Green Hornet #2

History

The series that issue #2 belongs to grew directly out of Kevin Smith's long-dormant Green Hornet film project, which had been in development since roughly the early 2000s before Smith stepped away from directing it. Dynamite Entertainment acquired the comic rights to the Green Hornet franchise in March 2009 and, rather than commission an original story, adapted Smith's unproduced screenplay as the first ten-issue arc of the new ongoing series. Smith served as writer with veteran comics writer Phil Hester providing breakdowns and Jonathan Lau handling interior pencils and inks, while Alex Ross — credited as a cover artist across the run — redesigned the characters for the page; Dynamite engaged Ross early to give the relaunched property a distinctive visual identity. Issue #2 carried a cover date of April 2010, one month after the series debut, and was offered with four cover variants by Alex Ross, John Cassaday, Joe Benitez, and Stephen Segovia, a strategy Dynamite used across the launch to drive collector attention to the new line.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First comic book appearance of Mulan Kato (Dynamite Earth-818793 continuity), confirmed across the Green Hornet Wiki and League of Comic Geeks character databases as Green Hornet #2 (2010).
• Written by Kevin Smith, with interior art by Jonathan Lau; Phil Hester provided scripting/breakdown assistance throughout the Smith run, taking over as sole writer from issue #11 onward.
• The story adapts Smith's unproduced Green Hornet feature film screenplay, which Smith had originally developed in the early 2000s before exiting the project; Dynamite acquired the script and turned it into the series.
• Mulan Kato was created by Kevin Smith specifically for his unmade film — she had no prior existence in Green Hornet comics, radio, or television — making her first appearance here a wholly original addition to the franchise mythology.
• The issue depicts the original Green Hornet (Britt Reid Sr.) under threat from forces connected to the Black Hornet (Hirohito Juuma, a yakuza mobster whose family was shamed by Reid's past vigilante career), while Britt Reid Jr. is unknowingly drawn into the conflict.
• Four cover variants were published: Alex Ross, John Cassaday, Joe Benitez, and Stephen Segovia; a fifth ultra-rare retailer shared cover was also produced as a limited edition.
• Issue #2 is collected in Kevin Smith's Green Hornet HC Vol. 1: Sins of the Father (ISBN 978-1-60690-142-7), which collects issues #1–5 of the series.
• The ongoing series that this issue launched ran for 42 issues total (retitled Green Hornet Legacy beginning at issue #34), with Mulan Kato remaining a central character throughout and eventually starring as the Green Hornet herself in a follow-up volume.

Cast · 6 characters

Full credits

Variants (8)