The 3rd issue of The Green Hornet was a comic book published by Gold Key Comics. It was released on May 25, 1967 with an August 1967 cover date. It was the last of the three Green Hornet comic books to be published by Gold Key Comics, who had acquired the license to produce a tie-in series with the recent television show. The comic book contained two Green Hornet stories: the 21-page "The Counterplot Affair!" and the five page "Masquerade." The inside of the front and back covers respectively contained a single page black and white illustration of Van Williams as the Green Hornet and a single page feature illustrating and describing the Green Hornet's crime-fighting equipment. The issue also contained several single page filler features, none of which are related to the Green Hornet.
The cover synopsis reads: "An attempt to capture a visiting prince brings the Green Hornet and Kato into The Counterplot Affair!"
"Van Williams The Green Hornet"[]
A single page black and white close-up photograph of Van Williams in costume as the Green Hornet was printed on the inside of the front cover with a heading matching the title above.
"The Counterplot Affair!"[]
Appearances[]
Characters[]
- Olav (one-off character)
- Ali's white horse (one-off character)
- Britt Reid, the Green Hornet
- Prince Ali (one-off character)
- F.B.I.
- Kato
- Fawzia (one-off character)
- Police department (mentioned only)
- Habib (one-off character, mentioned only)
- Emir Mahmoud (one-off character)
- Frank Scanlon
- Casey Case
- Mike Axford
- Bahratta Desert Patrol (aka the Desert Legion) (one-off characters)
- Nureddin (one-off character)
- Haroun (Ali's black horse, one-off character)
Locations[]
- The City
- Bahratta Mansion (one-off location)
- Britt Reid's residence
- The Sentinel offices
- Grand Central Park (one-off location)
- Bahratta (one off country, mentioned only)
- Olav's country (name unspecified, mentioned only)
- Arabia (mentioned only)
Misc.[]
- Hornet Gun
- The Sentinel newspaper
- International Horse Show (one-off event)
- Kato's transmitter (one-off device)
- The Black Beauty
Synopsis[]
[]
As with the other lead stories in this series, the first page provides a teaser for the story: the Green Hornet is in the midst of rescuing the richest boy in the world from armed assailants, when the party is surprised by the sudden arrival of the F.B.I.
Main story[]
The Green Hornet and Kato act on a tip and scout out the Bahratta Mansion. They quickly realize something is amiss and, once inside, discover several armed criminals. They begin to incapacitate the villains when a young man with a gun suddenly and begins shooting at the criminals. In the ensuing chaos, all but two of the villains escape and the crime-fighters apprehend the young man, who turns out to be Prince Ali of Bahratta. They return the Prince to his older sister, then make their escape and police sirens ring out in the distance. After the heroes' disappearance, the prince and princess' Emir Mahmoud, orders them to their rooms. Mahmoud then secretly meets with Olav, the leader of the criminal band, and berates him for not waiting for his signal before attempting to kidnap the Prince.
At Britt Reid's apartment, he and Kato meet with their confidante, county district attorney, Frank Scanlon. Scanlon shares Mahmoud's report that the two captured criminals got away. They also discuss how Prince Ali is heir to the throne of Bahratta, a small kingdom in the Arabian Peninsula which sits upon six billion barrels-worth of oil. Britt believes this provides a clear motive for the Prince's would-be kidnappers. Scanlon states that Mahmoud has perplexingly refused police protection for his family.
The next day, Britt tells his secretary, Casey Case to pretend to work on typing up letters while she actually awaits for Kato's report. He also asks reporter Mike Axford to cover the International Horse Show which the City is hosting. When Axford protests, Britt lets on that this might lead to a major scoop, which Axford interprets as having something to do with the Green Hornet.
Kato tails Prince Ali, periodically sending updates to Casey. He eventually approaches the boy and warns him that it might be dangerous for someone of his station to be out alone. The Prince brushes off this advice, saying that he wants to visit his horses in Grand Central Park before his appearance in the horse show. Kato walks with him and they are soon accosted by Olav's gang. Kato and the Prince run to the park, but they become separated and Kato is knocked out by an attack from behind. When Kato fails to report back to Casey, she, Princess Fawzia and Britt return to Britt's apartment, hoping that Kato and the Prince are on their way there. Fawzia admits that she saw her uncle release the two criminals which the Green Hornet captured. She laments that she is at a loss of what to do. At that same moment, Mahmoud calls Olav's gang from the phone telling them to converge on Britt reid's mansion.
