THE GREEN HORNET #3

This is a pre-1977 Gold Key title so no direct/newsstand distinction applies. The cover shows notable wear: multiple vertical creases and stress lines running through the red field on the left edge, a soft/rounded top-left corner, and general surface rippling or waviness across the yellow and orange fields suggesting past moisture exposure or handling. There is a small chip/tear visible at the top edge near the spine and general edge wear along the borders. The book is protected in a plastic sleeve which adds some glare obscuring finer surface details; interior and back cover were not assessed.

The Green Hornet #3 (Gold Key, May 1967) continues the publisher's short-lived adaptation of the 1966 ABC television series, built around Van Williams as Britt Reid/the Green Hornet and Bruce Lee as his chauffeur-partner Kato. Gold Key's run is best remembered today not for any single first-appearance milestone but for its photo-composite covers, which place actual television stills of Lee and Williams over painted or illustrated backgrounds, giving the series a distinct visual identity within the licensed-comics category of the era. Interior art in the Gold Key Green Hornet books is generally credited to José Delbo, working from scripts adapting the show's crimefighting premise for a young readership.

Market data for the issue shows a fairly typical Silver Age licensed-comic curve: modest, flat pricing through the mid grades ($120–$150 across 7.0 to 8.5) that begins to climb more noticeably from 9.0 upward, with no confirmed sales recorded at 9.4 or above despite a small population existing at those grades. Demand is driven less by traditional superhero key-issue collecting and more by crossover interest from Bruce Lee memorabilia and martial-arts pop-culture collectors, a buyer pool that has kept photo-cover Gold Key Green Hornet issues resilient even as broader Silver Age licensed-TV comics have seen uneven demand.

The book suits collectors building a Green Hornet or Bruce Lee-adjacent run rather than buyers chasing a single recognized key issue. Lower and mid-grade raw copies circulate steadily and affordably, reflecting the series' comparatively high survival rate and lack of a landmark first appearance within this specific issue. High-grade certified copies are scarce enough near the top of the census that pricing above 9.2 must be inferred from trend rather than direct sales, and a true 9.8 would likely draw a strong premium from specialists rather than trade at a predictable multiple of the 9.2 price point.