The Green Hornet #2
The Green Hornet #2 (Now Comics, December 1989) is the first comic book appearance of Hayashi Kato — the character based directly on Bruce Lee's portrayal in the 1966 television series — under that full, formal name, as well as the debut of Paul Reid (the series' central modern-era Green Hornet) in his civilian identity. By using a flashback structure titled 'Generation Two!', writer Ron Fortier advances the series' defining premise: every version of the Green Hornet and Kato, from the 1930s radio original onward, belongs to a single unbroken family legacy rather than a string of reboots. The issue also includes Ron Fortier's Reid and Kato Family Tree feature, the series' in-universe genealogical chart that formally stitched decades of radio, film serial, and television history into one shared continuity for the first time in the franchise's comics run.
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Now Comics acquired the Green Hornet license in 1989 and launched the series with writer Ron Fortier and penciller Jeff Butler — with inks by David Mowry and painted colors by Suzanne Dechnick — as its core creative team. Issue #1 carried a celebrated painted cover by Jim Steranko; issue #2 transitioned to a painted cover by Dave Dorman, reflecting the anthology of top-tier cover talent Now deployed across the opening arc. Fortier's editorial mandate was unusually ambitious for a licensed property: rather than simply modernizing the character, he constructed a multigenerational saga that treated the radio-era Green Hornet, the 1960s television Green Hornet (Britt Reid II), and the new contemporary hero as successive chapters of the same family story.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First comic book appearance of Hayashi Kato (also known as Kato II): the character given the full name 'Hayashi Kato' for the first time in any medium, honoring Raymond Hayashi, the first actor to play Kato on radio.
- First appearance of Paul Reid in his civilian identity; Paul is the concert pianist nephew of Britt Reid II who eventually becomes the primary modern-era Green Hornet beginning in issue #6.
- The main story, titled 'Generation Two!', is written by Ron Fortier with pencils by Jeff Butler (pages 1–14) and inks by David Mowry; the cover is a painted work by Dave Dorman.
- The issue is set on November 5, 1989, and uses a nested-flashback structure — an unidentified new Green Hornet (Paul Reid) examining mementos that trigger a 1979 flashback showing Britt Reid II and Hayashi Kato operating as the Hornet and his partner.
- Includes the 'Reid Family Tree / Kato Family Tree' feature by Ron Fortier, the series' formal genealogical chart establishing the multigenerational continuity that connects the radio, film serial, and television eras into one narrative universe.
- The Now Comics continuity established Hayashi Kato as the son of Ikano Kato (the radio-era Kato) — making the TV/Bruce Lee version of the character a second-generation legacy hero, a framing that later publishers including Dynamite Entertainment carried forward.
- Cover date: December 1989. Part of Now Comics Vol. 1, which ran 14 issues (1989–1990) before continuing in a second volume of 40 issues (1991–1995).
- The series was the most extensive Green Hornet comic book run the franchise had seen, following a two-decade absence from comics after the Gold Key series ended in 1967.
Cast · 6 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
November 5, 1989: A fancy car (the third Black Beauty) sits outside the smouldering ruins of the Reid country estate. Inside, a man wearing the costume of Green Hornet III examines an old Daily Sentinel edition ("September 20, 1968"), "The Journal of Britt Reid" and a scrapbook. Photos and clippings in the last inspire thoughts of the past. October 1, 1979 (another Sentinel front page): From the basement garage of Reid Tower, Britt Reid II and Hayashi Kato enter the night as the Green Hornet and his chauffeur/bodyguard/enforcer. They intrude upon an arms deal held undercover at a dairy, hearing the name Garrick dropped in conversation as they approach. Predictable resistance to "cutting in" the Hornet gives the masked men their excuse to shut it down. As they head back home, Britt remembers how this entire lifestyle began for him. January 28, 1968: Britt II holds Britt I's Hornet mask up to his face as he had May 14, 1955 (see issue #1, Sequence 2), but now he is quite opposed to the idea of following in his uncle's footsteps. Nevertheless the older man sends for his former partner Ikano Kato's oldest son Hayashi, ostensibly for him to continue his engineering studies in American schools. As Hay keeps up with his classwork (Feb. 5), he also works with Britt I on two special projects, an unusual car ("the new Black Beauty") (March 16) and an equally unusual garage in which to hide it (April 6). All the while, young Britt insists he will never become the Green Hornet, until on June 10, 1968, his former college roommate and now Presidential candidate Senator Steve Carlson is assassinated right in front of the young Reid. He races home, informs his uncle and Hayashi that he has changed his mind and tries on a new Hornet mask before their eyes. To be continued....
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).