The Green hornet Casefiles (Moonstone, 2011)

I have yet to fully complete the first volume of Moonstone's Green Hornet anthologies, but I acquired the second one right away anyway based on the last line of its solicitation text. That is now in italics below.  

Edited by Joe Gentile and Win Scott Eckert

Written by: Joe McKinney, Jim Mullaney, John Everson, Paul D. Storrie, Eric Fein, Vito Delsante, Win Scott Eckert, Dan Wickline, Paul Kupperberg, Howard Hopkins, Bobby Nash, Arthur A. Lyon, Bradley Sinor, Matthew Baugh, F.J. Desanto, David Boop, Micheal Uslan, Joe Gentile, Tim Lasiuta, Rafael Nieves 

Cover Art:  Michael Kaluta (above) and Rubén Procopio (below)

Moonstone is proud to present The Green Hornet Casefiles, our second anthology featuring all-new, original crime fiction tales of the man who hunts the biggest of all game, public enemies that even the FBI can’t reach!

It’s the mid 1960’s, the political climate is shaky, there’s civil unrest, freedom and equality issues erupt everywhere from film to music to out in the streets.

On police records, the Green Hornet is actually a wanted criminal, a master manipulator, a crime boss who has his fingers in every pie. In reality, The Green Hornet is actually Britt Reid, owner-publisher of the Daily Sentinel.

Alongside him rides his partner Kato, who is not only is a martial artist of unsurpassed prowess, but a skilled driver, and educated engineer as well. 

Their goal is to destroy crime from within by posing as criminals themselves!

The Matthew Baugh story, the Win Scott Eckert story, and the Howard Hopkins stories are sequels to their stories in the first volume!

Ah! That's interesting! All writers using the same 1960s version of the character, but applying their own continuity.

I was about to start Howard Hopkins' story in The Green Hornet Chronicles when I read the above, so I purchased Casefiles as well and will likely read the sequel to Hopkins' story immediately after the first.

Where the two images are concerned, the top is the cover art for the softcover version of the book, while the bottom one is from the book's re-release in hardcover.

Green Hornet: Year One, #2

Let's move forward a bit with this very fine Matt Wagner / Aaron Campbell 2010 series from Dynamite. Entertainment.

I recall absolutely loving this book. I've been reluctant to go back to it for fear of being unable to prevent myself from completing it too quickly. But issue one was revisited back in March, so I think we're okay.
 

In the first issue, a group of thugs led by one "Johnny Batter" attempted to bully some union workers who were not honouring the wishes of a mob boss named "Skid" Caruso. The Green Hornet and Kato stepped in to put an end to it. 

In this issue, those same thugs need to face the music. 

Johnny explains that they were attacked by a new "mug" in a crazy green mask and his enforcer. 

This portion of the book takes place in 1938. We bounce around a fair bit in time in this particular issue, so try to keep up.

We then look back at two years earlier when Young Britt Reid was still in his educational world travels. At this point, he is in Kenya, establishing a media industry.

Not everyone is appreciative of his efforts.

Britt and his friend Adisa are forced to run for their lives. Adisa) is shot dead during the chase. 

In 1938, The Green Hornet interrupts another Caruso project, this time a shipment of guns. 

As usual, GH has backup...

In Kenya, still being chased through the jungle, Britt finds inspiration.

Britt is able to cover himself in mud, then strike the hornets' nest with a rock, to cause his pursuers to be attacked by the insects. In the ensuing confusion, he can finally escape for good. 

In 1937, we are shown portion of Kato's military career and its impact on him. He is involved with Japan's invasion of the Chinese mainland. 

I am different than when we last met, father, for I have no killed other men - an experience that changes one forever. I am even more grateful for your instruction and your wisdom 

...nothing could have prepared me for the carnage and horrors that now greet me daily. We have occupied the capital for three weeks, an event I feel certain will someday be known as... 

The book concludes in the "present", being 1938, with the Green Hornet poking the bear.

And so the Hornet continues to establish himself as a criminal businessman looking to push Caruso out of business.

Good stuff, representing, to the best of my own knowledge, the era very well, as does this brilliant alternate cover by Francesco Francavilla. 

1940 Serial, Chapter 2: The Thundering Terror

The first chapter in this series was reviewed back in April.  When I said I would review the second part a few days later, apparently I meant almost 200 of them.

When we last saw the Green Hornet, he was trapped in mine tunnels rapidly filling with water with the mining project's foreman, a man named Markheim. 

We find out at the beginning of the second episode that it wasn't that big a deal for the Hornet. He just climbed out, dragging an unconscious Markheim with him. Kato came to pick him up in the Black Beauty and the two of them rushed Markheim to the hospital.

Markheim, it would seem, did not fare so well.  

At the Sentinel offices, Britt Reid walks in on his bodyguard Michael Axford, secretary Lenore Case, and reporter Jasper Jenks chatting about the previous night's events. Jenks tells the group he found out that the miners were all insured for a hefty sum by a broker named Mortinson, with proceeds payable to the construction company. Gasp!!

