Green Hornet

• Title: Green Hornet #13
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Mark Waid
• Artist: Ronilson Freire

Mark Waid’s run on the Green Hornet comes to an end with the final issue of the series that goes out with more of a whimper than a bang. Last issue wrapped up the Green Hornet‘s adventure with Britt Reid and Kato contemplating retiring the costumed vigilante for good. This issue reveals the identity of the person who stole the Hornet’s costume and weapons to continue the fight and force Britt Reid to face his creation which is no longer in his control.

Hero origins often come with a cost, and although I understand Waid’s reasoning for the actions Lenore Case commits I don’t quite buy the sacrifice she makes to guilt Britt Reid into continuing his costumed adventures (or that Reid would need such convincing in the first place). And with Reid still separated from The Sentinel the comic also leaves a dangling thread of the story undone as there is no room her for the newspaper man to reclaim what he’s lost over the thirteen-issue series. Hit-and-Miss.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

• Title: Green Hornet #12
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Mark Waid
• Artist: Ronilson Freire

Despite recent events and the heavy guilt carried by Britt Reid, the Green Hornet and Kato manage to put the final pieces of the hero’s plan into action and deal a massive blow to crime in the city. Choosing to fake the Hornet’s death as well, Reid is prepared to close the chapter on the vigilante masquerading as a crime boss forever, but things don’t quite work out as planned.

Wrapping up quite a bit, including making sure Lieutenant Dugan goes down for the murder of his wife, while forcing the Hornet to continue to deal with the guilt surrounding his unintentional role in the murder of Fulton’s daughter, writer Mark Waid still leaves the final fate of both Britt Reid and the Green Hornet to be decided heading into next month’s final issue of the series. Someone has obviously discovered the Hornet’s true identity but we’ll have to wait a month to discover who is responsible for stealing the costumes of Green Hornet and Kato and what exactly they have in mind for the newspaperman turned vigilante. Worth a look.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

• Title: Green Hornet #11
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Mark Waid
• Artist: Ronilson Freire

Reunited with Kato, successfully taking down The Voice, putting down a pathetic imposter, and grabbing control as the new head of organized crime, everything is finally going according to the Green Hornet‘s plan. And that’s when things begin to fall apart because of a monster of the vigilante’s own making.

Gerald Dugan‘s life continues its downward spiral as the once-honest cop the Hornet corrupted gets further and further out of control when he decides to kidnap the daughter of Fulton and eventually murder her right in front of the Green Hornet to prove his loyalty to the city’s new crime boss.

Aside from continued dark turn of Dugan, Green Hornet #11 also offers Lenore Case to get into the action (in costume), which she enjoys a little too much for Britt Reid’s comfort. How both characters’ roles play out should be fun to watch over the series’ final two issues. Worth a look.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

• Title: Green Hornet #10
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Mark Waid
• Artist: Ronilson Freire

With the local police and Federal law enforcement, those who the Green Hornet hasn’t already paid off, bumbling around looking for the vigilante posing as a crime boss, the Green Hornet and Kato‘s attention is squarely on finding The Voice and stopping the Nazi terrorist from doing any more harm to the city.

Along with Black Beauty tracking down The Voice’s mobile broadcast and the road rage that ends with the heroes putting an end to the terrorist’s reign of terror once and for all, the issue starts rebuilding Britt Reid’s overconfidence suggesting either or both Reid and/or the Green Hornet may be in for another fall from grace in the very near future.

Callahan‘s investigation into the fake Hornet ties nicely into the storyline from Green Hornet #8 while wrapping up the storyline of The Voice (while still leaving unseen aristocrats behind his broadcasts free to cause future mischief). Worth a look.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]