The Green Hornet #5
In "To Pardon Blood," the Green Hornet faces a moral maze as the city prepares to elect a new mayor, with Michael Valdez—a former gang member and convicted murderer—now a surprisingly clean-cut candidate. When a staged assassination attempt on Valdez backfires and he’s later murdered, the Green Hornet becomes the prime suspect, forcing a tense confrontation with Mack Kirby, a detective haunted by a past he’s long kept buried. Written by Chuck Dixon and Diane Piron, with art by Tod Smith and inks by David Mowry, this 1992 issue delivers a sharp, character-driven thriller where justice and vengeance blur. Cover by Tod Smith and David Mowry.
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It's time for The City to elect a mayor again, and like last time (see Green Hornet: Solitary Sentinel miniseries) the front runner is a dubious choice: Michael Valdez, in his teens a gang member and convicted murderer, a "model inmate" in the interim. The Hornet team hold no doubts that he secretly maintains his criminal ties. A little rousting of street sources gives the Green Hornet just enough information for a late night talk with Valdez to convince the candidate to deal, specifically to withdraw from the race in return for the Hornet not exposing his true activities. The next day, at a rally where Paul and Hayashi watch and expect Valdez to announce his "decision," there is an unsuccessful assassination attempt on him, by...the Green Hornet! Valdez's trick is trouble enough for the genuine Verdant Vigilante, but that night somebody kills Valdez for real, and the Hornet is the obvious suspect. Diana informs Paul that the detective running the investigation is Mack Kirby, who years ago saw his then-partner killed in a shootout with Valdez's gang, but the situation was so chaotic that no one could be charged with his murder. It doesn't take the Hornet long to inveigle Kirby into admitting he took advantage of the "assassination attempt" to execute his idea of justice, with the district attorney listening in. Meanwhile, Mishi Kato, recovering from her wounds, decides that despite having disposed of personal enemy Johnny Dollar, the Crimson Wasp still has work to do.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).