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The Green Hornet #1
Green Hornet, Vol. 1: Sins of the Father
Playboy Britt Red Jr. has lived a frivolous life of luxury. But when a mysterious figure from the past brutally and publicly murders his father, all of that changes. Driven by revenge, aided by his father's longtime ally and a new female Kato, this one-time underachiever will find those responsible and take his father's place as Century City's greatest protector, the Green Hornet! Filmmaker Kevin Smith ( Clerks , Chasing Amy ) adapts his unproduced Green Hornet film screenplay to comics, delivering a powerful, cinematic tale of justice and legacy.
140 pages, Hardcover
First published September 14, 2010
10 people are currently reading
268 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Smith
453 books964 followersKevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, director, as well as a comic book writer, author, and actor. He is also the co-founder, with Scott Mosier, of View Askew Productions and owner of Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash comic and novelty store in Red Bank, New Jersey. He also hosts a weekly podcast with Scott Mosier known as SModcast. He is also known for participating in long, humorous Q&A Sessions that are often filmed for DVD release, beginning with An Evening with Kevin Smith.
His films are often set in his home state of New Jersey, and while not strictly sequential, they do frequently feature crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon in what is known by fans as the "View Askewniverse", named after his production company View Askew Productions. He has produced numerous films and television projects, including Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Clerks II.
His films are often set in his home state of New Jersey, and while not strictly sequential, they do frequently feature crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon in what is known by fans as the "View Askewniverse", named after his production company View Askew Productions. He has produced numerous films and television projects, including Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Clerks II.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
December 14, 2023
A fun origin for a new Green Hornet & Kato.
It opens with the original Green Hornet, Britt Reid, taking down his last criminal and retiring to family life. Kato leaves the country to be with his own family as the curtain falls on their Happily Ever After.
Flash forward 20something years and his son, Britt Reid Jr. is a bit of a lazabout playboy with no real drive. Britt Senior is still heavily involved in the newspaper business and in an effort to help his lifelong friend hold on to the mayoral office, throwing a fundraiser to drum up support.
Things go tits up when The Black Hornet crashes the party and targets the old Green Hornet.
Spoilery things happen.
A new Kato is introduced, Britt Jr gets a much-needed kick in the pants, and the original team's children take over the spotlight.
According to the foreword, Kevin Smith wrote a screenplay that never saw the light of day and was then approached to turn it into a comic. And here we are.
I'm not a massive fan of Kevin Smith but this wasn't bad.
It opens with the original Green Hornet, Britt Reid, taking down his last criminal and retiring to family life. Kato leaves the country to be with his own family as the curtain falls on their Happily Ever After.
Flash forward 20something years and his son, Britt Reid Jr. is a bit of a lazabout playboy with no real drive. Britt Senior is still heavily involved in the newspaper business and in an effort to help his lifelong friend hold on to the mayoral office, throwing a fundraiser to drum up support.
Things go tits up when The Black Hornet crashes the party and targets the old Green Hornet.
Spoilery things happen.
A new Kato is introduced, Britt Jr gets a much-needed kick in the pants, and the original team's children take over the spotlight.
According to the foreword, Kevin Smith wrote a screenplay that never saw the light of day and was then approached to turn it into a comic. And here we are.
I'm not a massive fan of Kevin Smith but this wasn't bad.
August 26, 2023
4.5 stars
"You're gonna 'out-funk' all the people who wanna kill me? What the hell is this?" -- Britt Reid, Jr. a.k.a. the newly-christened but exasperated vigilante Green Hornet on his first night
"Godfather of Soul. James Brown." -- Mulan Kato, grooving to 'Cold Sweat' while coolly guiding the Black Beauty (their weaponized limousine) through the obligatory but thrilling car chase
It's a damn shame that Columbia / Sony Studios did not option director-actor Kevin Smith's story ideas for that eventual (and largely execrable) movie version back in 2011. His Green Hornet, Vol. 1: Sins of the Father was a wonderfully energetic graphic novel that respected the source material - a 1960's-era crusading newspaper owner moonlights as the shadowy masked crime-fighter Green Hornet, assisted by the martial arts virtuoso valet Kato - and pulls the narrative firmly into the 21st century by featuring the twentysomething son and daughter, respectively, of those characters now assuming their parents' former secret identities to confront a burgeoning organized crime wave plaguing the streets of Century City. It was a lean and mean action-oriented plot, with equal parts of effective comedy and tragedy (which is not always an easy thing to achieve), and concludes with a cliffhanger-ish ending that makes me hungry for more volumes. Beware the hornet's sting, baby!
"You're gonna 'out-funk' all the people who wanna kill me? What the hell is this?" -- Britt Reid, Jr. a.k.a. the newly-christened but exasperated vigilante Green Hornet on his first night
"Godfather of Soul. James Brown." -- Mulan Kato, grooving to 'Cold Sweat' while coolly guiding the Black Beauty (their weaponized limousine) through the obligatory but thrilling car chase
It's a damn shame that Columbia / Sony Studios did not option director-actor Kevin Smith's story ideas for that eventual (and largely execrable) movie version back in 2011. His Green Hornet, Vol. 1: Sins of the Father was a wonderfully energetic graphic novel that respected the source material - a 1960's-era crusading newspaper owner moonlights as the shadowy masked crime-fighter Green Hornet, assisted by the martial arts virtuoso valet Kato - and pulls the narrative firmly into the 21st century by featuring the twentysomething son and daughter, respectively, of those characters now assuming their parents' former secret identities to confront a burgeoning organized crime wave plaguing the streets of Century City. It was a lean and mean action-oriented plot, with equal parts of effective comedy and tragedy (which is not always an easy thing to achieve), and concludes with a cliffhanger-ish ending that makes me hungry for more volumes. Beware the hornet's sting, baby!
September 11, 2012
Honestly? I could give a fuck about the Green Hornet.
I picked this up because it was on sale for five bucks at the local comic shop and because I saw that Kevin Smith had written it.
Simply said, I enjoyed the hell out of it. It was funny and clever. It had good, snappy dialogue. (As you'd expect from Kevin Smith.)
Best of all, it didn't require me to know 30 years of backstory about the main character to enjoy it.
So. Five stars.
I picked this up because it was on sale for five bucks at the local comic shop and because I saw that Kevin Smith had written it.
Simply said, I enjoyed the hell out of it. It was funny and clever. It had good, snappy dialogue. (As you'd expect from Kevin Smith.)
Best of all, it didn't require me to know 30 years of backstory about the main character to enjoy it.
So. Five stars.
February 5, 2017
I like a good legacy, torch passing (Batman Beyond, Mask of Zorro, ect.) so the first half of this story is entertaining. Once the super heroics start happening, it starts to feel a bit like 90s film. But then, my examples were 90s stories too...
I'll check out the next volume, because I like a good legacy, torch passing story from the 90s.
I'll check out the next volume, because I like a good legacy, torch passing story from the 90s.
February 25, 2018
Like Kevin Smith's Bionic Man and The Star Wars, Green Hornet is a comic-book-itized version of a movie that was never made.
