There’s a been a lot of hullabaloo lately about the upcoming Green Hornet movie, directed by Michel Gondry starring Seth Rogen. This movie hasbeen a long time coming with a number of different creators attached to direct. One of those talents was Silent Bob himself, Kevin Smith!
Dynamite Entertainment’s Green Hornet comic series features Smith’s original vision for the movie with breakdowns by Phil Hester and pencils by Jonathan Lau. The story isn’t about the classic Green Hornet, Britt Reid, but his adult son, Britt Jr. Early in the series Britt Sr. is murdered and Britt Jr. discovers his father’s secret history as the Green Hornet when he meets the now elderly Kato. After receiving training from Kato, Britt Jr. teams up with Kato’s (badass/smoking hot) daughter Mulan as the new Green Hornet and Kato.
Green Hornet #9 finds Britt Jr. and Mulan tied to the giant typewriter atop the Sentinel Newspaper building after being captured by the Black Hornet in issue #8. The typewriter is actually functional and Britt Jr. and Mulan are restrained on the “L” key, waiting for it to slam against the “SENTINEL” sign. Black Hornet leaves them to die, telling them that his ultimate goal has been to hijack a new stealth plane that his company has designed the operating system for. He will then test its nuclear ordnance on Century City before selling it to the highest bidder on the black market.
After Black Hornet leaves Mulan realizes that the Black Beauty, the Green Hornet’s badass super car, has a missile on board that will seek out her remote control for the car. They activate the missile and throw the remote into the giant typewriter’s motor below them, hoping that the explosion will only disable the machine and not blow them up. The missile destroys the motor and sends the typewriter plunging to the street below. Luckily, Britt Jr. and Mulan aren’t killed by the fall. The rest of the book features Britt Jr. and Mulan in the Black Beauty being chased by Black Hornet who is piloting the stolen stealth fighter by remote. The Black Beauty is pushed to the limit while dodging missiles and trying to outrun the fighter jet, as Britt Jr. tries shooting it down with the anti-aircraft gun that comes out the back of the car.
This series had a bit of a slow start but has really picked up in a big way. It’s a really fun read that has a classic, pulp feel to it while doing a great job of modernizing the character. Smith is a master at dialogue, so it’s very funny and original. His character development is really excellent as well. There’s a part in the beginning of #9 when Mulan and Britt Jr. are waiting for the missile to hopefully free them when the normally cool, emotionless Mulan confides in Britt Jr., “Britt, I’m really scared. I don’t want to die.” It’s a tender moment where Britt sees her as a human for the first time instead of just a badass, murder machine. Hester and Lau also capture the action of this series really well. The art really flows well.
Do yourself a favor, do whatever you can to catch up to this series because the next issue is the last! There’s already a tpb out for issues 1-5 and a second volume with #’s 6-10 will be out soon. Thanks for the great ride, Mr. Smith! I would have loved to see this on the big screen!
Ian Candish
Ian@ComicImpact.com