For me, both these characters are the kind that I reluctantly admit work best as period pieces. As much as I go against the tide and appreciate what Seth Rogen tried to do in updating The Green Hornet, that particular kind of vigilante should stay somewhere between the 1930s and 1960s, with 1966 being the best because of the truly great Bruce Lee as Kato. (Van Williams was cool, too, but… Bruce Lee.)
The Spirit works the same way, and Dynamite Entertainment’s approach to these licensed characters makes sense — try breaking them out of their time, sure, but also make sure the classic versions are still getting stories told. Would you make The Lone Ranger a modern-day McCloud? And have I just lost you with two characters that don’t fit in 2017? Anyway, as Fred Van Lente just gave me great reading pleasure with last week’s Immortal Brothers one-shot from Valiant, I’m happy to read what’s next.
From Dynamite:
Dynamite Entertainment is proud to announce that classic television’s incarnation of The Green Hornet is set to make his return with an unexpected new partner in the pulp character’s latest cross-over miniseries, The Green Hornet ’66 Meets The Spirit, featuring revered comic writer/artist Will Eisner’s famous two-fisted crimefighter. Written by Fred Van Lente (Archer & Armstrong, Cowboys and Aliens), with art by Bob Q (Kings Quest), The Green Hornet ’66 Meets The Spirit #1 arrives in stores this July!
The Green Hornet is back and on the case! With his aide Kato and their rolling arsenal, The Black Beauty, by his side, The Green Hornet is ready to face the toughest of challenges! On police records a wanted criminal, The Green Hornet is secretly Britt Reid, owner/publisher of The Daily Sentinel. Reid and Kato have traveled to Central City to participate in the futuristic World’s Fair, and to get the skinny on the new and potentially dangerous “Newspaper of Tomorrow”, a device capable of predicting headlines before events happen.
Writer Fred Van Lente says, “I’m very excited to link these two iconic characters. The Spirit has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid, and the opportunity to pair Will Eisner’s legendary creation with a character that has an actual year in its name allowed me to age The Spirit cast fourteen years forward. In our world, the Spirit hasn’t been seen since 1952 (the year the strip ended) but suddenly this new guy has appeared in the mask and hat — one who will look pretty familiar to longtime fans. Who is this guy, and why has he returned? This is the mystery Green Hornet and Kato must solve.”
Fred Van Lente is the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning writer of comics like Dynamite’s The Mocking Dead and Magnus: Robot Fighter, Archer & Armstrong (Harvey Award nominee, Best Series), Action Philosophers! (American Library Association Best Graphic Novel for Teens), and Cowboys & Aliens (with Andrew Foley), the basis for the feature film.
Artist Bob Q says, “I’m incredibly excited to be working with Fred Van Lente who has written a script that’s fun all the way through. Artistically, my plan is to capture that spirit as best I can with a series of ham-handed pencil and brush strokes. What I’m really striving for, though, is to shake up masked-vigilante fashion. It’s time to trade in spandex onesies, capes, and pouched belts and get back to some nicely tailored suits and fedoras. If you’re going to fight crime, do it with some class.”
“The Green Hornet and Will Eisner’s The Spirit have been incredibly successful properties for us, thanks to these characters’ dedicated and eternal fan base,” says Nick Barrucci, Dynamite CEO and Publisher. “We’re thrilled that after many decades in print, the characters are still able to resonate with fans – both old and new – across the globe, and now courtesy of a titanic team-up of their trademark trench coats!”
The debut issue of The Green Hornet ’66 Meets the Spirit features a wide selection of cover variants, providing fans and retailers with the freedom of choice! The cover artwork features the talents of the award-winning husband and wife team, Mike and Laura Allred (Batman ’66, X-Force, iZombie), Ty Templeton (Batman 66, The Simpsons) and Javier Pulido (The Amazing Spiderman, Robin: Year One), respectively. Limited variant editions in “Black & White” and “Virgin Art” formats are also available as retailer incentives for comic shops that support the launch issue by achieving stocking thresholds.
The Green Hornet ’66 Meets the Spirit #1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ May 2017 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in July. Comic book fans are encouraged to reserve copies with their local comic book retailers. The Green Hornet ’66 Meets the Spirit #1 will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Dynamite Digital, iVerse, and Dark Horse Digital.
In addition to running Fanboy Planet, Derek has written for ActionAce, Daily Radar, Once Upon A Dime, and The Wave. He has contributed stories to Arcana Comics (The Greatest American Hero) and Monsterverse Comics (Bela Lugosi's Tales from the Grave). He has performed with ComedySportz and Silicon Valley Shakespeare, though relocated to Hollywood to... work in an office? If you ever played Eric's Ultimate Solitaire on the Macintosh, it was Derek's voice as The Weasel that urged you to play longer. You can buy his book "I Was Flesh Gordon" on the Amazon link at the right. Email him at [email protected].