It's a great idea. The translation from movie to comic seems to work pretty well. I'd love a whole series like this, movies that never happened getting the comic book treatment.
Green Hornet is obviously an older property, revived by Kevin Smith's script, then turned into a different movie which didn't do so hot.
Which property would I like to see revived today? Easy. Richie Rich.
-wait-
Turns out, Netflix did it already! For kids.
They changed up the premise a little. Instead of just being rich, Richie used vegetables to invent a new fuel source, which he sold for a lot of money. Already, boo. Richie Rich is not fun if he earned the money in a legitimate way. A clean-burning energy source made from organic matter? That changes the world completely. That dude DESERVES a trillion dollars, easy! That's no fun. I don't want a story about a rich guy who DESERVES to be rich (and who, honestly, would make the world its trillion dollars back in like 45 minutes).
What would MY Richie Rich be like?
First off, the Netflix version says he has a heart of gold. Great idea.
Episode 1: Richie is implanted with a solid gold heart. This causes him lots of problems, he nearly dies throughout the series, but he doesn't care. He understands the importance of someone in his position engaging in conspicuous consumption, damn it.
Episode 2: Richie turns 16 and buys a supercar. Well, like a dozen supercars. He puts them through a series of tests to determine which is the best. A series of bizarre, destructive, thoroughly watchable tests. Such as getting cadavers and hitting them at 50 MPH to see which does the least damage and increases his likelihood of getting away.
Episode 3: Richie goes to the woods to set up a cabin for his heirs to inherit. He constructs several secret passages, Satanic tableaus, and other bizarre shit to really creep the hell out of the future. Just him with a backpack and a hose, spraying blood all over the wall where they've treated portions of it so a pentstaka (combo pentagram swastika) shows up amid the blood.
Episode 4: It turns out Richie is part of an HOA. He's forced to attend a meeting where they talk about who puts out their garbage when. Richie laughs, puts on his jetpack, and says, "Just tell my butler when to do it and he'll get it done. Enjoy your neighborhood student council or whatever the hell this is." Then he zooms off.
Episode 5: Road trip! Richie hits the road in an RV so long he spends the entire time making his way from the back of the thing to the front. Think Snowpiercer but with more carpeting.
Episode 6: After seeing a fellow rich person light a cigar with a $100 dollar bill, Richie becomes obsessed with the idea and starts assembling things that can be lit on fire. Candles, fireplaces, firepits. He finds a nearby kid's birthday just so he can go and light the candles with a hundo.
Episode 7: Because of some clause involved in his inheritance, Richie must spend one day a year entertaining the requests of alleged long-lost family members. They come, make pitches, and he's super bored. Until someone pitches a way for Richie to fund an island where it's legal to hunt the deadliest prey...man (with a gun).
Episode 8: Richie goes through his enemies list and exacts elaborate revenge on everyone who has ever wronged him.
Episode 9: Richie discovers the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. He's having trouble parting with items until he realizes that it's not so much about him having stuff as it is about other people NOT having stuff. He puts all his junk in a giant, dollar-sign-shaped swimming pool and lights it all on fire (using a $100 bill, of course. Continuity).
Episode 10: Richie is offered the chance to swap with his doppelganger and work in a factory for a day. Which he doesn't do. Instead, the entire episode is him explaining that he's not a moron, he KNOWS working sucks, and he doesn't really see the point of doing something that he knows he's going to hate. "I can be fairly certain that inserting a pin into my eye would not be fun, and I'm not interested in confirming my suspicion."
It's a great idea. The translation from movie to comic seems to work pretty well. I'd love a whole series like this, movies that never happened getting the comic book treatment.
Green Hornet is obviously an older property, revived by Kevin Smith's script, then turned into a different movie which didn't do so hot.
Which property would I like to see revived today? Easy. Richie Rich.
-wait-
Turns out, Netflix did it already! For kids.
They changed up the premise a little. Instead of just being rich, Richie used vegetables to invent a new fuel source, which he sold for a lot of money. Already, boo. Richie Rich is not fun if he earned the money in a legitimate way. A clean-burning energy source made from organic matter? That changes the world completely. That dude DESERVES a trillion dollars, easy! That's no fun. I don't want a story about a rich guy who DESERVES to be rich (and who, honestly, would make the world its trillion dollars back in like 45 minutes).
What would MY Richie Rich be like?
First off, the Netflix version says he has a heart of gold. Great idea.
Episode 1: Richie is implanted with a solid gold heart. This causes him lots of problems, he nearly dies throughout the series, but he doesn't care. He understands the importance of someone in his position engaging in conspicuous consumption, damn it.
Episode 2: Richie turns 16 and buys a supercar. Well, like a dozen supercars. He puts them through a series of tests to determine which is the best. A series of bizarre, destructive, thoroughly watchable tests. Such as getting cadavers and hitting them at 50 MPH to see which does the least damage and increases his likelihood of getting away.
Episode 3: Richie goes to the woods to set up a cabin for his heirs to inherit. He constructs several secret passages, Satanic tableaus, and other bizarre shit to really creep the hell out of the future. Just him with a backpack and a hose, spraying blood all over the wall where they've treated portions of it so a pentstaka (combo pentagram swastika) shows up amid the blood.
Episode 4: It turns out Richie is part of an HOA. He's forced to attend a meeting where they talk about who puts out their garbage when. Richie laughs, puts on his jetpack, and says, "Just tell my butler when to do it and he'll get it done. Enjoy your neighborhood student council or whatever the hell this is." Then he zooms off.
Episode 5: Road trip! Richie hits the road in an RV so long he spends the entire time making his way from the back of the thing to the front. Think Snowpiercer but with more carpeting.
Episode 6: After seeing a fellow rich person light a cigar with a $100 dollar bill, Richie becomes obsessed with the idea and starts assembling things that can be lit on fire. Candles, fireplaces, firepits. He finds a nearby kid's birthday just so he can go and light the candles with a hundo.
Episode 7: Because of some clause involved in his inheritance, Richie must spend one day a year entertaining the requests of alleged long-lost family members. They come, make pitches, and he's super bored. Until someone pitches a way for Richie to fund an island where it's legal to hunt the deadliest prey...man (with a gun).
Episode 8: Richie goes through his enemies list and exacts elaborate revenge on everyone who has ever wronged him.
Episode 9: Richie discovers the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. He's having trouble parting with items until he realizes that it's not so much about him having stuff as it is about other people NOT having stuff. He puts all his junk in a giant, dollar-sign-shaped swimming pool and lights it all on fire (using a $100 bill, of course. Continuity).
Episode 10: Richie is offered the chance to swap with his doppelganger and work in a factory for a day. Which he doesn't do. Instead, the entire episode is him explaining that he's not a moron, he KNOWS working sucks, and he doesn't really see the point of doing something that he knows he's going to hate. "I can be fairly certain that inserting a pin into my eye would not be fun, and I'm not interested in confirming my suspicion."
September 19, 2011
The Green Hornet - a masked vigilante with a martial arts chauffeur sidekick called Kato and a souped up limo called Black Beauty, out to take down gangsters while appearing to the public to be a gangster himself wanting control of Century City's crime. After taking down the last of the crime families, Green Hornet or to use his real name, Britt Reid, hangs up his mask and turns to a normal life, focusing on work and family.
