GREEN HORNET VOL. 3 #5, available from Dynamite Comics on January 13, 2021, concludes the current arc with Green Hornet, Kato and an alien baby escaping the clutches of the US Military with some unexpected help. Scott Lobdell’s story ties up most of the plot threads to bring the arc to a happily-ever-after ending that works best if you’re in the mood for some popcorn entertainment.
Was It Good?
Well, it completes the arc. Lobdell’s story reads more like an over-simplified adventure book you’d find in a Scholastic catalog for grade schoolers. That’s not a bad thing, but the ending lacks the dramatic punch you’d expect to find in a TEEN+ book.
For me, it wasn’t great or terrible. It’s bland and probably something I won’t come back to or remember in a few months.
Short Story Long
The issue picks up with the cliffhanger from issue #4 where Green Hornet, Kato and the alien baby are surrounded in an old barn by the encroaching military. With some “never retreat, never surrender” banter between our two heroes, they decide to charge through the barn doors and go down fighting.
Anthony Marques and J. Bone have an opportunity in the next scene to go with an epically large splash page to show exactly how outgunned the heroes really are, and they take it. One of the oddities of this arc is the children’s book style of the art, but here, the artists make great use of perspective and detail to make the threat feel massive.
The heroes are given an ultimatum by the military commander to surrender or face the consequences. Where the art worked well on the previous scene, the design choice for the commander is a bit bizarre. She’s drawn as a short, rotund, middle-aged woman wearing cat-eye glasses and long, manicured nails. It looks and feels like a large military force is commanded by the local school librarian. The conflicting designs stand out, but I’m not sure it makes a whole lot of sense.
Of course, the heroes refuse and the commander gives orders to fire. Now, we get a sense of a the alien baby’s power as it stops all incoming ammo in mid-air like a scene out of the Matrix. The commander orders a chopper to fire missiles but this time the ammo is stopped by… an adult alien arriving on the scene looking very much like DC Comics’ Blackfire.
I don’t know where the adult alien came from or how she was able to find the heroes, but her saving help is welcome. The alien doesn’t speak English, but Green Hornet quickly concludes the baby is her child. Mother and child are reunited and fly away.
With no alien baby to fight over, our heroes and the military commander call a truce (sort of) and agree to go their separate ways.
Where did the aliens go? I don’t know and it probably doesn’t matter. How will the military explain a full army attacking two civilians in a barn? I don’t know and it probably doesn’t matter. How will they keep all those soldiers quiet about encountering an alien superhero? I don’t know and it probably doesn’t matter.
Final Thoughts
GREEN HORNET VOL. 3 #5, available from Dynamite Comics on January 13, 2021, completes the current arc with a simple conclusion that’s probably best geared for younger readers. The storybook art has some oddities that may appeal to you if you like eclectic design choices, but this is not a must-have for traditional Green Hornet fans.