Longbox Junk - Green Hornet Part 2

GREEN HORNET

(Dynamite)

Part 2: Issues 7 -12

Here we go. . .six more issues of Dynamite's Green Hornet.  Let's do this!

ISSUE 7: THE SON ALSO RISES

Except for a couple of short scenes, this issue doesn't focus on Green Hornet so much as on Britt Reid Jr. as he takes over his father's newspaper and attends a black-tie event where he meets Hirohito Juuma (The Black Hornet) face to face for the first time in a tense, non-costumed confrontation where the battle is fought with veiled words instead of fists. 

The Juumo clan's true motives are also revealed in the unveiling of a secret atomic-powered stealth fighter (that the Juuma clan has the contract to make the guidance system for) that they plan on stealing to sell to the highest bidder.

The art remains predictably fantastic, even in an issue with a lot of talking heads and people sort of standing around at a party. Storywise, I liked the shift away from Green Hornet to Britt Reid Jr. and his public identity. 

Like I said last issue. . .I know there's going to be some drama hitting the fan soon, but a few issues worth of breathing room for the characters to grow a bit is a great choice by the writer.

ISSUE 8: THE STING

Things start rushing toward the finale of the first art (and Smith's movie script) with this issue. All the buildup of the past 7 issues begins to pay off here. . .

Black Hornet attacks the event Britt Reid is attending, leading to the first costumed showdown between Black and Green Hornet and revealing the identity of Black Hornet as Hirohito Juuma. After Black Hornet escapes, he attacks the Hornet's Nest, shooting Kato and capturing Mulan and Green Hornet.

And here's where it goes off the rails a bit. . .the captured heroes are tied to a giant typewriter on top of the Reid newspaper building. After the Black Hornet monologues a bit, revealing his plans to destroy Central City with an atomic bomb, he kills Mayor Scanlon and leaves our heroes to their fate. . .Batman '66 cliffhanger style.

Yeah. . .giant typewriter deathtrap.

That to the side for now, the art in this issue was some of the best yet. It really looked like storyboards for a movie. . .especially the scenes of Mulan fighting ninjas while Green Hornet fought Black Hornet. This is the most badass she's looked yet! 

And really, except for the campy Batman deathtrap, the story was pretty good, with a lot of great moments and touches of humor. Still. . .Giant Typewriter? No bueno.

ISSUE 9: ORPHANS

Okay. . .this was probably the worst issue of the bunch so far, but it's a testament to the creative team that even the worst yet is still pretty damn good.

After Green Hornet and Mulan escape the. . .er. . .giant typewriter deathtrap, most of the issue is a fast-paced, high octane chase through the streets of Century City with Hirohita Juuma losing control of his obsession with the Green Hornet and in pursuit of the Black Beauty at the virtual controls of a stolen steath fighter while his father yells at him to just nuke the city already.

I can kind of tell that if this HAD been made into a movie, this would be a special effects fiesta. . .and probably the worst part of the movie as well. It's the big, bombastic final act that this street-level hero doesn't really need. The art is wonderful, the writing is good, but the whole scene/issue just feels overdone and out of place.

ISSUE 10: IT'S IN THE BLOOD

It's the final confrontation between Green and Black Hornet. . .the final issue of the first arc. . .and Kevin Smith's final issue.

It starts off a with a bit of a groan-worthy moment as it's revealed the Black Beauty has a break-away mini-jet inside it and the jet/car chase becomes an air battle in and out of the skyscrapers of Century City before ending in two crashed planes on Juuma Tower and a Kung-Fu showdown on the roof.

At the end of it all, the Juuma Clan's plans are foiled, Black Hornet falls to his death, and there is a nice quiet finishing scene of Kato and Britt Jr. visiting the grave of Britt Sr. before ending on the New Green Hornet and Kato on the job. Roll Credits.

All in all, except for the overly-bombastic and unnecessary jet combat scenes, this was a fine finish to what would have been a pretty damn good movie.

And if they would have ended the series here, it would have been just as well. . .but there's 32 more issues to go.

ISSUE 11:  LOS HIJOS DE LA MUERTE

In the first post-Kevin Smith arc, things switch up a bit with Phil Hester taking over scripts and Lau on art duties without Hester on breakdowns. . .and you can definitely tell the difference on the art.

Lau's style is still a great fit for this series, but without Hester's contribution, there's. . .something. . .missing. A level of fine detail that really put the art on previous issues completely over the top. It's still great, don't get me wrong. . .just not AS great (and a hell of a lot better than what's to come down the road).

The story revolves around two main events: Green Hornet and Kato discovering a gang that seemingly doesn't fear death and behave in an almost cult-like manner. After they try to assassinate Green Hornet, the team turns the tables and tries to pull a trap of their own that backfires for a cliffhanger at the end with a member throwing himself off a bridge holding Green Hornet.