Cut to the present day when Reid's family is changed - his wife has passed away and his son has grown up to become a spoilt, self entitled Trust Fund brat. Reid is old now, close to retirement, who has still kept his secret life as the Green Hornet from his son, when he is killed at a fundraiser by someone calling themselves "the Black Hornet". Suddenly Britt Reid Jnr, frustrated and out for revenge, is approached by an elderly Asian man who claims to have known his father and so begins the cycle that leads to the new Green Hornet and a new Kato for a new audience.
Kevin Smith's script for "The Green Hornet" is here adapted into comic book form after Smith passed on developing it into a movie. Smith does a great job of bringing the story to an audience unfamiliar with The Green Hornet, and you're quickly brought up to speed with the old story and can start fresh on the new. Smith's fast plotting and keen ear for dialogue means that despite The Green Hornet having no superpowers and not being nearly as "pimp" (to use Smith's vernacular) as Batman, it is nevertheless a compelling story that has you thinking that it would have made a great movie after all.
Jonathan Lau's art is nothing short of stunning and every panel is a masterclass in comic book illustration. He handles action sequences particularly well with the new Kato, Mulan, benefitting from well executed page layouts and imaginative poses, the sequences seem almost to come to life on the page.
While some might not approve of the way the new Green Hornet is a bit less serious than the previous incarnation, you have to give Smith leeway as he is dealing with a new Britt Reid in a new age. He's not his father and he's from a different background, so I think there's room to improvise.
You wouldn't think that the Green Hornet is the most compelling of superheroes, but Smith and Lau nonetheless make him interesting in this reboot and made me want to know what happens in Volume 2. A really interesting book and a great read, here's hoping Michel Gondry's movie version is as good!
Cut to the present day when Reid's family is changed - his wife has passed away and his son has grown up to become a spoilt, self entitled Trust Fund brat. Reid is old now, close to retirement, who has still kept his secret life as the Green Hornet from his son, when he is killed at a fundraiser by someone calling themselves "the Black Hornet". Suddenly Britt Reid Jnr, frustrated and out for revenge, is approached by an elderly Asian man who claims to have known his father and so begins the cycle that leads to the new Green Hornet and a new Kato for a new audience.
Kevin Smith's script for "The Green Hornet" is here adapted into comic book form after Smith passed on developing it into a movie. Smith does a great job of bringing the story to an audience unfamiliar with The Green Hornet, and you're quickly brought up to speed with the old story and can start fresh on the new. Smith's fast plotting and keen ear for dialogue means that despite The Green Hornet having no superpowers and not being nearly as "pimp" (to use Smith's vernacular) as Batman, it is nevertheless a compelling story that has you thinking that it would have made a great movie after all.
Jonathan Lau's art is nothing short of stunning and every panel is a masterclass in comic book illustration. He handles action sequences particularly well with the new Kato, Mulan, benefitting from well executed page layouts and imaginative poses, the sequences seem almost to come to life on the page.
While some might not approve of the way the new Green Hornet is a bit less serious than the previous incarnation, you have to give Smith leeway as he is dealing with a new Britt Reid in a new age. He's not his father and he's from a different background, so I think there's room to improvise.
You wouldn't think that the Green Hornet is the most compelling of superheroes, but Smith and Lau nonetheless make him interesting in this reboot and made me want to know what happens in Volume 2. A really interesting book and a great read, here's hoping Michel Gondry's movie version is as good!
February 6, 2017
So far, this is the worst comic I've read this year.
The art's barely passable (a massive pet peeve of mine with Dynamie comics, especially when they get Alex Ross covers) but the dialouge is pretty god awful, every attempt at "comedy" is pretty groan worthy. Everyone talks with the same type of dialogue style, making it sound so very inauthentic and annoying.
And even then, the plot is pretty slack. Nothing really feels like they were foreshadowed or paid off well or at all, just more like it was going through the motions with only half-baked ideas. Like why does Britt Reid Jr know so much about fighting if he never knew his dad was the Green Hornet, or even a background in martial arts training? Why wouldn't Mulan, daughter of Kato, not want to be Green Hornet herself? Why even bother setting this in modern day and, not say, the '60s like the classic tv show? Or the '80s? Why even bother giving Britt Reid Jr the mantle of GH when he shows nothing of anything useful in tactics? Why did his father keep his past as the original Green Hornet in the first place?
If you want to see a better reboot of Green Hornet, you should see the Seth Rogan Green Hornet movie. Granted, you'll totally forget about it shortly after finishing it, but at least it tried to be innovative. The characterizations in that movie alone are far superior than what you'll see here.
And the final insult? The redesigned costume on the cover of each comics? Doesn't appear at all in this book!
The art's barely passable (a massive pet peeve of mine with Dynamie comics, especially when they get Alex Ross covers) but the dialouge is pretty god awful, every attempt at "comedy" is pretty groan worthy. Everyone talks with the same type of dialogue style, making it sound so very inauthentic and annoying.
And even then, the plot is pretty slack. Nothing really feels like they were foreshadowed or paid off well or at all, just more like it was going through the motions with only half-baked ideas. Like why does Britt Reid Jr know so much about fighting if he never knew his dad was the Green Hornet, or even a background in martial arts training? Why wouldn't Mulan, daughter of Kato, not want to be Green Hornet herself? Why even bother setting this in modern day and, not say, the '60s like the classic tv show? Or the '80s? Why even bother giving Britt Reid Jr the mantle of GH when he shows nothing of anything useful in tactics? Why did his father keep his past as the original Green Hornet in the first place?
If you want to see a better reboot of Green Hornet, you should see the Seth Rogan Green Hornet movie. Granted, you'll totally forget about it shortly after finishing it, but at least it tried to be innovative. The characterizations in that movie alone are far superior than what you'll see here.
And the final insult? The redesigned costume on the cover of each comics? Doesn't appear at all in this book!
December 30, 2010
Based on the screen play that Smith wrote that never got made into a movie ... and it's understandable why. While not great, it is fun and probably still better than the movie that somehow did get made.
January 19, 2015
This review applies to both volumes 1 and 2. It is a reprint from http://www.comicpow.com/2015/01/14/ke... Follow that link to see the article along with related images from the comics.
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As I mentioned in my John Carter first look, I’m somewhat new to Dynamite’s properties; more accurately, their licensed properties. When I attended the Pulp Panel at Baltimore Comic-Con 2014, I was interested in the Green Hornet for the first time. My only previous exposure was the trailer for the Seth Rogan film. I knew it was an old character from the time of the radio serials, but not much else. But after hearing about Mark Waid’s take on it, I flagged it as something to check out.
Luckily for me, this year Dynamite did a Humble Bundle which included Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet. With the current near glut of comic book movies going to the silver screen, it was interesting to learn that Smith’s run on the comic was based on a Miramax movie script he wrote, but which was never produced. As a Kevin Smith fan, this intrigued me. Let’s first take a brief walk through the plot before looking at some of the themes Smith employs as well as any cinema-ness that sticks out compared to traditional comics.
