THE GREEN HORNET #1

Cover shows sharp corners, strong color and gloss, and no visible creases or spine stress; edges appear clean with no chipping. There is very minor surface texture/handling wear visible under lighting but no significant defects. Interior pages and back cover were not assessed, so grade is based solely on this front cover image.

The Green Hornet #1 from NOW Comics launched a new ongoing series in 1991 that carried the pulp-and-radio-era vigilante into a next-generation storyline, introducing Britt Reid II as the mantle-bearer alongside legacy figures Dan Reid and Helen Reid. The issue is notable chiefly for its painted cover, credited to Jim Steranko, one of the medium's most studied cover artists, working here alongside penciler-inker-colorist Jeff Butler, who handled much of the interior art and shared cover duties. The book represents a minor but genuine footnote in Steranko's later-career output rather than a foundational first appearance of a major character, since Britt Reid and the Green Hornet identity predate this title by decades across radio, pulp, and earlier comics adaptations.

Market data for the issue is thin and reflects a book with modest ongoing demand: certified sales cluster at the top of the grading scale, with 9.8 and 9.6 copies fetching only in the $30-$46 range and even an 8.5 copy trading near the same level. The absence of any sales below grade 7 and the compressed, largely flat pricing across the certified population indicate a title driven by cover-artist interest and Green Hornet completism rather than broad speculative demand. Copper Age licensed-property books of this kind generally see steady but unspectacular collector activity, and this issue fits that profile closely.

Buyers for this book tend to be Steranko cover collectors building out his bibliography, Green Hornet franchise completists, and NOW Comics run collectors rather than character-first speculators. Raw copies in low and mid grades are inexpensive and plentiful, reflecting the title's original high print run and limited crossover appeal, while even top-tier CGC 9.8 examples remain accessible relative to Golden or Silver Age keys. The book trades as an affordable, cover-driven pickup rather than an investment-grade key, with pricing likely to stay stable barring a broader resurgence of interest in Steranko's later commercial work.