Green Hornet News and More From Dynamite Entertainment!

In their recent panel discussion at Baltimore Comic-Con, Dynamite Entertainment Associate Editor Joseph Rybandt and writer Matt Wagner dropped major details and information about their upcoming projects, namely those dealing with a certain emerald insect! Already home to hit books such as Zorro, The Boys and the Project Superpowers series, Dynamite will add several new series focusing on various incarnations of the Green Hornet, all set at different eras in the history of the character, past, present and not-so-distant future. Rybandt and Wagner were well aware of the, pardon the pun, buzz surrounding the Green Hornet, now with Seth Rogan currently at work on a big-screen adaptation of the character, but they promised that their takes on the character would be versions that would give fans plenty to consider once the film actually makes its way into theaters. Starting at the beginning of the Green Hornet legend, Rybrandt announced that Wagner will be writing the series Green Hornet: Year One, a look back to the Golden Age origin of the hero. Wagner revealed a soft spot for this era of comics history, saying, "I have a real affinity for that World War II era. I inherited the nostalgia for those characters from them {family}. My dad bought Action Comcis 1 right off the shelf and I just love these kind of characters that work in the dark of night in a search for justice. The fedoras and the trench coats too!" Wagner also saw a lot of potential in tackling the Golden Age origin of Green Hornet, as he sees that era of the pulp comics as, "raw, unformed, the word quality may not have been so good yet, but it was very pure, very unique. There were no forerunners to have to work with," leaving him free to really flesh out Green Hornet's history. The near-future version of the Green Hornet, set maybe ten to fifteen years in the future, will be written by Brett Matthews, writer of The Lone Ranger. Rybandt expressed an interest in seeing those two characters interact at some point, with Green Hornet being, in fact, The Lone Ranger's great-nephew. Rybrandt said, "We're not sure if we're going to be doing something explicit that ties the two books together right away, but we do have plans for in the future bringing those two books together. Artist John Cassaday, whose work includes The Lone Ranger, will do covers for the future and Golden Age Green Hornet. Artist Alex Ross will do covers for the present series Green Hornet, which will be written by none other than Kevin Smith. Aaron Campbell will do interior art on Wagner's Green Hornet and, according to Rybandt, has the same affinity for that era of comics history that Wagner does. Talk soon turned to the work Wagner has done with Zorro, another character that he felt was very similar to both Green Hornet and The Lone Ranger. With Zorro, Wagner wanted to create a definitive feel for the book and the character, "One of my goals with Zorro was to redefine him in a certain way. I wanted to get back to having a great story each month, not a major crossover, epic story each time. I just wanted people to have a good story to read. I'm moving in story segments, starting with his origin, then introducing some romance into the storyline later." The next story arc for the series, titled "Tales of the Fox", will focus on word of Zorro spreading to one General Mercado, who will become the masked avenger's main antagonist for the next six issues. The arc will show a bit of strategy on the general's part, as he works to quell all the trouble he's causing for the Governor of California. More of Wagner's love of a hero rooting out corruption will be spelled out in this arc. Fans of Wagner's previous work should be excited for his take on both of these classic characters, who are both enjoying a renewed interest in popularity and narrative force.