The story open in what, at least to me, appears to be an unspecified time period. Smith seems to be deliberately leaving it open to interpretation whether this takes place in the 1930s of the original Green Hornet stories or a more modern time. The Green Hornet (Britt Reid) takes out the last crime family and retires. Unlike Batman, his appearance does not lead to escalation of ever crazier criminals. Perhaps unrealistically, he has now reach his goal and instead of being corrupted by power, he’s just happy that his city has been rid of all the crime families. His wife knows he’s the Green Hornet, but his son does not.
Fast-forward 20 years or so and we realize the opening must have taken place in the 70s or 80s because it’s now “today” and his son is essentially a male Paris Hilton: hounded by the paparazzi and a layabout living off his father’s money. Britt Reid Reid is then murdered by the Black Hornet. This is revealed to be a revenge killing for having stopped one of the crime families from the opening of the story (Black Hornet is the son of this crime boss). Interestingly, unlike many interpretations of Batman where Commissioner Gordon doesn’t know who Batman is, the DA did know who the Green Hornet was and sold this information to the Black Hornet.
Britt Reid Jr becomes the new Green Hornet to avenge his father and Kato’s daughter, Mulan becomes the new Kato. Things go slightly off the rails in terms of the main themes when it turns out that the Black Hornet didn’t only want revenge on Britt Reid Sr, but also implanted a bug that allows him to assume control of the new awesome airplane for the DOD and things go from revenge (and other themes) to the oft-used movie theme of “don’t develop super weapons lest they fall into the wrong hands”.
Smith isn’t shy about hitting the reader over the head with the main theme as it’s the name of the first volume: Sins of the Father. This trope is at least as old as the Bible, but it also occurs in real life – see the Hatfields and McCoys. What is most interesting about Smith’s use of the trope is the various ways it affects the children in this tale as well as how the adults dealt with it. Unlike other super heroes operating without super powers, Britt Sr does not involve his son in his crime-fighting. In fact, he keeps knowledge of it away from his son in hopes that he will not give his son the passion for following in his father’s footsteps. The legacy he selects for his son, newspaper magnate, is the one his son rejects. Of course, like a Greek Tragedy, this does not prevent the son from becoming the new Green Hornet and arguably pushes him in that direction. His father even had a contingency plan to whisk him out of the country (to China) if the father is ever attacked out of costume because it would mean his identity is compromised. So, for the sins of his father, Britt loses his father and is thrust into a crime fighting life (and probably would have been killed otherwise).
In an example of positive stereotyping, Kato’s daughter, Mulan, has been training her entire life to be the next Green Hornet sidekick. Even if I misread that, we still have the positive stereotype of asians being so amazingly good at martial arts that Britt Jr is not ready to be Green Hornet until he can beat Mulan at a sparring session. Either way, she ends up being the next “Kato”. She gets off the easiest when it comes to consequences of her father’s actions. She gets to be a kick-ass sidekick.
Finally, there’s the Juuma family. In an interesting mirror of his rival, the elder Juuma does not wish for his son to become embroiled in the rivalry. Unlike Reid, he does have his son working in the family business, but older Juuma realizes that revenge often leads to short-sighted thinking. They are planning on stealing a nuclear bomber that would allow them to exact tolls for every country – who cares if he had to be in jail for a while because of the Green Hornet. His sins cause Hirohito to have father gone for part of his childhood (jailed) and to develop an irrational hatred of the Green Hornet that ultimately costs them the most more important prize of the bomber.
The Green Hornet has some superficial similarities with Batman – they’re both rich, white men protecting the city from seedy elements. Smith is a huge Batman fan (he has a podcast called Fat Man on Batman) and has even penned some Batman stories. There are four main differences between the two masked men in Smith’s depiction of The Green Hornet. I think these differences are pretty interesting because we’ve had Batman for just as long as we’ve had the Green Hornet, but the Green Hornet never reached as wide a popularity so we consider the types of stories told with Batman to be more of a natural reflection of what a hero must be like. Green Hornet paints a slightly different picture.
A key part of the modern Batman is his lack of a traditional family and stunted emotional growth when it comes to relationships. In the modern mythology he’s raised by his family’s butler after his parents die. He then goes off into the wilderness to be reborn (a common trope at least as old as the Old Testament). When he returns he begins his suicidal quest against against the evil elements of Gotham City. Until he begins adopting children, he is not grounded and takes more risks. All of his father/son relationships leave something to be desired and his romantic relationships rarely pan out well. Batman never marries and the most compatible relationships to his lifestyle and neurosis are with villains: Talia al Ghul and Selina Kyle – aka Catwoman.
By contrast Britt Reid is depicted in Smith’s incarnation as a family man. He has a wife and a son and day job that requires his presence much more than Batman at Wayne Industries. Batman is often presented to be a child’s emotional response to the death of his parents. Yet Britt who (in this version) has no tragedy to spur him on, also engages in vigilantism. While Batman never wants someone to go through what he went through, Britt wants to clean up the city for his child. Finally, while Batman keeps his caped identity a secret from everyone (including most of those he adopts (until they figure it out)), Britt’s wife knows he’s the Green Hornet. It certainly helps to prevent the Batman Beyond storylines of “where were you last night?”
A common thesis is that Batman is the cause of his super villains. When he brought superior force and thinking to the fight against crime in Gotham he created a darwinistic pressure on the criminals to up their game if they wanted to continue to operate in Gotham. Thus all the common thugs fall away and, except for a crime family or two left in for legacy reasons, everyone works for the smartest (Riddler), most ruthless (Penguin), or most insane (Joker). Interestingly, Smith depicts the only response to the Green Hornet’s success is that some crime families try to team up. No masked villains appear to challenge him. (I am ignoring the Black Hornet of this story because it’s not a response to the Green Hornet, but an attempt to drag the Hornet name through the mud) So Smith reminds us that it’s not inevitable that Batman’s existence would have created his villains.
Another pretty big difference, and one that confused me as someone wasn’t familiar with the Green Hornet mythos, is that the Green Hornet assumes the guise not of a vigilante (like Batman), but that of another gangster. So while the Gotham Underworld knows they’re dealing with a vigilante, Green Hornet’s enemies think he’s merely another one of them who is more effective. Perhaps this is part of what prevents the escalation that occurs in Batman. Interestingly, Britt has his newspapers write editorials confirming that the Green Hornet is a criminal boss and condemning his actions.
The biggest difference, however, is that the Green Hornet actually accomplishes his job. I know on a meta level why this can’t be so in Batman. If Batman were to finally win, there would be no new Batman stories. The enemies need to constantly escape or new ones arise. It would make a nice story along the lines of Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow to see Batman finally able to retire and perhaps raise a family. Although, given his relationship issues (as I quickly mentioned, but have been elaborated all over the net) – there’s a certain truth to the future as depicted in Batman Beyond where Bruce ends up all alone. But in Britt’s instance, he’s able to go back to being a regular family man and business owner.
