Send In The Clown!

The first post on this blog, on March 15th, copied an image from the comic book below. It is the first issue of Green Hornet Comics published by Harvey Comics in early 1942.

Taking the time for a longer look at the issue reveals what appears to be an attempt to build an arch-nemesis of sorts who is very reminiscent of a Batman villain created about two years earlier. Prepare yourself for...The Clown! 🤡

 

 

The story begins with an image of the front page of The Sentinel announcing that The Clown is still at large. The police finally manage to corner him in his hideout though, however. Direct from the scene, Sentinel reporter Michael Axford keeps publisher Britt Reid updated on the situation. 

The Clown is jailed but manages to escape by impersonating a particularly stupid warden. He abducts Britt Reid with the goal of getting revenge for Reid bringing heat on The Clown through articles in The Sentinel newspaper. 

Reid figures, accurately, that The Clown will direct his anger towards other Sentinel staff members as well, Axford included. As the Green Hornet, he hauls ass to the newspaper, barely arrives in time to save Lenore Case, and manages to gas The Clown into unconsciousness. 

Can he indeed?? 

There is a second Hornet story in this book, then a couple of the other features displayed on the cover. About two thirds into the book, we're provided a prequel to the story above.

That seems like a lot of attention to give to a character if you hadn't planned on using him again.

So does The Clown return, as hinted at the bottom of the last panel of the comic book story?

Of course! Merely three issues later. 

I'm not sure that he makes an appearance beyond that book, however. Judging from covers alone, the book's direction seems to move toward fighting Nazis rather than violent clowns. But it was interesting to come across an attempt to create a villainous recurring character, even if said characters was somewhat...derivative.

1989, November: "My Last Case" by Now Comics

I've managed to get my hands on digital copies of what I believe to be the entire late 80s/early 90s Green Hornet line from Now Comics. This works out to about 75 books, spanning multiple series.

This blog was built largely to help sort this kind of stuff out. It's normally quite easy to identify when the flagship series came out, but it's sometimes more challenging to determine when the various one-shots, mini-series, etc., all came about and where they fit in the big picture. 

There was some confusion here from the get go because what appeared to be the first issue of the main Green Hornet series was referred to as volume two in the credits. This is indeed the first GH book published by Now, but it was the second printing of it, with a different cover, which may have led to the odd identification.

Whatever. Now that that's settled, let's dive in right from the starting point which, based on the title, appears to also be an ending.

Writer Ron Fortier devotes the first few pages to providing a breakdown of the Reid family history, including the most famous one in the Lone Ranger. It's stated quite plainly that The Ranger serves as an inspiration for the Green Hornet. 

We're told the Hornet began his crime-fighting operations in 1936 and that this final case takes place in 1945. At the tail-end of that range, the Hornet and Kato rescue a bookkeeper from being whacked by hoods. The bookkeeper is the chief accountant for a crime boss named Tobias, and he's willing to go to the police with what he knows.

And now we've established why a supposed crime figure like the Green Hornet would work with the police. At least, we've worked out the public version. In a more private environment, the Hornet and police chief get on quite nicely, as it turns out. 

This Tobias character has problems of his own, but he aims to leave this mortal coil leaving a mark. 

While that simmers, we're told that the Green Hornet, as Britt Reid, is in a relationship with one Ruth Hopkins. As the two lovebirds attend a family event together, Kato announces to his employer that he plans on returning home.

"Home" is Japan, in this case. Depending on the social climate at the time that the duo's adventures were being broadcast/published, Kato's nationality has fluctuated. Earlier material identified him as Filipino. All that is adroitly looked after in just a few panels. 

(It may be noteworthy that this is Ikano Kato, father of Hayashi Kato, that I believe to be the primary version of the character. I stand to be corrected, however) 

But just as Reid and Kato are contemplating retirement, Tobias launches a bold attack on City Hall and...The Sentinel newspaper!

The Hornet will hardly retire while Ruth Hopkins is being threatened! So he and Kato set off to what they recognize as an obvious trap to draw out Britt Reid. They're just willing to spring it under ghe circumstances. 

The Green Hornet and Kato fight their way through the building full of thugs. Kato is injured, leaving the Hornet for the final confrontation with Tobias. 

Over the book's remaining pages, we are treated to the rest of Britt's memoirs. They, and a comprehensive timeline, serve to both let us know what happened the other characters in the preceding story and to set the stage for the modern day (1990 at the time version of the character). 

Having read a little bit out of order while trying to figure out which book came first, I believe the 1960s was a particularly big deal for the Reid and Kato families. 

This book did its job admirably as a launching pad for a Green Hornet "universe". Writer Ron Fortier put in the work to establish a coherent setting which spanned several decades and multiple generations. 

The image at the top displays the second printing cover. the original was by Jim Steranko and is displayed below. 

Now...This series carried on for an additional 13 issues, so perhaps referring to it as that Green Hornet's "last case" was premature. We'll find out soon if we're looking forward to flashbacks or new adventures of the old guard. Either way, this was a great introduction. 

