Green Hornet #1
A Review by Ron Fortier
Writer: Kevin Smith
Artist: Jonathan Lau
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Ever since this comic hit the stands last week, I've been flooded with e-mail queries as to my opinion of it. Naturally this all because I was the dude who brought the character back to comics in the early 1980s at Now Comics. It was a most successful series and fans still remember it fondly to this day. Ergo, when Dynamite announced they were going to be doing the Green Hornet, it was no surprise fans would come knock on my door. And here we are. Book number one is finally out for the world to see, read, judge and compare. Including yours truly. Of course let's keep in mind, all art is subjective and my opinion is just that, of one person. Feel free to agree or disagree as you wish.
The story. Several years ago writer Kevin Smith wrote a film script for a Green Hornet movie. Sadly that project never went any further and the script languished in Smith's files collecting dust, until now that is. You see this opening mini-series is in fact a graphic adaptation of that movie script. And it reads like one, which is both a good thing and bad. Comics aren't movies and I do wish Smith or at least his editors here would have spent a little more time making visual adjustments to the narrative. I'm aware that Smith was a fan of our Now run and that is very evident in the generation/family plot in which this kicks off. Whereas we started our comic encapsulating the original character from the radio and movie serials, Dynamite's interpretation chooses to ignore them and establishes the 60s TV due (which starred Van Williams as the Hornet and Bruce Lee as Kato) as the first ever Hornet and Kato. And like our set up, this opening chapter begins with their last mission and their retiring from crime fighting.
The action sequences which open the book are excellently handled and it is easy to imagine this opening up a big budget film. The banter between the Hornet and Kato is a bit too light and breezy as it gives their characters a cavalier attitude about their mission and that rings false. Keep in mind the Green Hornet is not a super hero and his adventures, though pulp inspired, were really crime melodramas. Then we quickly learn that Britt is married and has a son, Britt Jr. We encounter his loving and supportive wife, who is happy he is giving up his dangerous secret life and at this juncture, the plot jumps ahead to modern times.
And we are left with just enough pages to show Britt Jr. has grown up to be a spoiled college brat who has no respect for authority or his family's good name. Which I think is a great characterization and I'm very curious what it is that will prompt him to put on the mask and take up his father's legacy? Overall, were I grading this opening chapter, I would happily give it a 95%. Again, I found it a little too verbose. Screen writers have a tendency to love dialog to the detriment of the graphics. In comics too many talking heads only puts on the breaks and slows the flow. It's a minor quibble, really.
The Art. I'd never seen Jonathan Lau's work before and I'm willing to describe it as serviceable. Meaning, I do believe it is of professional caliber but honestly believe he should work on his anatomy a lot more. His figures all look way too tall and thin and when caught up in any kind of action they appear to be stretching in ways that are aromatically impossible. Please, don't argue that it's comics and certain heroic exaggerations are permitted. All true...in superhero titles, but again, the Green Hornet is a crime comic. Something the art marketing campaign, from Alex Ross down, seems to have misunderstood. He is not Batman, or the Shadow. He is a unique figure who plays a gangster in order to trap other crooks. It's been the basis of his existence since he was first created in the early 30s. Let's not try to re-imagine him into a spandex type figure.
It won't work.
I give the art 85%
There you have it, comic fans. Overall I did like this comic a great deal and think you will too. If it is your first ever introduction to the Green Hornet and Kato, then it a good one and as this is only the first chapter, I'm fully expecting the remainder of the series to get better and better with each new book. Way to go, Dynamite. You've got yourself a winner.
Bzzzzzz!
Take A Look Inside
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Reviewer Bio
Ron Fortier
(ron@comicrelated.com) / Writer, Creator and Imagineer
Ron Fortier has been a professional writer for over 25 years working on comic book projects such as The Hulk, Popeye, Rambo and Peter Pan, his two most popular comic series being The Green Hornet and The Terminator (with Alex Ross). With Ardath Mayhar he's penned two TSR fantasy novels, and in 2001 he had his first play produced. Ron is a constant supporter of the site, writes for it from time to time and shepards our forums. Learn more about Ron at Airship27.
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