Green Hornet Vol 2 - Mulan's revealGreen Hornet Vol 2 – Mulan’s reveal
Moving away from comparisons with his pulp-era contemporary, one of the best reveals near the end is the reveal that Mulan is a lesbian. I thought the reveal was great on a few different levels. First of all, it’s so rare for a male and female lead not to be romantic interests. Second, nothing about Mulan as depicted in these first two volumes conforms to any lesbian stereotypes. The reveal is a surprise and shock to both the main character and the reader. Second only to a need for more characters of color in our media is the need for diverse sexualities. Since the 80s there has been a gradual increase in the number of LGBT characters in media, but only most recently have we started to see them represented in as many variations as there are in real life. While there are certainly people who resemble the stereotypes (or they wouldn’t exist), I’ve found it much more common to only know someone’s sexuality only when they discuss their partner/spouse.
As refreshing as it was not to have the usual male/female sexual tension among the leads, I do think there is a lot of room for authors to explore the dynamics of a hero/sidekick relationship. I’m sure in the nearly 100 years of comics it’s been explored, but it seems really rare. There are definitely some potential stories in the power dynamics there.
Finally, I just wanted to take few words to explore some random things I noticed in these volumes. Smith’s a master of dialogue and so it’s no surprise that the banter during the introductory fight and the banter when Britt Jr and Kato are trapped are pretty classic Smith. Also, his sense of comedy adds a great commentary to the idea of companies needing to update old ideas rather than just sticking to them by having Britt Jr try out a bunch of updated costumes with each having its own drawbacks before he just goes with the classic costume. One of the most interesting bits of trivia any comic fan eventually learns is that Batman used to carry a gun and didn’t even have any issues with killing enemies. Since the Green Hornet is from that same pulp era, I think it’s interesting he shoots a dart gun rather than a regular gun. I wonder if this was a change Smith made or a gimmick the original had.
So that was one man’s take on a classic pulp character; one that was originally to appear on the silver screen. In about a month we’ll take a look at Mark Waid’s take on the Green Hornet to see how he brings this character from the 30s to the 2010s.
----------
As I mentioned in my John Carter first look, I’m somewhat new to Dynamite’s properties; more accurately, their licensed properties. When I attended the Pulp Panel at Baltimore Comic-Con 2014, I was interested in the Green Hornet for the first time. My only previous exposure was the trailer for the Seth Rogan film. I knew it was an old character from the time of the radio serials, but not much else. But after hearing about Mark Waid’s take on it, I flagged it as something to check out.
Luckily for me, this year Dynamite did a Humble Bundle which included Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet. With the current near glut of comic book movies going to the silver screen, it was interesting to learn that Smith’s run on the comic was based on a Miramax movie script he wrote, but which was never produced. As a Kevin Smith fan, this intrigued me. Let’s first take a brief walk through the plot before looking at some of the themes Smith employs as well as any cinema-ness that sticks out compared to traditional comics.
The story open in what, at least to me, appears to be an unspecified time period. Smith seems to be deliberately leaving it open to interpretation whether this takes place in the 1930s of the original Green Hornet stories or a more modern time. The Green Hornet (Britt Reid) takes out the last crime family and retires. Unlike Batman, his appearance does not lead to escalation of ever crazier criminals. Perhaps unrealistically, he has now reach his goal and instead of being corrupted by power, he’s just happy that his city has been rid of all the crime families. His wife knows he’s the Green Hornet, but his son does not.
Fast-forward 20 years or so and we realize the opening must have taken place in the 70s or 80s because it’s now “today” and his son is essentially a male Paris Hilton: hounded by the paparazzi and a layabout living off his father’s money. Britt Reid Reid is then murdered by the Black Hornet. This is revealed to be a revenge killing for having stopped one of the crime families from the opening of the story (Black Hornet is the son of this crime boss). Interestingly, unlike many interpretations of Batman where Commissioner Gordon doesn’t know who Batman is, the DA did know who the Green Hornet was and sold this information to the Black Hornet.
Britt Reid Jr becomes the new Green Hornet to avenge his father and Kato’s daughter, Mulan becomes the new Kato. Things go slightly off the rails in terms of the main themes when it turns out that the Black Hornet didn’t only want revenge on Britt Reid Sr, but also implanted a bug that allows him to assume control of the new awesome airplane for the DOD and things go from revenge (and other themes) to the oft-used movie theme of “don’t develop super weapons lest they fall into the wrong hands”.
Smith isn’t shy about hitting the reader over the head with the main theme as it’s the name of the first volume: Sins of the Father. This trope is at least as old as the Bible, but it also occurs in real life – see the Hatfields and McCoys. What is most interesting about Smith’s use of the trope is the various ways it affects the children in this tale as well as how the adults dealt with it. Unlike other super heroes operating without super powers, Britt Sr does not involve his son in his crime-fighting. In fact, he keeps knowledge of it away from his son in hopes that he will not give his son the passion for following in his father’s footsteps. The legacy he selects for his son, newspaper magnate, is the one his son rejects. Of course, like a Greek Tragedy, this does not prevent the son from becoming the new Green Hornet and arguably pushes him in that direction. His father even had a contingency plan to whisk him out of the country (to China) if the father is ever attacked out of costume because it would mean his identity is compromised. So, for the sins of his father, Britt loses his father and is thrust into a crime fighting life (and probably would have been killed otherwise).
In an example of positive stereotyping, Kato’s daughter, Mulan, has been training her entire life to be the next Green Hornet sidekick. Even if I misread that, we still have the positive stereotype of asians being so amazingly good at martial arts that Britt Jr is not ready to be Green Hornet until he can beat Mulan at a sparring session. Either way, she ends up being the next “Kato”. She gets off the easiest when it comes to consequences of her father’s actions. She gets to be a kick-ass sidekick.
Finally, there’s the Juuma family. In an interesting mirror of his rival, the elder Juuma does not wish for his son to become embroiled in the rivalry. Unlike Reid, he does have his son working in the family business, but older Juuma realizes that revenge often leads to short-sighted thinking. They are planning on stealing a nuclear bomber that would allow them to exact tolls for every country – who cares if he had to be in jail for a while because of the Green Hornet. His sins cause Hirohito to have father gone for part of his childhood (jailed) and to develop an irrational hatred of the Green Hornet that ultimately costs them the most more important prize of the bomber.
The Green Hornet has some superficial similarities with Batman – they’re both rich, white men protecting the city from seedy elements. Smith is a huge Batman fan (he has a podcast called Fat Man on Batman) and has even penned some Batman stories. There are four main differences between the two masked men in Smith’s depiction of The Green Hornet. I think these differences are pretty interesting because we’ve had Batman for just as long as we’ve had the Green Hornet, but the Green Hornet never reached as wide a popularity so we consider the types of stories told with Batman to be more of a natural reflection of what a hero must be like. Green Hornet paints a slightly different picture.
A key part of the modern Batman is his lack of a traditional family and stunted emotional growth when it comes to relationships. In the modern mythology he’s raised by his family’s butler after his parents die. He then goes off into the wilderness to be reborn (a common trope at least as old as the Old Testament). When he returns he begins his suicidal quest against against the evil elements of Gotham City. Until he begins adopting children, he is not grounded and takes more risks. All of his father/son relationships leave something to be desired and his romantic relationships rarely pan out well. Batman never marries and the most compatible relationships to his lifestyle and neurosis are with villains: Talia al Ghul and Selina Kyle – aka Catwoman.
