Dynamite Entertainment 2016
Written by Michael Uslan
Illustrated by Giovanni Timpano
Coloured by Pete Pantazis
Lettered by Troy Peteri
Unexpectedly, the Reid family is torn apart when Britt refuses to become the Lone
Ranger, instead choosing to follow his great uncle’s precepts and methodology, but as a masked man of his own making whom he will call “The Green Hornet!” Frustrated and feeling betrayed, John Reid turns to another young man… one of incredible speed and athleticism with the proven strength of character as well as body… 1936 Olympic Gold medalist, Jesse Owens… to become the new Lone Ranger!
There are so many reasons to like this story and among them are the generational gap look at symbols and people the world admires. When the Lone Ranger was in his heyday the world was a much different place than it is here. Now it’s 1938 and World War II looms on the horizon, Jesse Owens has proven that Hitler’s Master Race idea wasn’t valid and the icons of a new day haven’t yet appeared. With the Cavendish gang a Nazi gang here in America targeting scientists it’s time for a new generation to rise up to the challenge to stop those that would hurt others.
There’s a moment in this story when John goes to Jesse and tells him he want’s him to be the new Lone Ranger. That idea is met with shock and dismay, not because of what he’s asking him to become but because the idea itself of a Black Man taking up the hero mantle of someone so famous is hard to imagine, no it’s because of what that symbol meant then doesn’t fit with the world now. Jesse’s explanation couldn’t have been more eloquent an assessment of why Britt chose the path he did and that John couldn’t or wouldn’t listen but chose pride over reality says a lot about all the men involved here. That was some of the single most effective and powerful characterisation in that meeting.
Just as John and Britt are having a hard time understanding each other we get to see how their family history plays into all this. With Britt knowing so little of his father and John knowing so much about them both it’s nice to see Britt get schooled on the kind of man he couldn’t see past the word father. Also what was the last name of the Royal Canadian Mountie that was in that story I wonder….
Giovanni and Pete do some really nice work here. The fashions alone and the likeness of the President it all has this air of authenticity to it. The way the book flows through the use of page layouts, angles, perspective and backgrounds make this easy to follow and a joy to see. Plus the last page alone for one brief moment we see someone so regal and awe inspiring. The emotion that they can evoke from the reader is truly marvelous.
The birth of a new legend is here and with his first case and family legacy by his side this is like a new beginning for Britt and one that deservedly stands to take it’s place in the annals of history.