Mark Waid’s a pretty in-demand guy right now.  He pulled an Eisner for his work on Daredevil over at Marvel.  He’s also relaunching Hulk for Marvel.  He’s doing his own work with Insufferable over at his Thrillbent website.  He’s working on Steed and Mrs. Peel for Boom!.  Oh, and now he’s going to be writing Green Hornet for Dynamite.  That’s what you might call spreading it around.

Waid’s going to be writing something concerning “the dark years of the Hornet’s later career and the one mistake he makes that nearly costs him everything.”  Which is to say, he’s writing the original radio version of the character and suggests a late 1940s or early 1950s setting, as the radio show ran from 1936 to 1950, with a short return to the air in 1952.

Ever the comics historian, Waid seems like a natural fit to write one of the earliest masked heroes in American popular culture.

If you were reading Waid’s Daredevil (and you should be – there’s a reason it’s been winning awards), you may recall Paolo Rivera as one of the primary artists.  Rivera, who left Marvel to do creator-owned work, will be providing covers for the comic.  So Dynamite was able to lure the Daredevil team… after a fashion.

Dynamite is going to be making quite a few announcements leading into the New York Comic Con, and this is just the first… today.

Official PR and some graphics follow:

MARK WAID TO WRITE GREEN HORNET IN 2013!

WAID’S EISNER AND HARVEY AWARD WINNING DAREDEVIL ARTIST-PAOLO RIVERA- TO DRAW COVERS FOR THE SERIES!

October 8th, 2012, Mt. Laurel, NJ – Dynamite is proud to announce multiple Eisner and Harvey Award winning writer Mark Waid, will be relaunching the Green Hornet in 2013.  Mark Waid is one of the premier writers in the comics industry, known for his critically acclaimed as well as commercial successful books including Kingdom Come, The Flash, Captain America, Daredevil, and Fantastic Four as well as the upcoming The Indestructible Hulk.  Green Hornet will also feature covers by Mark Waid’s Eisner and Harvey Award winning Daredevil artist, Paolo Rivera!  Look for Green Hornet and Kato in 2013, from Dynamite Entertainment!

“It should come as little surprise that I have an affinity for all costumed crimefighters no matter if their adventures are ‘period pieces’ or not–heroism is heroism regardless of whatever year’s on the calendar,” says writer Mark Waid.  “With this Green Hornet project, which I’ve been percolating on for more than ten years, I’m able to meld my love of the Hornet’s legacy with a little bit of Citizen Kane and a lot of Lawrence of Arabia to tell a story never before told–the dark years of the Hornet’s later career and the one mistake he makes that nearly costs him everything.”

“I wasn’t very familiar with The Green Hornet growing up, but I always thought he looked sleek and stylish – I guess I had a soft spot for old-school heroes,” says cover artist Paolo Rivera. “I later discovered that he was designed by H. J. Ward, my favorite painter of all time. The more I learned about Ward, the more I learned about Britt Reid and Kato, including Reid’s familial ties to The Lone Ranger. I can’t wait to render my interpretation of the green team. That, and I miss Mark Waid.”

“Sometimes in life, things happen for a reason.  We’ve wanted to work with Mark nearly since Dynamite’s inception. We first approached him about writing a Red Sonja mini-series, but Mark wasn’t familiar with the character and passed.  Over the years we’ve approached Mark about various projects, but his schedule did not allow.  We’ve always wanted a strong writer to write the original Green Hornet, as Matt Wagner has done a fantastic job on Green Hornet: Year One.  And since Green Hornet: Year One, we hadn’t found the right writer for a new series.  When Mark’s schedule allowed for us to finally work together, I asked which character(s) he would like to write.  Right off the bat, he said the Green Hornet.  I said “Yes!”.  It was perfect for everyone.  It took awhile, and I’m proud to say we’re working with Mark Waid on a Green Hornet series, and it is worth the wait.  Sometimes in life, things happen for a reason.” – Nick Barrucci, Dynamite Entertainment President

3 COMMENTS

  1. Lessee:
    Marvel
    DC (including Impact!
    Fantagraphics
    Boom
    Dynamite
    Archie
    Image
    CrossGen
    Black Bull
    Gorilla Comics
    Gamecock Media Group
    Independent Comics Group
    Acclaim
    Event Comics (including a 1/2 issue with Wizard)
    IDW
    Amalgam (DC/Marvel, at the same time!)
    Devil’s Due
    Dark Horse

    Any I missed? (I ignored forewords and introductions.)

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