By contrast Britt Reid is depicted in Smith’s incarnation as a family man. He has a wife and a son and day job that requires his presence much more than Batman at Wayne Industries. Batman is often presented to be a child’s emotional response to the death of his parents. Yet Britt who (in this version) has no tragedy to spur him on, also engages in vigilantism. While Batman never wants someone to go through what he went through, Britt wants to clean up the city for his child. Finally, while Batman keeps his caped identity a secret from everyone (including most of those he adopts (until they figure it out)), Britt’s wife knows he’s the Green Hornet. It certainly helps to prevent the Batman Beyond storylines of “where were you last night?”
A common thesis is that Batman is the cause of his super villains. When he brought superior force and thinking to the fight against crime in Gotham he created a darwinistic pressure on the criminals to up their game if they wanted to continue to operate in Gotham. Thus all the common thugs fall away and, except for a crime family or two left in for legacy reasons, everyone works for the smartest (Riddler), most ruthless (Penguin), or most insane (Joker). Interestingly, Smith depicts the only response to the Green Hornet’s success is that some crime families try to team up. No masked villains appear to challenge him. (I am ignoring the Black Hornet of this story because it’s not a response to the Green Hornet, but an attempt to drag the Hornet name through the mud) So Smith reminds us that it’s not inevitable that Batman’s existence would have created his villains.
Another pretty big difference, and one that confused me as someone wasn’t familiar with the Green Hornet mythos, is that the Green Hornet assumes the guise not of a vigilante (like Batman), but that of another gangster. So while the Gotham Underworld knows they’re dealing with a vigilante, Green Hornet’s enemies think he’s merely another one of them who is more effective. Perhaps this is part of what prevents the escalation that occurs in Batman. Interestingly, Britt has his newspapers write editorials confirming that the Green Hornet is a criminal boss and condemning his actions.
The biggest difference, however, is that the Green Hornet actually accomplishes his job. I know on a meta level why this can’t be so in Batman. If Batman were to finally win, there would be no new Batman stories. The enemies need to constantly escape or new ones arise. It would make a nice story along the lines of Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow to see Batman finally able to retire and perhaps raise a family. Although, given his relationship issues (as I quickly mentioned, but have been elaborated all over the net) – there’s a certain truth to the future as depicted in Batman Beyond where Bruce ends up all alone. But in Britt’s instance, he’s able to go back to being a regular family man and business owner.
Green Hornet Vol 2 - Mulan's revealGreen Hornet Vol 2 – Mulan’s reveal
Moving away from comparisons with his pulp-era contemporary, one of the best reveals near the end is the reveal that Mulan is a lesbian. I thought the reveal was great on a few different levels. First of all, it’s so rare for a male and female lead not to be romantic interests. Second, nothing about Mulan as depicted in these first two volumes conforms to any lesbian stereotypes. The reveal is a surprise and shock to both the main character and the reader. Second only to a need for more characters of color in our media is the need for diverse sexualities. Since the 80s there has been a gradual increase in the number of LGBT characters in media, but only most recently have we started to see them represented in as many variations as there are in real life. While there are certainly people who resemble the stereotypes (or they wouldn’t exist), I’ve found it much more common to only know someone’s sexuality only when they discuss their partner/spouse.
As refreshing as it was not to have the usual male/female sexual tension among the leads, I do think there is a lot of room for authors to explore the dynamics of a hero/sidekick relationship. I’m sure in the nearly 100 years of comics it’s been explored, but it seems really rare. There are definitely some potential stories in the power dynamics there.
Finally, I just wanted to take few words to explore some random things I noticed in these volumes. Smith’s a master of dialogue and so it’s no surprise that the banter during the introductory fight and the banter when Britt Jr and Kato are trapped are pretty classic Smith. Also, his sense of comedy adds a great commentary to the idea of companies needing to update old ideas rather than just sticking to them by having Britt Jr try out a bunch of updated costumes with each having its own drawbacks before he just goes with the classic costume. One of the most interesting bits of trivia any comic fan eventually learns is that Batman used to carry a gun and didn’t even have any issues with killing enemies. Since the Green Hornet is from that same pulp era, I think it’s interesting he shoots a dart gun rather than a regular gun. I wonder if this was a change Smith made or a gimmick the original had.
So that was one man’s take on a classic pulp character; one that was originally to appear on the silver screen. In about a month we’ll take a look at Mark Waid’s take on the Green Hornet to see how he brings this character from the 30s to the 2010s.
March 21, 2017
UGHHHHHHHH
If this is your first time reading Green Hornet please FOR THE LOVE OF GOD don't start with this. I recommend either the 1989 series or the 1991 series instead. Seriously don't ruin a great hero for yourself with this crap.
If you're a long time Hornet fan you really don't need to read it either. No one does.
This was / is horrendous. I tried- God I tried so hard to give it a go.. i held out .. read the whole thing... all 33 exhausting chapters... please.. Don't waste your time on it like I did.
What a steaming pile of shit desecration to the original. God it's so frikking 90's and annoying I can't.
The main character Britt Reid Jr (who used to be a pretty classy character before Dynamite comics got to him) is annoying. His motivations are 2d and 2-bit. It doesn't feel like the Hornet it feels like playing dress up and pretending to be half as good as the real thing, like we've been conned and given something half baked and half quality.
What's most annoying (possibly - the whole thing's infuriating after all so it's actually hard to choose a number one.) is the fact that they used the name of Britt Reid Jr.
Britt Reid Jr was a great character... before Dynamite comics decided to throw up this piece of bile.
They've retconned his entire personality, his looks, his background, his skills - all of it. When they could've easily just made it Britt Jr's kid or his nephew the already established Britt Senior's kid.
The original Britt Jr - was blond; a world famous pianist who always worried about injuring his hands fighting crime, never wanted to be the Green Hornet but always found about it when he was a kid, felt honour bound after his older brother Alan Reid died on his first job as the Hornet to take on the name too and fight crime in the family tradition. He was kind and self sacrificing but not in an overly pious way, he had a dark side and vulnerabilities but the brighter side of his personality always won out - he did what he thought was right because he felt like it was a moral imperative, even at cost to what he wanted.
His entire character, beloved as it was, has been brutally mutilated.
Dynamite comics attempt at Britt Reid Jr, is a selfish spoiled brat, a tired take off of Tony Stark's origins.
He's a trust fund baby who we're 'told' is brilliant but we never really see it. He literally has the nickname 'Randy Reid' because he's such a debauched jerk.
Our first encounter with him is his girlfriend leaving him literally calling him a trust fund baby who scorns his father's work, won't take a job from him but still takes his paycheck and then him in a temper mooning the press. From there we get to see him verbally abusing Britt Reid senior's entire lifeswork as a newspaperman to his face, (this on the date of the man's wife's death anniversary) And being more or less a useless prick for the entirety of the time he works as The Green Hornet.
It's lame, it's painful to read and it's just bad.