Meanwhile, Kato regains consciousness and is met by the Prince, who explained that he hid from the criminals in some nearby bushes. Kato tries to warn that Prince that he's still in danger, but the boy once more brushes off his concerns. With his transmitter broken, and realizing that his words will continue to fall on deaf ears, Kato return#Television series|the Black Beauty]]. The duo are pursued by some of Olav's men who were parked near Britt's apartment, however, they soon lose them by deploying an ice slick.
Prince Ali arrives at the park's arena where his horses are temporarily stabled, and his surrounded by Olav and his men. The Green Hornet and Kato arrive just in time. The Green Hornet mounts a white horse and follows the criminals and the Prince, the latter of whom is about to be thrown from his own steed. Kato follows the procession in the Black Beauty. The Prince safely switches over to Britt's horse just before the criminals begin opening fire upon them. At that moment, a hidden F.B.I team announces their presence, and the Green Hornet leaps over the park wall. The federal agents round up the criminals with the exception of Olav, who has escaped. He soon comes across the Green Hornet and Prince and holds them at gunpoint. However, he is delayed by Mahmoud, who reveals that he was the one to tip of the F.B.I., and in fact, has intentionally been working to foil Olav's plan from the beginning. Olav fires at Mahmoud, and the bullet grazes the Emir's arm. Britt knocks out Olav with a couple of well-placed punches and the villain falls on top of a newly arrived Axford. With Olav disabled, the Green Hornet rendezvous with Kato. They are pursued by an F.B.I. car, but the Black Beauty deploys a fog screen which secures the heroes' escape.
After making their way home via back alleys, the Green Hornet and Kato change back into their civilian attire and then return to the park with Casey and Scanlon for the International Horse Show. They look on as Prince Ali and Emir Mahmoud lead the Bahratta Desert Patrol in a display of horsemanship. The Prince promises his uncle that he will always behave in a way befitting of the king he will one day become.
"Masquerade"[]
Appearances[]
Characters[]
- Police department
- Kato
- Britt Reid, the Green Hornet
- Police captain
- Green Hornet imposter
- Kato imposter
- Police commissioner
- Frank Scanlon
Locations[]
- The City
- Britt Reid's residence
- Plaza Hotel
Misc.[]
Synopsis[]
The Green Hornet and Kato are accosted by the police outside of the Plaza Hotel. The Green Hornet removes his mask, revealing himself to be prominent citizen and newspaper publisher Britt Reid. The police captain lets them go and apologizes, explaining that in the department's efforts to capture the Green Hornet, he forget what was happening at the hotel that evening. As the duo make their way into the hotel, Kato asks why the police let them go. A moment later, the situation is cleared up, as the hotel proves to be hosting a lavish masquerade ball for charity. As Britt and Kato display their tickets, the doorman informs Britt that he's the fourth Green Hornet to arrive that evening.
Meanwhile, two other hotel guests, posing as the real Green Hornet and Kato, are robbing the safe of hotel's business office. Acting on a tip they'd received earlier, the real Green Hornet and Kato go upstairs to apprehend the imposters. Kato makes quick work of his doppelganger and Britt leaps from the upper floor, tackling his imposter as he races downstairs. With the criminals dispatched, and the police arriving at the scene, the crime-fighters quickly make their escape.
The police apprehend and unmask two of the guests dressed as the Green Hornet, but they prove to respectively be the police commissioner and district attorney Frank Scanlon. Scanlon comments that he wanted to know what it felt like to be the Green Hornet for a night. The police captain tells his subordinates to stop apprehending the guests, reasoning that the actual culprits have been caught, and that's enough.
Back at Britt's apartment, Scanlon privately congratulates he and Kato for saving the proceeds of the masquerade ball, which amounted to nearly a hundred thousand dollars.
"The Green Hornet's Crime-Fighting Aids"[]
Appearances[]
- Hornet Pocket Watch
- Hornet Gun
- Hornet Sting
- The Black Beauty
Synopsis[]
This features provides black and white illustrations and brief descriptions of the Green Hornet's crime-fighting equipment: the Hornet Pocket Watch, which doubles as a two-way radio; the Hornet Gun which fire harmless sleeping gas; the mask which he uses to conceal his identity; the Hornet Sting which can penetrate walls of steel; and the Black Beauty, a specialized automobile which is equipped with an array of gadgets.