Kato just a sidekick? Not in this adult, compelling book

It remains to be see as to whether there is a pent-up demand for the long-in-mothballs Green Hornet character.

Dynamite sure hopes that there is, as they're focusing a large chunk of the publishing plan on the Hornet.

There should, however, be demand for the Green Hornet's sidekick - "Kato Origins" is well-written and entertaining.

Written by Jai Nitz, the book's strength is that it doesn't portray Kato as a typical sidekick but, rather, more of an equal.

For example, in one scene Kato tells the Hornet to "shut up" while he is driving the Black Beauty. Can you imagine Robin driving the Batmobile doing the same to Batman? Only if you can imagine Robin spitting out his teeth in the next panel.

Nitz has Kato provide "present-day" narrative to shed light on his past and explain how he has turned out like he has. We learn, for example, that part of the reason for his fighting prowess is that he was a member of the Japanese Army - which also indicates that he is older than most sidekicks.

More intriguing than the fight scenes - well executed though they are - is Nitz's use of 1942 Chicago as the "present day."

Right on the heels of Pearl Harbor, Nitz has Kato experience anti-Asian sentiment in both his civilian and costumed identities. Anti-Japanese feelings are so strong that Kato is forced to pass himself off as Korean instead, and bristles while thinking that many of those who would judge him as one or the other likely could find neither on a map.

Having to hide who he truly is plays a large part throughout the book, as does dealing with dirty, racist cops and the mob.

Both elements collide when Kato decides to utilize his detective skills to examine the corpse of a murdered Korean shopkeeper that likely will not be investigated for a week or so, since cops take their time coming to Chinatown - yet another example of the shoddy treatment given to anybody without white skin.

Using the byproduct of injustice to ultimately serve justice is a very powerful theme here - and it leads to a shocking cliffhanger that should have readers eagerly anticipating the next issue.

This is a very stylish, adult piece of work that has the sidekick outshining the "master" - at least so far. If this keeps up, Kato may be more popular than the Hornet by the time the "Green Hornet" film hits in December.

John Romita Jr. says that the genesis of "Kick-Ass" came about when he was teamed with writer Mark Millar for a best-selling arc of Marvel's "Wolverine" comic.

"Mark and I decided we would like to try something creator-owned, which is a departure from the mainstream books in that you own it yourself outright and you basically self-publish it," he said. "So it's a gamble.

"His idea was, 'Let's try something we haven't done before. I have this small idea I want to start from.' "

"That was 'Kick-Ass,' " said Romita. "Now, like any project, it started as one idea and morphed into what it is now. But, basically, he said we have this guy and his daughter and that's what we started with. In the beginning, there was no Kick-Ass in it.

"So we started from there, and I started doing some sketches and model sheets and it morphed into the present version. I started working on it. He met Matt Vaughan. They decided they liked the project and now we've come 2 1/2 years later and we have a film."

Romita told Comics Guy it's ironic that "Kick-Ass" has its roots in a collaboration with Wolverine, since he feels that one character in the film has the potential to get that big - and it's not the title character.

"Yeah, you know what? [Wolverine's] a perfect example of what'll happen to Hit Girl," he said. "I think that that character is a breakout character, just like Wolverine is a breakout character from the X-Men. I think Hit Girl is the same type of character - let alone the actress (Chloe Grace Moretz).

"The guy that played Wolverine became a brilliant actor and a household name. I think the same thing's gonna happen to the actress and the character."

Romita can't emphasize enough how big he thinks the little pixie with the cape and purple wig is going to be.

"Interestingly enough, there's so many great actors and performers and performances in the film - yet it's the youngest character that is the breakout," he said. "If you think about it, Nicolas Cage made three characters from one character - basically, three personalities. You know? We have the doting father, the maniacal killer and the cop that wants revenge."

"Mark Strong? I can't tell you how brilliant he is," Romita added. "He's a Shakespearean actor and he plays his role well. You think about the amount of brilliant actors in this film, and yet the character that stands out is Chloe's.

"I will take this upon myself to say that Mark and I created a great character and I'm very, very proud of it."

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