Green Hornet: Year One #1

Dynamite Entertainment launched its Green Hornet line in early 2010 with a then modern-day version of the character based on an unproduced screenplay by Kevin Smith of Clerks and Mallrats fame.

The book was a very successful for the publisher, but the series that began the following month is perhaps the finest depiction of the Green Hornet and Kato in comic book form. Clunky solicitation text follows the rather awesome John Cassaday cover below.  

Writer: Matt Wagner
Penciller/Inker: Aaron Campbell
Colorist: Francesco Francavilla 

Covers: Alex Ross (25%), John Cassaday (25%), Matt Wagner (25%) and Stephen "Wolverine" Segovia (25%) 

Publication Date: APRIL, 2010

The Green Hornet expansion continues as Dynamite presents the original tales of comics most iconic hero! And Matt Wagner, one of the most creative creators in comics takes the reins, bringing the characters to their basic roots a la All-Star Superman, and Matt Wagner is the man to do it! Rooted in the pulp tradition, the original tales of Britt Reid, and Kato being here!

Joining Wagner is artist Aaron "Sherlock Holmes" Campbell, whose stunning recreation of the industrial world of 30s Chicago is sure to wow fans across the globe! Plus, covers by Wagner, Ross, Cassaday and Segovia!

And here are the covers in question!

Alex Ross

Stephen Segovia

Matt Wagner

I have no idea if Matt Wagner was a huge fan of the character, or if he just dove into past material to put this series together (I suspect the truth is somewhere in the middle), but he touched on the majority of the features that make the Green Hornet and Kato entertaining right from the first issue.

The book begins with two scenes taking place in 1921, one featuring a young Britt Reid in Chicago contemplating a particularly intimidating insect in his newspaper publisher father's office...

...while the other displays a young man completing his Samurai training, though questioning his father as to when he will be worthy of learning the "shadow ways". 

We see additional key moments in their lives set in 1926, 1931, and 1934, which will lead to their eventual meeting and guide their moral compasses, all interspersed with an adventure in 1938, the book's "current day" setting. 

In 1938 Chicago, an organized crime boss named Vinnie Caruso is attempting to "influence" union workers when the Green Hornet and Kato step in. 

Despite the save, the would-be victims run away in fear, to the surprise of the Green Hornet.

And so the pretense that the Green Hornet is a member of the criminal element is born. 

This was the first of 12 issues and I look forward to continuing to revisit this series. If pushed to recommend one book to someone for the purpose of turning them into a fan, it would be this one. 

2022, June 23rd: " ‘Invisible Man’ Director Leigh Whannell Eyeing ‘Green Hornet And Kato’ Pic At Universal "

Almost three years ago now, Deadline announced that director Leigh Whannell was handed the reigns of the next Green Hornet movie, simply named (at least for now) The Green Hornet and Kato.

Despite claims that the project was going to be fast-tracked...here we are in 2025 with no great progress made. Still, it's good to see that the character continues to draw interest and attention, even after the disappointing results of the 2011 movie.  

One of the more highly sought open directing jobs may have just been filled. Sources tell Deadline that Leigh Whannell is in negotiations to direct The Green Hornet and Kato for Universal.

The studio got a Green Hornet and Kato script from David Koepp early this year they are high on, and once a deal closes the film should be fast-tracked to the pre-production stages.

Universal optioned rights to The Green Hornet from Amasia in the spring of 2020, after co-founders Michael Helfant and Bradley Gallo acquired control of the motion picture franchise from the family of the original creator George W. Trendle in a competitive bidding war that January.

Helfant, the former president of Marvel Studios, and Gallo will produce the film for Amasia.

Whannell cut his teeth as he helped build the Saw and Insidious franchises over the years learning from A-list director James Wan along the way. He would branch out on his own with the action thriller Upgrade for Blumhouse, which would ultimately lead to him landing the Invisible Man directing job that Blumhouse was producing. That pic was one of the few box office winners of 2020 right before the pandemic hit and put Whannell on the map as a director who can not only deliver the thrills on a film but keep it on a budget, something studio execs always love to see.

"Non Traditional Costumes: The Green Hornet and Kato"

Commissioned art below, by Gene Espy, posted on comicartfans by Ronald Shepherd last November. It had fewer than 90 views when I came across it, so I thought I would share it for anyone who happened to stumble into this little blog.

A Whole-Lot-of-Green Hornet

Another quick post while I continue to build the joint and test its features...The following is snipped from this MSN article  written by Jessica Jalali.

I believe I've read all but one issue of the 2010 Dynamite series. I don't recall a dollar value being attributed to the Reid family fortune, but perhaps this is the writer's own estimate.

Interesting, at any rate, and it was good to see that GH was not overlooked or passed over for another DC/Marvel character. 

Meet Our Heroes

Here's a placeholder while I properly build this site. This was the opening page to the first Harvey (Family) Comics issue of Green Hornet Comics. It was number seven in the series overall, with the first six having been published by Helnit Comics.