The Green Hornet #5 [Direct]

(January 1992)

To Pardon Blood (Table of Contents: 1)

Green Hornet / comic story / 24 pages (report information)

Script

Chuck Dixon; Diane Piron

Pencils

Tod Smith

Inks

David Mowry

Colors

Patrick Williams; Joe Allen

Letters

Patrick Williams; Joe Allen

Genre

crime; superhero

Characters

Paul Reid [Green Hornet IV]; Britt Reid II; Hayashi Kato [Kato II]; D.A. Diana Reid; Mishi Kato

Synopsis

It's time for The City to elect a mayor again, and like last time (see Green Hornet: Solitary Sentinel miniseries) the front runner is a dubious choice: Michael Valdez, in his teens a gang member and convicted murderer, a "model inmate" in the interim. The Hornet team hold no doubts that he secretly maintains his criminal ties. A little rousting of street sources gives the Green Hornet just enough information for a late night talk with Valdez to convince the candidate to deal, specifically to withdraw from the race in return for the Hornet not exposing his true activities. The next day, at a rally where Paul and Hayashi watch and expect Valdez to announce his "decision," there is an unsuccessful assassination attempt on him, by...the Green Hornet! Valdez's trick is trouble enough for the genuine Verdant Vigilante, but that night somebody kills Valdez for real, and the Hornet is the obvious suspect. Diana informs Paul that the detective running the investigation is Mack Kirby, who years ago saw his then-partner killed in a shootout with Valdez's gang, but the situation was so chaotic that no one could be charged with his murder. It doesn't take the Hornet long to inveigle Kirby into admitting he took advantage of the "assassination attempt" to execute his idea of justice, with the district attorney listening in. Meanwhile, Mishi Kato, recovering from her wounds, decides that despite having disposed of personal enemy Johnny Dollar, the Crimson Wasp still has work to do.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 2)

Buzz Word / letters page / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Joan Weis (main text); Chuck Dixon (dialogue balloon in reprinted panel with Green Hornet IV)

Pencils

Tod Smith (reprinted panels); Michael Davis (cover repro)

Inks

David Mowry (reprinted panels); Michael Davis (cover repro)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

Characters

Green Hornet IV; Kato II; Mishi Kato [Crimson Wasp]

Synopsis

Letters from Hans C. Hush, Melissa Page, Bernard P. Dunne and Richard Gallaway, with editorial responses; a preview of the next issue; an announcement of a scheduled personal appearance of Van Williams, TV's Green Hornet.

Indexer Notes

Included in black and white: from this issue's Sequence 1, panel 3, page 23, an extreme close-up of Hornet IV; a detail of Kato II from the cover of this series' #2; this issue's Sequence 1, panel 2, page 24, of Mishi, cropped and enlarged; the Black Beauty from panel 3, page 13 of #3's Sequence 1; a detail of Crimson Wasp from panel 5, page 20 of #3's Sequence 1, enlarged; in color: a reduced repro of the following issue's cover.

Along with the above described panels, also reprinted is non-comic material: two color photos of a 1960s TV Black Beauty and joint caption from Dupont Registry of Cars, October 1990 issue; the announcement box has a yellow background and the main text has a green background.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 3) (Expand) /

Now Newsflash!! / in-house column / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 4) (Expand) /

NOW Better Than Ever! / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)