It does nothing but take away from the greatness of the original stories, it more or less makes a mockery of them while still tritely headnodding at them every couple of pages. God who wrote this piece of trash?
I don't even care I just want it burned.
. . .
. . .
(And don't. . .
Don't get me started on *shudders* . . . 'the black hornet' *facepalms and groans into eternity*)
If this is your first time reading Green Hornet please FOR THE LOVE OF GOD don't start with this. I recommend either the 1989 series or the 1991 series instead. Seriously don't ruin a great hero for yourself with this crap.
If you're a long time Hornet fan you really don't need to read it either. No one does.
This was / is horrendous. I tried- God I tried so hard to give it a go.. i held out .. read the whole thing... all 33 exhausting chapters... please.. Don't waste your time on it like I did.
What a steaming pile of shit desecration to the original. God it's so frikking 90's and annoying I can't.
The main character Britt Reid Jr (who used to be a pretty classy character before Dynamite comics got to him) is annoying. His motivations are 2d and 2-bit. It doesn't feel like the Hornet it feels like playing dress up and pretending to be half as good as the real thing, like we've been conned and given something half baked and half quality.
What's most annoying (possibly - the whole thing's infuriating after all so it's actually hard to choose a number one.) is the fact that they used the name of Britt Reid Jr.
Britt Reid Jr was a great character... before Dynamite comics decided to throw up this piece of bile.
They've retconned his entire personality, his looks, his background, his skills - all of it. When they could've easily just made it Britt Jr's kid or his nephew the already established Britt Senior's kid.
The original Britt Jr - was blond; a world famous pianist who always worried about injuring his hands fighting crime, never wanted to be the Green Hornet but always found about it when he was a kid, felt honour bound after his older brother Alan Reid died on his first job as the Hornet to take on the name too and fight crime in the family tradition. He was kind and self sacrificing but not in an overly pious way, he had a dark side and vulnerabilities but the brighter side of his personality always won out - he did what he thought was right because he felt like it was a moral imperative, even at cost to what he wanted.
His entire character, beloved as it was, has been brutally mutilated.
Dynamite comics attempt at Britt Reid Jr, is a selfish spoiled brat, a tired take off of Tony Stark's origins.
He's a trust fund baby who we're 'told' is brilliant but we never really see it. He literally has the nickname 'Randy Reid' because he's such a debauched jerk.
Our first encounter with him is his girlfriend leaving him literally calling him a trust fund baby who scorns his father's work, won't take a job from him but still takes his paycheck and then him in a temper mooning the press. From there we get to see him verbally abusing Britt Reid senior's entire lifeswork as a newspaperman to his face, (this on the date of the man's wife's death anniversary) And being more or less a useless prick for the entirety of the time he works as The Green Hornet.
It's lame, it's painful to read and it's just bad.
It does nothing but take away from the greatness of the original stories, it more or less makes a mockery of them while still tritely headnodding at them every couple of pages. God who wrote this piece of trash?
I don't even care I just want it burned.
. . .
. . .
(And don't. . .
Don't get me started on *shudders* . . . 'the black hornet' *facepalms and groans into eternity*)
May 5, 2020
3.5 stars.
I've had a love for the Green Hornet since reading the Now Comics series in the late 80s. That series used a generational approach to the character that allowed the previous incarnations of the character to exist alongside the current version.
This series takes a similar approach, with the children of the "original" Green Hornet and Kato picking up the mantles once an old enemy returns.
Since this is based off an unproduced Kevin Smith screenplay, it's hard to not draw comparisons with the Seth Rogen-starring film we eventually got. I can say with confidence the unproduced screenplay is superior to the one that was shot.
So how is it as a comic book? It's a good read. I wasn't blown away, but it's my favorite of the modern Green Hornet books. I can't say if it will create new fans, but it was an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.
I've had a love for the Green Hornet since reading the Now Comics series in the late 80s. That series used a generational approach to the character that allowed the previous incarnations of the character to exist alongside the current version.
This series takes a similar approach, with the children of the "original" Green Hornet and Kato picking up the mantles once an old enemy returns.
Since this is based off an unproduced Kevin Smith screenplay, it's hard to not draw comparisons with the Seth Rogen-starring film we eventually got. I can say with confidence the unproduced screenplay is superior to the one that was shot.
So how is it as a comic book? It's a good read. I wasn't blown away, but it's my favorite of the modern Green Hornet books. I can't say if it will create new fans, but it was an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.
December 30, 2010
After the travesty that is the brutally-reviewed Batman book this year, I expected very little from this. The intro by Smith set me up for a weak story, and then I leaped into it - and couldn't put it down until it was done (and I want the next volume NOW). The way this was paced, written and laid out, it feels like the storyboards for a blockbuster action-comedy movie. Why did Seth Rogen's sad-looking tale get made instead, exactly?
Great writing - especially given the collaboration (apparently faithful to Smith's source script, and then polished by him at the end) - and incredibly driving action and pacing. I felt like I could hear the driving soundtrack booming all around me.
Very satisfying read - some good twists and turns, and sets up some great plots for the future.
Great writing - especially given the collaboration (apparently faithful to Smith's source script, and then polished by him at the end) - and incredibly driving action and pacing. I felt like I could hear the driving soundtrack booming all around me.
Very satisfying read - some good twists and turns, and sets up some great plots for the future.
January 19, 2013
I had seen the movie, and thought these are man just as average as Joe. Well I wanted, no needed to know more about them and why they become the super heroes we all have grown to love. The store was more complex than the movie made it out to be and the context of the interaction was funnier.
The more I learn about Kevin Smith the more I like him. He is a bank of knowledge on anything to do with comic books. I hope to one day have half the understanding that he does. The more I get into comics the more I like it. The key however is to have the back story to truly have a love and understanding of the heroes. Like so many of us, how we are today is a product of our past actions, events and beliefs.
The more I learn about Kevin Smith the more I like him. He is a bank of knowledge on anything to do with comic books. I hope to one day have half the understanding that he does. The more I get into comics the more I like it. The key however is to have the back story to truly have a love and understanding of the heroes. Like so many of us, how we are today is a product of our past actions, events and beliefs.
December 29, 2010
An intriguing premise for a reboot of the Green Hornet degenerates into little more than an excuse for Jay & Silent Bob quality dialogue & incoherent fight sequences.
Kevin Smith shows flashes of brilliance with his writing - but those simply show how the mediocre quality of the rest of the book.
Kevin Smith shows flashes of brilliance with his writing - but those simply show how the mediocre quality of the rest of the book.
Want to read
August 30, 2014***DISCLAIMER!!!***
So again, I got issue #1 of this on Humble Bundle as a freebie. Art was great, potential was decent, but it never got a chance to get started obviously. Reading this, I can't figure out if Seth Rogen wasted Kevin Smith's version, or if they were just very similar from what I saw...
We'll see if I get around to the rest of this.
So again, I got issue #1 of this on Humble Bundle as a freebie. Art was great, potential was decent, but it never got a chance to get started obviously. Reading this, I can't figure out if Seth Rogen wasted Kevin Smith's version, or if they were just very similar from what I saw...
We'll see if I get around to the rest of this.