In the second story thread, Kato Sr. and Clutch decide to head back to Japan in order to defeat the remains of the Juuma Clan before they come looking for revenge over the death of Hirohito Juuma (Black Hornet).

All in all, the writing remains good and there's not much of a difference in transition (so far) between Smith and Hester. The art remains strong, but not AS strong. So far the title is remaining firmly on the rails.

ISSUE 12: UNMASKED

Both the art and story remain strong in this issue, even improving a bit as the second arc gathers a bit of steam.

During their failed ambush of the Los Hijos de la Muerte, Green Hornet is captured by a crooked cop and unmasked as Britt Reid Jr. Lt. Chritton makes Britt an offer he can't refuse. . .he keeps his identity secret and helps keep the cops off the Hornet and in exchange, the Hornet gives him information, good busts, and dirty crime scene loot. Green Hornet and Mulan reluctantly agree to work with him for now. . .

In the second story thread, Kato and Clutch arrive in Japan only to be immediately attacked by the Juuma Clan. After defeating them easily, Kato lets them know he wants a meeting with their leaders.

Elsewhere, Padre Benedicto (leader of Los Hijos de la Muerte) shows a disbelieving gang member that Santo Muerte is real by having her kill him in front of the gang.

Overall, I like the continued quality of this issue and the direction things are heading. The story building up is not quite as cinematic as Smith's, but it's still pretty damn good. . .especially the new complication of the Green Hornet basically being blackmailed into working for a crooked cop.

CONCLUSION

Except for a few stumbles (Giant Typewriter? Eject-A-Jet?) the first 10 issues of Dynamite's Green Hornet are pretty much the Green Hornet movie I would MUCH rather see than Seth Rogan's half-baked attempt. . .which, to be fair, had its good moments, but really didn't respect the legacy of the character.  The second arc is just beginning, but so far so good post Kevin Smith.

Regardless of what happens in issues to come, I would highly suggest the first 10 issues of Green Hornet as some damn fine comic books.  It's a crying shame that Smith's Green Hornet movie never got made.

Up next. . .

More Dynamite Green Hornet.
30 issues to go. . .we're just getting started here, folks.

Be there or be square!

Longbox Junk - Green Hornet Part 1

GREEN HORNET

(Dynamite)

PART 1: ISSUES 1 - 6

This series is going to be a little strange to review, because I know what happens, and what happens isn't good.  Dynamite's Green Hornet begins as an adaptation of a Kevin Smith script for a big screen Green Hornet movie that never happened.  And I can tell you that THIS Green Hornet movie would have blown the half-baked Seth Rogan effort that we got out of the water in every good way.

BUT. . .

Once Smith and his script are gone, this series goes off the rails in a big way.  The end of this run is a complete train wreck.  I know that despite my joy in re-reading the brilliant start of this series, I am going to be in a seriously depressing place eventually as the writing and art break completely down.

So let's get this party started and enjoy ourselves for a while before the beer runs out and someone puts Coldplay in the CD player because his girl really loves that one song they do. . .

ISSUE 1: NIGHT AND DAY

This is about as close to a perfect first issue for a series that I can think of.

It pays respect to the original Green Hornet by starting off with the Hornet and Kato's last mission, taking down the final two crime families of Century City, and then Britt Reid promising his wife to hang up his secret identity for good and saying farewell to Kato. Then it brings us into the "present" day, 20 years later, introducing us to Britt Reid Jr. . .the spoiled son of the retired superhero, drifting through life on his father's money with no direction or responsibility.

Even if you know nothing about Green Hornet and Kato, I think this issue does a spectacular job of introducing the team, moving the story forward to present times, and establishing the status quo.

The art by Lau and Hester is totally fantastic. Every panel pops with life. On page 4 there is a shot of Green Hornet lurking on an overhead beam, ready to make his move, that I would LOVE to see as a poster on my wall. Some of the body proportions are exaggerated in a strange way during some fight scenes, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this is one GREAT looking book.

All in all, I found this issue to be fantastic in every way, from the dialogue to the general story, to the art. Dynamite hit it out of the park with Green Hornet #1!

ISSUE 2: HAPPILY EVER AFTER

The quality established in the first issue continues in this one as we dive into the political scene of Century City and meet Mayor Scanlon, who was the D.A. during the time of the original Green Hornet, and got most of the credit for cleaning up the organized crime in the city. . .and has been riding on that reputation for the past 20 years. It's also revealed that he knows (and has known) that Britt Reid was the Hornet.

