The Green Hornet Gang Has A Blast Talking New Series
Apr 30, 2020
Green Hornet, Kato, the Black Beauty and a bounty of gadgets are back in this artistically unique series from Dynamite. Featuring a slimmed-down, tight-knit creative team, fans of the classic pulp hero will be amazed. Writer Scott Lobdell (Flash Forward, Uncanny X-Men) is joined by artist Anthony Marques (Red Sonja, Vampirella), who is also handling coloring to create a stylish minimalist palette of black, white and green. Letterer extraordinaire Taylor Esposito (Batman, No One Left To Fight) plays the comic book bass with his consistently on-point storytelling. And did we mention there's a baby? An alien baby?
PREVIEWSworld talked with Scott, Anthony, and Taylor about Green Hornet #1 (APR201142)!
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PREVIEWSworld: The Green Hornet has been quite a malleable character through the years, jumping across identities, time and space. This tradition goes back even before Dynamite and ultimately builds the GH legacy. When and where will readers be transported to in this new series and who are they hanging out with?
Scott Lobdell: It’s funny you say that because too often -- it seems to us -- comics have become so self-limiting. There was a time when Superman would fly into the Batcave and enlist Batman to help solve a murder on Mars, Batman would throw on his fishbowl breathing device and Superman would fly him to Mars. You "can't" tell that story anymore because killjoys and "realists" the world over would complain Batman would freeze to death as soon as he left orbit in his spandex costume and blah blah...
Anthony and I are huge proponents of fun comics. Not fun in the Deadpool/Harley Quinn joke-a-panel way, but more in that we want to take full advantage of what the medium offers a timeless character like Green Hornet. So sit back and enjoy this epic and don’t worry about where it fits in the larger tableaux!
Anthony Marques: This story is a bit of a timeless tale. With the incredible history of the character, Scott and I thought it would work best to pull different pieces of his history and bring them together in a story that will feel familiar to fans and be fresh to those being introduced to the character for the first time.
PREVIEWSworld: What makes Green Hornet & Kato such badass dudes? Can fans expect to see some sweet gadgets and martial arts?
Scott Lobdell: They are so badass because this story is kind of autobiographical -- I am like Green Hornet and Anthony is like a sedentary Kato!
But seriously -- yes, lots of gadgets and lots of martial arts! Both are going to be applied in ways we haven't (to the best of my knowledge) seen throughout the character's history. We are putting them both in places they haven't quite been in before... so they are going to have to rise to the occasion. (Aren't rising to the occasions the best hero stories?!)
Anthony Marques: What's really fun about these two characters is that they are really underdogs. The Green Hornet isn't like Batman. I always like to think of him as more of a "John McClane" type of character. An ordinary guy in extremely extraordinary situations. Especially in our story. And Kato is just the coolest. And of course, we will have some awesome gadgets. The threat in this story is unlike anything that the Green Hornet and Kato have ever gone against so we will be bringing in some extra big and fun set pieces for this one.
Taylor Esposito: As a fan of the initial concept and the series (and Bruce Lee), I want to see some antihero spy-esque stuff with gas guns and Jeet Kun Do.
Scott Lobdell: Hey, Taylor. Didn't see you there! Of course, you want to see those things -- you don't have to write and draw them! Just for that, I'm going to make every panel have a sound effect!
PREVIEWSworld: Intriguingly, this series will actually feature a unique three-color palette, with just black, white and green. Anthony and Taylor, how does this impact the way you are visually conveying the story?
Anthony Marques: I think it's lots of fun! I'm trying to play a lot with black in this to really help develop mood and the green just works beautifully with softening the pages. It's easy on the eye and just looks beautiful. I thought it would be a great way to play with the character since it's such a big part of the aesthetic.
Taylor Esposito: For me, it'll be about simplicity. I'll be going for a muted, old school mentality. No bells and whistles, just solid storytelling through lettering and a throwback to a 1960s and 70s style, where you stay out of the way of visual storytelling.
Scott Lobdell: I feel left out of this question. So I'm going to go to Office Depot today and buy green ribbon for my typewriter -- if I can find the keys to my Delorean.
PREVIEWSworld: On that similar note, are you folks pulling inspiration for this series from any other comics, artists or elsewhere in style and storytelling?
Scott Lobdell: Just the aforementioned fun. If the fans could see our Facebook messages back and forth, they’d see how Anthony and I keep pushing and prodding each other to make sure we're having a blast.
Anthony Marques: I pull inspiration from everything! I would be a horrible liar if I didn't say I find inspiration from artists like Joe Kubert – really all of the Kuberts, Bruce Timm, Darwyn Cooke, Lee Weeks (who we have on a cover!), J.Bone, Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, David Mazzucchelli, John Romita Sr and Jr, I mean the list really could go on. I need to include Batman The Animated Series, Fleischer Brothers Superman, endless movies, and like I said... that list is really endless!
Taylor Esposito: When I see pages and scripts, I see what comes to me and move from there. I try to let my gut and my eyes guide me on what to do or where to pull inspiration from.
Scott Lobdell: Taylor why are you still here? Shouldn't you be lettering issue one?!
PREVIEWSworld: The bunch of you have worked together previously, and for those not in the know, Anthony and Taylor both teach at The Kubert School. How has the collaboration been on this series so far?
Scott Lobdell: I've been at this for a while and I don't think I've ever known anyone with more enthusiasm and love for comics than Anthony Marques. In the time that I've known him, he's gone from assistant editor, to editor to comic book store owner, to owner of the Kubert School! How can you not love that resume?
When he asked if I wanted in on Green Hornet I said yes before he even got "Gre -- " out of his mouth. I just have that much fun being around him. (Hopefully, he's not reading this or he'd take advantage and get me to write the Bazooka Joe story he's been wanting to draw for years). I'm not in charge of hiring letterers... but if I was Taylor would be one of them!
Anthony Marques: Working with Scott is always great. He's extremely smart when it comes to story and he knows how to push you. I have been working with Scott since I was an assistant editor at DC Comics and he always works hard to create a compelling, action-packed, and dare I say it, FUN story! Same with Taylor. I've been working with him since my DC days, and now as an instructor at The Kubert School, and he has always been a true professional who is fantastic at his job. The common chord among all of us is that the story always comes first. It's the single most important thing in this art form and it's what we really pride ourselves on. Anyone who picks this series up is going to be in for a real treat. We're all working extra hard to bring something new and exciting to the character and I don't think anyone will be disappointed.
Taylor Esposito: It’s like putting on an old shirt that just fits. Scott, Anthony and I have worked together since the first Red Hood series over at DC, around issue 15, I believe. I think both are two of the longest-running creators I've worked with. I think we all just trust each other at this point. And Anthony the artist is the best, Anthony my boss said so! [Laughs]
Scott Lobdell: And don't show this interview to our supreme commander Nick Barrucci or he'll figure out he doesn't even have to pay us to have this much fun together!
