Green Hornet #21
Written by Ande Parks
Pencils by Ronan Cliquet
Colors by Ivan Nunes
Letters by Marshall Dillion
Covers by Phil Hester, Jonathan Lau, and Brian Denham
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: January 18, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

While reading The Green Hornet #21, I just couldn’t help but think “this is a great, old fashioned, mystery man comic.” Month in and month out, this title delivers on that level and I don’t see it stopping anytime soon.

Ande Parks hasn’t been writing Green Hornet all that long, but he’s really taken to his new job very quickly. I’m most impressed with his use of the reader’s intelligence. A lot of his issues are “one & done” stories that reference past issues WITHOUT the use of footnotes! Can you believe that? A writer that actually believes today’s comic fan has an attention span that goes back more than a month!! Well, on behalf of comic fans, THANK YOU, ANDE!!!

As for this issue in particular, it’s a great story about Britt and his childhood friend, Charlie, and what different paths there lives take. Granted, you knew the other kid wasn’t going to grow up to be the Green Hornet, but it’s a story that every reader can relate to, no matter what side of the fence they’re on.

Brazilian artist Ronan Cliquet fits in very well with the world of The Green Hornet. His style here is almost a cross between Jonathan Lau’s early issues of Green Hornet and Alan Davis, yet the whole thing is completely his own. His storytelling is great, there’s lots of detail put into each page. The art is very nice, I hope he sticks around awhile.

A very entertaining issue! It’s everything you’d want in a comic — action, superheroes with cool gadgets, just a great read in general. It’s nice that Dynamite is not just limiting this title to stories that fit into Kevin Smith’s screenplay. They’re really letting Parks and company explore the world and character of The Green Hornet, and I get the feeling the creative team is enjoying it just as much as the readers are.