After that, Britt Sr. and Jr. share a tense lunch together where the conflict between the hard-hitting newspaper man and his drifting trust fund son is on full display. The book closes out on a fundraiser for Mayor Scanlon at the Reid estate that is crashed by. . .ninjas? And Mulan Kato makes her first appearance as she has also infiltrated the party to protect Britt Sr.

All in all, there's a LOT going on in this issue, and it's pretty wordy until the attack on the fundraiser at the end, but the dialogue is extremely readable, and the art continues to amaze me with just how great even talking head panels look.

So far, this series is above and beyond my expectations. Well done, Dynamite!

ISSUE 3: SINS OF THE FATHER

Shit hits the fan in this issue as the original Green Hornet is gunned down and killed by The Black Hornet during the assault on Reid Manor during a fundraiser for Mayor Scanlon!

Enraged by his father's death, Britt Jr. decides to take things into his own hands and start searching for The Green Hornet, who he mistakes the Black Hornet for. This leads to him meeting the original Kato during a fight in a dive bar, who takes him back to the Reid estate and shows him the secret basement holding their old gear and costumes.

I have to say that even though it's usually no bueno to see a classic hero like Green Hornet meet his end, he went out like a hero. . .standing up to fight Black Hornet even though he hadn't thrown a punch in 20 years. It was a suitably epic end for one of my favorite characters. . .and a lot better than Dynamite did with Zorro, who basically got shot while trying to swordfight and got dumped in a mass burn pit. But THAT'S another story (okay, it STILL stings a little to see Zorro go down like a chump).

The writing and art remain superb in every way on this series. In my opinion, this has got to be one of the best sets of introductory issues I've ever seen.

ISSUE 4: A HORNET'S NEST

The story keeps getting better as Kato reveals to Britt Jr. that his father was Green Hornet, and Britt tells him to sit and spin if Kato expects him to take his father's place.

Kato packs up all the gear in the Hornet's hideout and sends it and Britt Jr. on a jet to China to protect him while he and Mulan stay behind to discover who was behind Britt Sr.'s death and avenge him.

This all leads to a fantastic battle scene where we see Mulan in costume for the first time as Kato II totally devastating the thugs of a crime boss on the beginning of their trail of revenge.

At the end of the book, Britt has a change of heart and decides maybe some revenge might be just the thing, so he kits himself in Green Hornet gear and jumps into the battle for the first time as Green Hornet II.

Most of this issue was taken up by the battle between Mulan and various thugs, but the writing, especially at the beginning, where Britt Jr. is laughing off the idea of "Playing Batman", is still great. . .as is the art. Mulan's battle is outstanding in every way. Lau has a very kinetic art style perfectly suited for the martial arts in this book.

BUT. . .

I have some concerns. Only 4 issues in and the shipping schedule is already erratic, with this issue shipping 2 months after the last. Also. . .3 colorists on one issue. Never a good sign. This title is still firmly on the rails and speeding along nicely, but I wonder for how much longer.

ISSUE 5: CRASH COURSE

This issue is mostly a fantastic chase scene as the new Green Hornet and Kato escape from the crime lord's nightclub that Kato was assaulting when Britt jumped in. Realizing that Britt is going to get killed, she retreats and we are introduced to the new Black Beauty. . .or "Urban Assault Vehicle" as Mulan calls it.

At the end of the story, the action lets up to reveal that Hirohito Juuma is the Black Hornet, and that Mayor Scanlon was behind the attack that killed Britt Reid Sr. The intent was to manufacture a fake crime wave with a "New Hornet" behind it that he could "clean up" and gain a few more years as Mayor. It's also revealed that the TRUE puppetmaster behind them both is Oni Juuma. . .the last crime lord the original Hornet put away, and thought dead.

Although most of this issue was straight up action during the fast-paced and beautifully-illustrated chase scene, I also enjoyed the banter between Kato and Britt Jr. where she let him know who the boss was. And the dirty politics at the end were also well written.

This issue double shipped (the second during that month) and the regular art team was on board, so my concerns from last issue were gone as I enjoyed the badass scenes of Kato and Black Beauty destroying opposition as they made their escape.

ISSUE 6: WEARING O' THE GREEN

I really liked this issue. It was really lighthearted and pretty much served as the "training montage" scene if it were a movie (it's adapted from a never-used big screen Green Hornet movie by Kevin Smith, so I guess that would be accurate).

The story focuses on Mulan and Kato training Britt Jr., the introduction of "Clutch" Kato, Mulan's mechanical/tech wizard cousin, and several hilarious sequences where Britt tries and discards various Green Hornet costumes, including a beat for beat scene from the 1989 Batman movie where Britt Growls "I'm Green Hornet!" moments before tripping on his cape and falling from a roof.

I could easily see the Kevin Smith writing and humor in this issue. I'm sure it's going to hit the fan in a big dramatic way soon, but this lighter issue was the perfect touch.

CONCLUSION

Like I said above, these first issues are probably some of the best I've ever seen starting off a series. . .from the writing, to the art, to the covers, Dynamite hit it out of the park in a big way with Green Hornet.  Unfortunately, I remember what comes later. . .which makes this fantastic opening a little sad for me.  But for NOW , this is a hell of a party and highly suggested reading.

Coming Next. . .

More Green Hornet.  Issues 7 - 12.

Be there or be square!

Longbox Junk - Batman: Cacophony

BATMAN: CACOPHONY

(DC)

I'm not sure exactly when or where I got these 3 comic books.  I have no recollection of ever seeing them before I pulled them out of the depths of the "B" section of my collection.  But what caught my eye and made me want to crack the tape on the plastic was that Walt Flanagan did the artwork.

I like Kevin Smith.  Some of his movies are good. . .some are bad.  I (mostly) liked his Green Arrow and Green Hornet comic work.  But what I like MOST about Kevin Smith is his "Comic Book Men" series on AMC, where Walt Flanagan is the tight-fisted ubernerd manager of Smith's comic book store "Jay & Silent Bob's Secret Stash".  I never knew he was known as a comic book artist.

Did I like what I saw?  READ ON!

ISSUE 1

Let's start out with the best thing about this issue. . .the outstanding Adam Kubert cover! Now THERE'S some classic badass Batman. Definitely frame-worthy.

The interior art is. . .okay. It's pretty uneven, going from pretty good to pretty bad randomly throughout the issue. The Joker is heavily derivative of Jim Aparo and the artist seems to have a hard time with Batman's face and hands in general.

Storywise, it's really more of a Joker story than a Batman story. Actually, more of a villain-based story in general, with Mr. Zsasz, Maxie Zeus, Deadshot, Joker, and probably the worst-named villain ever, Onomatopoeia making up the bulk of the story here, revolving around Joker being broken out of Arkham and starting a gang war with Maxie Zeus over his turning Joker Venom into a party drug.

Overall, I found this issue to be a pretty average villain-centric Batman story with some back and forth art and above average dialogue. There was an extremely strange moment where Joker showed that he was perfectly willing to have some gay sex in exchange for money that made me go WTF? but all in all this was a decent issue.

ISSUE 2

In this issue, Batman figures out who the true villain is (Onomatopoeia. . .who had some run-ins with Green Arrow) and that Joker being released was just bait to draw Batman out. Batman turns the tables and uses the Joker to draw out Onomatopoeia.

This second issue doesn't really have much going for it. The gang war between Joker and Maxie Zeus just seems like padding, and Onomatopoeia has to be one of the lamest villains I've seen in a while. . .and in a book featuring Maxie Zeus, that's not a good thing.

The art takes a sharp downward turn in this issue as well, with some really bad panels of Batman's face in particular, as well as constantly making his torso WAY too beefy. And then there's an attempted homage to the cover of Detective #27 (with Maxie Zeus taking the place of Joker) that fails miserably due to some very strange arm/hand positioning.

All in all, I found this issue disappointing. Even the cover wasn't that great.

ISSUE 3

After a disappointing second issue, the third brings this mini to an end in a pretty good way. The art is still extremely hit or miss, and Joker's bushy hobo beard was a bit of a WTF moment, but most of this issue focused on a conversation between Batman and Joker while he recovers in the hospital from almost being killed during the battle between Batman and Onomatopoeia. . .where we got a cliche "Save the dying person or chase the villain? YOUR CHOICE, BATMAN!" end to the confrontation.

I liked the idea of Batman wanting to talk to Joker while he was somewhat sane in the hospital, loaded up with anti-psychotic drugs, and that he doesn't get a bit of resolution. Joker hates him and wants to kill him. And like I said above, Onomatopoeia escapes, leaving Batman 0 for 2 in this story. It's a nice change to see Batman at a loss when a story ends.

All in all, despite the iffy artwork, this issue closed out the series nicely.
 I won't say it was great. . .but it was pretty good.

CONCLUSION

Overall, I found Batman: Cacophony to be okay.  The main villain was weak, the art was extremely hit and miss, and there were some strange WTF character moments.  On the other hand, the dialogue was pretty sharp, it had some good insights into the Batman/Joker conflict, and the Adam Kubert cover on the first issue was almost worth the price of admission alone.

Good taken with bad, I'd suggest this. . .but be warned if you're the sensitive snowflake type: There's no "Mature Reader" warning on this, but there probably should be.  There's a few pretty crude moments in here.

Up Next. . .

One shots! I love one shots!
More randomly-pulled single issue stories from my collection:
Red Sonja, Azrael, G.I. Combat, Scarecrow, Lone Gunmen, Bruce Wayne, and Conan.

Be there or be square!