Data courtesy of the Grand Comics Database under Creative Commons license.

Issue Details

Issue #39
Published December 1994
Cover Price 2.50 USD
Pages 36
Editing Joan Weis (Managing editor), Geoff White (Editor)
Notes This issue is published in the four-color/newsprint format.

Cover Details

Characters Crimson Wasp; Mei Li
Genre Superhero; Crime
Pencils Patrick Zircher
Inks Todd S. Tuttle
Colors Patrick Williams
Notes This issue is published in the four-color/newsprint format.

20 page The Green Hornet story "Fighting Tooth And Claw"

Characters Crimson Wasp; Mei Li [The Dragon's Claw] (V); Green Hornet IV; Kato II; Kato IV [Kono Kato](I costumed identity, albeit in Kato II garb).
Synopsis Continued from last issue: As Mei Li is about to finish off the Crimson Wasp, the Green Hornet and his assistant intrude, with Kato throwing two darts into Li's claw that, much to her surprise, deactivate it. As the masked men battle the tong warriors, the two women's fight carries them away from the others. An electrical blast from the claw causes the Wasp to fall into the tiger pen, and to seeming certain death (would Mishi really sacrifice her own life rather than kill the zoo's property with her sword, as she easily did Mei Li's pet/guard-attack tiger in their original encounter?), but a pony-tailed young man garbed identically to Kato swings over the pen on a line, grabs the Wasp and pulls her to safety! The mask notwithstanding, she immediately recognizes her nephew Kono, sends him to help their kinsman and the Hornet while she goes after the villainess, assuring the other she won't underestimate that claw again. The tong warriors have their special weapons deflected toward each other and are defeated. The Wasp does indeed overcome her adversary, but the image of her father causes her to spare the other woman and release her. While the masked heroes compare notes--Kono says that he has been sent to replace his uncle behind the mask permanently, even though Hayashi hadn't told anyone about his plans to stop vigilante work on a fulltime basis once he and Diana marry--the Daughter of the Dragon collects her fallen men and departs.
Genre Superhero; Crime
Script Joan Weis
Pencils Vinton Heuck
Inks Todd S. Tuttle; Holly Sanfelippo; Andrea Albert
Colors Holly Sanfelippo
Letters Andrea Albert
Notes Special credit--""Dragon Claw' concept by Todd S. Tuttle." No Reid or Kato family member appears in civilian identity in this story; the new Kato is also identified above as Kono Kato only because this is his first ever appearance in costume. There is no hint of an explanation as to how Kato II can have any knowledge of the existence of Mei Li's claw at all, let alone a weapon designed specifically for it (compounded by the Wasp's admission to Kono that she "made the mistake of taking the unknown--her claw--at face value"; her brother is incredibly well-prepared for the thing while she is totally ignorant of it?), nor as to how the former Daughter of the Dragon quickly regains its use.

4 page The Green Hornet illustration

Characters Crimson Wasp; Mei Li
Synopsis Two-page blow-up of this issue's front cover art, with the logo greatly reduced and imprint, etc., eliminated. Opens with a page that is white and blank except for the series logo, and closes with a similar one with the publisher's logo.
Pencils Patrick Zircher
Inks Todd S. Tuttle
Colors Patrick Williams
Notes Centerspread between pages 12 & 13 of Sequence 1.
Reprinted This issue's front cover art.

2 page What NOW promo (ad from the publisher)

Characters Various
Synopsis Promotion of five NOW Comics releases.
Pencils Various
Inks Various
Notes Between pages 15 & 16 of Sequence 1. This feature appeared in most NOW releases for this month.
Reprinted Covers of five NOW Comics publications, including both covers of one comic produced in flip-book format, all completely devoid of logos or other copy.

1 page Buzz Word letters page

Synopsis Letters from Scott Phelps, Andy Lawrence, and Greg Kerrigan, with editorial responses.
Script Joan Weis
Letters Typeset

1 page Next Issue: promo (ad from the publisher)

Characters Kato II; Kato IV
Synopsis A preview of the following month's issue of this series.
Pencils Patrick Zircher
Inks Todd S. Tuttle
Letters Typeset
Reprinted Cover art for the next issue, devoid of logo, imprint, or any other copy.

1 page Spotlight On text story "Kono Kato"

Characters Kato IV
Synopsis Information about the newly added Kato character, as if provided by himself, with a humorous tone. Alongside the text is an illustration of him in his own, previously unseen (except for the reduced repro of #40's cover art in Sequence 5), costume, as well as the standard list of NOW staffers.
Letters Typeset (main text), ? (one scrawled word).
Notes This feature appeared on the last interior page of most NOW releases this month. The illustration does not appear to have been published in any other context.

1 page Inside: (backcovers) *do not use* / *please fix*

Synopsis Brief promo of this issue's contents.
Letters Typeset
Notes The UPC code box appears here rather than on the front cover.