me rush out and read more from the series.
August 18, 2012
The art's murky, but the story construction (specifically on the individual chapter level) is a lot of fun.
August 26, 2013
Nice telling of the origin of Green Hornet, though it did jump back and forth in time, which I think detracts from the story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews