REVIEW: “Green Hornet” #1

(Dynamite Entertainment, 2013)

Review by Jared Butler

WRITER:  Mark Waid
ARTWORK:  Daniel Indro
COLOR ARTWORK:  Marcio Menyz

Green Hornet #1 takes us back in time to 1940s Chicago, a city overrun with organized crime lords and corrupted officials that is about to get the hero it so desperately needs. Inspired by his Great-Uncle (a masked hero of the wild west) and funded by a substantial inheritance, Britt Reid has taken on the quest to clean up the Windy City. Heading the notorious Daily Sentinel newspaper by day, Britt Reid wields the power of public operation to take down his enemies at the political level. By night, as The Green Hornet, he takes a more physical approach to crime fighting – armed with high tech weapons,  his trusty sidekick Kato, and an awesome super-car.

In order to go undercover into Chicago’s black market, Britt Reid makes Green Hornet out as a super villain by staging criminal acts around the city and printing some derogating headlines about them in the Sentinel. The sting is a great success, but acts as a distraction to much more dangerous scheme that is afoot.

This comic is amazingly well put together. Mark Waid writing is top-notch, setting the mood and summarizing the back story flawlessly in just the first few pages. With wonderful pacing and strong characters with authentic feeling dialog for the era, this was a true pleasure to read.

The art is perfect mix of classical styles. Daniel Indro’s line work provides the Noir like shading and the bright coloring by Marcio Menyz gives this comic a more traditional look.

I started reading Green Hornet knowing very little about it, but by the last page I felt right at home. This is an amazing book, pairing great classic comics art styles and solid writing to create a most enjoyable and climatic experience.

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Follow J.G. Butler on Twitter: @Floor0272