Comic Book Review: Green Hornet #7

Literary & Artistic Credits

Writer: Kevin Smith

Breakdowns: Phil Hester

Pencils: Jonathan Lau

Colors: Ivan Nunes

Letters: Troy Peteri

My Awe-Inspiring Opinion

It looks like there are two rich, bratty kids who needs a good spanking!  Both Brit Reid and Hirohito Juuma are both out for revenge towards the other for actions perpetrated by the father.  It’s a hectic and intense storyline where all Hell breaks loose and the only thing for us to do is wait and see who strikes first!

It’s a story that’s been told over and over as the good guy has an evil doppelganger, and both of these characters want the other’s head on a platter.  It’s all very familiar; Superman’s evil counterpart, Green Hulk vs. Red Hulk, the JLA going head to head against the Crime Syndicate, the yellow and red kings of speed always running circles around the other, it’s hard not to find a superhero that doesn’t undergo the good and bad version of the same persona.  So the questions remains, can Kevin Smith make this utterly repetitive and overused plot device seem different and unique in comparison to all the other titles? 

Well…not so much…but that doesn’t mean it isn’t entertaining to read.

It’s always fun have the main character, the hero of the story, be put in his place by someone he views as his lesser half.  Both Kato senior and junior provide some wonderful humor when ripping into the new Green Hornet, even when Brit seems to be on top of his game. 

What makes this issue so entertaining is the artistic interpretation of Smith’s storyline.  Apart from the very out-of-proportion triumphant stance of Brit Reid on the second page, there’s so much going on visually that popped out for me so much that I can’t help but read page after page in complete awe.  How artistically intelligent it was to leave certain panels in the sketched out look with no application of color, giving the affect of intensity and tension so much more power and control over the emotional impact of the story.  Likewise, the Nunes shows how much the angelic white light can be used in a dark and manipulative sense as Brit blackmails Mr. Tiggiot with his militaristic ventures.

It’s obvious that Smith is trying to push Brit Reid forward into that intimidating stature.  The opening scene shows a very terrified and stunned group of criminals, and I was almost sold on the whole fear factor thing…that is until Reid let’s out a mood killing roar, letting everyone know he had beaten the bad guys and was ready to take on the entire mob, by saying…

“Kung-Fu Bitches!” 

Yeah, that was enough for me to conclude that this new superhero is really going to get under my nerves with his idiotic one liners and victorious verbal jargon.  It’s fun the first few times, but this could get really old, really fast!

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

This issue was so much better than I thought.  Being someone who likes originality over rehashed plot lines, my expectations for this series are always lower than what actually comes out.  Take time out of your busy schedules to start reading this series if you haven’t.  Go back to issue one and work your way up to number seven, it will be well worth it.

Rating: 9.33 out of 10

Writing: 9

Art: 10

Themes: 9