Dynamite Entertainment 2016
Written by David Liss
Illustrated by Kewber Baal
Coloured by Adriano Augusto
Lettered by Tom Napolitano
Who is an enemy and who is an ally? It’s hard to tell, even if they aren’t wearing a mask. The Green Hornet and Kato try to save the city from the grip of Demone, but first they must figure out who is THE SWASHBUCKLER!
Okay so here’s the thing David is telling this story so well that in two issues he’s managed to completely turn around everything you thought in issue one. The events that unfold this issue take what you thought you knew and throw it out the window. I have no idea who is who or what the ultimate end game here is, well other Demone of course. That David can flip the script so utterly and completely in one single issue is not only delightfully done but keeps us all on our toes.
I do like the characterisation here it’s been phenomenally well done. We can see something is up with Britt through his recent behaviour and I can’t wait to see that explored more. Perfect examples the rooftop exchange thinking he knows better than to listen to Kato and then his dismissal of Miss Case. All of it just has this feel that there’s something larger preying on Britt and that there’s more going on with him than we can see.
The Swashbuckler is great and I do hope we’re going to be seeing more of him. Though a little more flamboyant would be nice I mean in this era it wouldn’t mean more than him being a classic Swashbuckler. Plus there’s something about it that just screams out being more flamboyant and I really want to see that. Who he is and why he’s here that is something that can be stretched out a bit. The mystery behind him well that I think is fun and with everything that went down this issue he and Demone I can’t for the big reveals.
Kewber and Adriano are doing some great work on the interiors here. The use of page layouts with their angles, perspective and even backgrounds really flesh out the story and moments really well. Facial expressions and body language heighten the characterisation throughout the issue making it really interesting. There are moments that make us think things are going differently than they are, see sleight of hand style.
I really like this story and I can’t quite put my finger on the exact reason. It’s like David is taking the cliches about organised crime in this era and amping that up adding masks and a lot of subterfuge and duplicity. Well even more so than usual considering that deceit is what the Green Hornet bases his reputation on. From the lunch meeting with the new police commissioner to what we see from the deputy commissioner and the ever elusive and enigmatic Swashbuckler all adds up to questions.
With extremely smart and surprisingly twisty writing and excellent interior artwork this creative team is making this the best Green Hornet story I’ve ever read!