March 9, 2011
Story was okay. Great art.
June 16, 2016
As a newbie to this character I wasn't sure what to expect but I really loved the whole aesthetic of this volume and the inter-generational conflict. Suspenseful and fun. Roll on volume 2!
September 16, 2024
This was a screenplay turned into a comic based on the classic radio drama/comic book/movie/everything character the Green Hornet. I've been aware of the Green Hornet for a long time (no duh, considering content has been coming out about him since the 1930s) but this was my first piece of media that I have finally fully consumed about the character.
I'd give this book a light four stars. It's good, and uses a lot tropes, but in a way that works. The story follows the Green Hornet *after* he's old and has hung up the mantle for many years, and a plot unfolds that thrusts his son into the role. (Along with the child of the original faithful sidekick, Kato.) I won't go any further about the plot to avoid spoilers, but it definitely was well-executed enough to keep my attention throughout.
If you want the vibe, think a Batman-like character passing on the mantle to their child to fight the Yakuza, and a lot of character development for everyone along the way. If that appeals to you, go read this. It's an easy introduction to the character.
I'd give this book a light four stars. It's good, and uses a lot tropes, but in a way that works. The story follows the Green Hornet *after* he's old and has hung up the mantle for many years, and a plot unfolds that thrusts his son into the role. (Along with the child of the original faithful sidekick, Kato.) I won't go any further about the plot to avoid spoilers, but it definitely was well-executed enough to keep my attention throughout.
If you want the vibe, think a Batman-like character passing on the mantle to their child to fight the Yakuza, and a lot of character development for everyone along the way. If that appeals to you, go read this. It's an easy introduction to the character.
July 30, 2023
I read Sins of the Father after the fourth volume Red Hand.
Still nothing mind blowing. This is from an idea written by director Kevin Smith. I forget if this was a movie idea. If so, it would have needed work. As a comic, it passes the the time.
Britt Reid, Jr., who will become the new Green Hornet, parties, dates the wrong women. He lives day to day on his father's money.
Britt Reid, Sr., former Green Hornet and widower, wealthy, doesn't connect with his son.
The former Kato is still a formidable martial artist even though he's older. The new Kato is his daughter named Mulan. It sounds like Kevin Smith was watching the Disney film and decided to name his new Kato such.
There is a lot going on in the story. Like the fourth volume, even though Smith didn't write the stories in that volume, need work.
This first volume is good to pass the time.
Still nothing mind blowing. This is from an idea written by director Kevin Smith. I forget if this was a movie idea. If so, it would have needed work. As a comic, it passes the the time.
Britt Reid, Jr., who will become the new Green Hornet, parties, dates the wrong women. He lives day to day on his father's money.
Britt Reid, Sr., former Green Hornet and widower, wealthy, doesn't connect with his son.
The former Kato is still a formidable martial artist even though he's older. The new Kato is his daughter named Mulan. It sounds like Kevin Smith was watching the Disney film and decided to name his new Kato such.
There is a lot going on in the story. Like the fourth volume, even though Smith didn't write the stories in that volume, need work.
This first volume is good to pass the time.
November 28, 2019
I know absolutely nothing about Green Hornet (okay, I have seen the Seth Rogan movie, but I'm not sure that counts). I felt like this did a decent job introducing the character. One thing I liked about this book is that it starts out with the "classic" version of the character and then shifts to modern day. This gives a feel for what the character is about and what this series in particular is setting out to do. It is in sort of a tough position trying to make the book accessible to people like me that know little or nothing about the character and tell an interesting story. Plot wise it moves kind of slowly. There is plenty of action to keep things moving though. My interest is piqued enough that I will read the second volume.
January 7, 2020
Kevin Smith is obviously the big draw here but he doesn't bring anything spectacular to the table, at least in the first volume. The art by Hester and Lau was worth the price though. Their fight scenes were dynamic and show a ton of promise. Smith's plot was bogged down by a slow moving history lesson that set up the obvious. The second volume should be given more room to breath. Overall, a good but unoriginal read.
June 16, 2020
It reads like a popcorn action movie - which in a way, it is. Kevin Smith took his unused Green Hornet movie script and let the folks at Dynamite Comics adapt it into a comic.
The plot is brisk and fun. Plenty of popping dialogue from Kevin Smith. And there is just enough weight to the story with the father/son themes to provide a lit bit of an emotional anchor to the book.
I’m looking forward to reading the second half of the story.
The plot is brisk and fun. Plenty of popping dialogue from Kevin Smith. And there is just enough weight to the story with the father/son themes to provide a lit bit of an emotional anchor to the book.
I’m looking forward to reading the second half of the story.
August 3, 2020
This story is based on a script that Kevin Smith wrote for Miramax. He explains it in a little forward at the beginning. This feels very much like the beginning of the movie. I actually enjoyed the Seth Rogen film, but I think Kevin Smith's take could've worked as a film as well. The artwork is definitely visually appealing, making this a smooth read. And there is emotion as Brit has relationship issues and deals with the death of his father and having to carry his legacy.
September 5, 2020
This modern stylized version of the classic pulp characters almost works
moments of humanity contrast yet subtle similarity between the villains and heroes and cinematic fight scenes that are awesome it's good but not great some of the interaction between characters doesn't work and some of the plot is a little too standard and flat
however it's good enough to have me wanting more on to volume 2
moments of humanity contrast yet subtle similarity between the villains and heroes and cinematic fight scenes that are awesome it's good but not great some of the interaction between characters doesn't work and some of the plot is a little too standard and flat
however it's good enough to have me wanting more on to volume 2
February 16, 2019
I've been a Kevin Smith fan for a while now, thanks to his work on Daredevil and the Jersey trilogy. I only knew a little about Green Hornet going in, but that wasn't an issue here since this is an origin story, so it's a perfect place to start. Great dialogue and humor provides a nice balance to the action. I like the art too, so it's a solid read, especially if you're a Smith fan.
February 5, 2022
Kevin's Smith movie script turned into comic book which works very well in volume 1. The artwork is very good. If you're a fan of gleaming colors you'll enjoy the visulas like I did. The story is also decent, a passing of the torch to the next generation years after we see Reid and Kato decide to hang up their mantles. I'm looking forward to the next volume.
February 21, 2022
Fun take on Green Hornet, from Kevin Smith. There aren't a lot of surprises here. Smith is following a formula that's pretty standard at this point, in terms of a father-to-son "passing the mantle" superhero story. But it's well-executed. The artwork by Phil Hester and Jonathan Lau is nice too.
This volume tells about half the story, I think. I assume it comes to a conclusion in volume 2.
This volume tells about half the story, I think. I assume it comes to a conclusion in volume 2.
February 4, 2024
I don’t often write reviews, and I almost never give something 5 stars. In this case the storyline and the artwork were excellent, very seldom have I encountered both to be so good, and Kevin I would love to see this movie.
July 18, 2025
Green Hornet the dad and Kato the dad are interesting characters who like to joke around. Green Hornet the son and Kato the daughter are just so, so boring. Maybe that's not fair as it's just the first half of the story but it doesn't make me want to read the second half.
November 18, 2018
Good fun
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