The story goes into the next edition of the papers. The broker, Mortinson, starts to feel the heat. The crooks meet to strategize. 

The mysterious, unidentified voice from the radio at Mortinson's left hip directs him to grab all paperwork having to do with the insurance arrangements and hunker down at his (Mortinson's) country house.

They did not count on the redoutable Mike Axford. Axford visits Reid in his office to excitedly relate that he is convinced Mortinson is hiding out in...his own country house. When he scoped thr place out, Axford found that Mortinson's car is in the garage there and a couple of toughs posing as gardeners told Axford to beat it.

Axford wants to go in all guns blazing, but Reid talks him down until they have more evidence that Mortinson has committed a crime. Unspoken is that this evidence will be uncovered by...The Green Hornet!

That evening, Reid and Kato are seemingly having an ordinary night. They evade a couple of thugs watching their home by simply...turning off the light. The thugs assume Reid has gone to bed and assuming nothing more will happen. just...leave. 

Their observers gone, the  crime-fighting duo drive off to Mortinson's country house, where the Hornet just...walks in through an unlocked door. This is going extremely well for the pair so far. 

With Kato ready in the case a speedy getaway is needed, the Hornet catches Mortinson about to store the insurance papers in a safe. 

Busted. And looking guilty AF. 

Unbeknownst to the Green Hornet, Axford defied his boss earlier that evening and directed the police to visit Mortinson's property. Their sudden sirens give Mortinson the distraction he needs to quickly toss the documents in the safe, while the Green Hornet has little choice now but to make a break for it. 

When a policeman makes to take Mortinson in for questioning, the latter's bodyguard shoots the cop.

Outside, the Green Hornet is climbing into the Black Beauty when hears the gunshot. He starts to race back to the house, but more police arrive, complicating matters for him.

Inside the house, when the second policeman enters the office, Mortinson blames the Green Hornet for the first officer being shot.

 

The night's activities has a chain reaction. The following day, Mortinson is told bu his criminal handlers to grab his papers and leave town entirely. The Hornet, on the other hand, plans to break into Mortinson's safe with Kato's help.

Anticipating that exact course of action from the Hornet, the criminals rig the safe to explode should the Hornet tamper with it. Fiends! 

When the crime-fighters enter the house, they find the safe unlocked. Reid is suspicious of a trap, so comes up with a genius plan to trigger it.

Close call! 

The papers they were hoping to find are not in the safe, so off they go after Mortinson. 

Even though Mortinson and his fellow thug would have several minutes of head start by now, the Black Beauty catches up to them in no time. It's that awesome.

The crooks are close to running out of gas, and Mortinson thinks he see an opportunity. They hop out of the car and commandeer a passing train (as one does). 

But you don't get rid of a hornet that easily! Our hero has jumped from the Beauty and made his way to the top of the train. 

The Hornet races to the locomotive and a fight ensues. Evidently this leads to someone making a wrong turn because the train is on a collision course with another! 

Okay, the Hornet HAS to be done for! We'll find out for  certain soon in episode three, entitled "Flying Coffins"! 😨

1942, August: The Case of the Parrot

This is the first of two stories in this issue. That's a little odd in that the second story gets both additional background material as well as cover emphasis, yet is not the lead-in.

We'll come back to that one later, but for now let's find out about...the case of the parrot!

Lol...Zebra... 😄

Top Sentinel reporter is on his way home one evening when he spots a man in a red cape assaulting someone with a dart gun.

Reid, of course, is very interested in this scoop and directs Axford to pursue it.

As the reporter leaves to investigate further, Kato draws Reid's attention to someone lurking in the shadows across the street. Fearing that Axford may be targeted for his involvement in the recent assault, Reid adopts his Green Hornet persona. 

Axford does not recognize the danger. Obsessed with apprehending the Green Hornet, he interferes with the hero's attempts at capturing the dart killer.

The kerfuffle between the three men draws the police.

Kato, naturally does exactly that. From a dark alley, Kato yanks the gas gun from the cop's hand and evades capture as well.

At the Corbett house, Reid appears just in time to save Corbett's daughter from the menace of the dart killer.

The Hornet fights off the dart killer and a number of henchmen. When, again, the police arrive. the red-caped fiend grabs the parrot and leaps out of the window.

It appears like the Hornet might be cooked. The police have him cornered!

But faithful and extremely capable Kato tosses the gas he recovered to Reid through the window. Reid makes the catch. gasses the cops, and the pair beat it, taking Corbett's daughter with them. 

They are indeed hiding in that barn. Kato causes a distraction by leaping through a window, the Hornet busts through the front door, and the band of criminals is overcome. 

Time to get to the bottom of this...

"That doesn't make sense!" 😄

No, no it does not. And funny that in the end, Corbett was just as big a piece of crap as the dart killer. A thief that stole from a thief.

This was a good showcase for Kato. He spotted the man lying in wait for Axford, he recovered the gas gun, he saved Reid from being shot as they approached the barn, he caused the distraction that enabled the Hornet to bust in..He wasn't in many panels, but he had a massive impact.