Zorro comics MEGATHREAD!

[Kymaru]

Prayers: Answered / Zorro Rides Again!

The last ish of Wagner's Zorro was pretty epic if I do say so, so words don't really encapsulate how heart-wrenching it was to learn that this would be the last installment of Zorro...or at least for some time.

According to ads in the recent ship of Dynamites, my heart can now begin to mend as Wagner wraps up(still sad) his incredible take on the early days of the Zorro mythos.

Heres to the universe hearing the cries of the little guy & to dreams coming true!

[Guest]

Was this Lone Ranger/Zorro cover A ever produced?

Cause damn... I want that!


Still bugs me that Dynamite insist on ridiculously portraying Zorro without pistols. And I really hated the way he went out in that story, .....
Rant moved to it's own thread - http://www.dynamite.net/boards/showt...s-gun-pistolas

[Guest]

Why dosn't Zorro carry his gun/pistolas...?

Granted it's likely single shot black-powder pistols, but that would have been the weapon of the time.
It still bugs me that Dynamite insists on ridiculously portraying Zorro without pistols. And I really hated the way he went out in that Lone Ranger crossover , like he wouldn't update his arsenal and ignore that guns had advanced. He's not Batman who refuses to carry a gun, he uses a lethal weapons, he can use them without killing, and he'd have access to the best!

McCulley's version routinely carried a gun (the infamous "Devil's weapon"),
Fairbanks' version carried a gun,
Tyrone Powers version carried a gun.
In the ZFL serials he used dual pistols.
It's like I get he prefers to force a sword duel, he's famous for the whip and sword, he'd rather humiliate and mark them than kill, that's his thing, but it was never implied that he wouldn't ever use or carry pistols. In fact he was proficient with both! It was never one or the other, that's ridiculous.

*"The first move from any of you, seņores, means that I fire. I am expert with this you have termed the devil's weapon..." - Johnston McCulley

Robinhood is most recognized and celebrated for the bow, does that mean he shouldn't have his sword. Tarzan's popular imagery is that he swings from a vine, does that mean he can't walk!? The image of Captain Midnight is flying a plane does that mean he can't drive!
One shouldn't make the other just illogically disappear, It's like people just blankly forgot he'd carry pistols, cause the sword imagery was so powerful, but it was never at the exclusion of the other, and it kills me that Dynamite who is steeped in the gritty pulps would perpetuate this ridiculous idea.



....rant! : p



Fairbanks as per McCulley-

Powers remake -

The Dell pre-Disney straight McCulley adaptations -

The pistol is part of his established arsenal, and why wouldn't it be. He is profisiant with it, he has the speed , dexterity and skill with a gun/pistola that rivals the likes of the Lone Ranger and Phantom's famous non lethal trick shots.
It's part of what he does, and he was doing it before them, why continue to rob him of this aspect, literally deny this other tool in his belt.

[Tulku]

I don't think you will find this satisfying, but I will try because you are obviously a Zorro fan and that makes you my friend:

You are right that Zorro did carry guns in a number of incarnations, including McCulley's conception. But Zorro has always changed certain details over time. If you have ever read any of McCulley's later Zorro stories you know that he himself altered aspects of the character as he went along. The most famous example is that he started to have Diego do sleight of hand magic in response to Douglas Fairbanks' portrayal. And he originally just called him Diego Vega--the use of the name Diego de la Vega was a later version. Duncan Regehr's version was much more interested in science than his predecessors had been. Each generation makes its own Zorro.

All of which leads me to the DE version, which also added and changed details of the character. The Zorro: Year One run that DE did (I don't think it was actually called that, but that is what it essentially was) went into his training with a secret society in Spain dedicated to operating in the shadows to secure justice--and it had all sorts of interesting rules concerning honor.

So, bottom line, this Zorro does not use guns because he does not deem it honorable. Or, at least, that's how I have been viewing it.

[Tulku]

I think the right hand one was--in fact, I thought I had it but I can't find it right now. I don't recall ever seeing the left hand cover before--but, damn, I want it.

[positronic]

Two words: "Walt Disney". For better or worse.

Why, I'm not exactly sure, since Davy Crockett, the Scarecrow of Romney Marsh, and other Disney series heroes used guns. Maybe to blunt any inevitable comparisons to the Lone Ranger, who got to TV first?

[Guest]

I think Zorro should not carry a gun because he has to be seen as a symbol, a legend, something more than a man. If he shot the bad guys, even in a non lethal manner, it would detract from that. Instead he uses a sword and marks them, humiliating them and separating them from their ill gotten gains. He gives the poor and oppressed something to look up to and I am not sure that just another gunslinger could do that.

I am fine with Zorro occasionally taking a foes gun or even killing an enemy (in the heat of battle not in cold blood) but I think having him carry a gun would take something away from the character. I know he has done it before but all heroes change and evolve over time some for better some for worse.

[positronic]

Granted it's likely single shot black-powder pistols ... he has the speed, dexterity and skill with a gun/pistola that rivals the likes of the Lone Ranger and Phantom's non lethal trick shots.

A black power pistol really isn't a marksman's weapon. It's not really an aiming weapon, more of a point-and-shoot weapon, and mostly for close range. It's essentially a hand cannon. A ball instead of a cylindrical missle-shaped bullet, and no grooves on the barrel to give the projectile spin, which increases accuracy. So if you're carrying a black power pistol, get as close to your target as you can, and be prepared to kill.

I don't remember The Phantom ever mentioning a code against killing or the unwillingness to kill if necessary. Yes, I'm sure he'd avoid it if the option were available, but I'm sure over the centuries the Phantom line must have killed hundreds of pirates and criminals. Not that he hunts them down with the intention of executing them, but he's been in plenty of tight situations where he had to shoot it out.

[Guest]

Phantom does use non lethal trick shots but I think he does kill if he has to (heat of battle not cold blood). I think zorro is kind of the same way but you are right a black powder gun is not the kind of precise weapon Zorro would use. Maybe later on (like in death of zorro) he might have added something to his arsenal as the tech improved.

[torqueflite]

Zorro and guns

I wondered about this myself since the soldiers are forever shooting - and missing - with their single-shot muskets. It's not a deal-breaker but admittedly unrealistic.

As another poster has noted, Dynamite's Zorro is an amalgamation of all the popular Zorro-lore of all time. There's McCulley's creation with lots of helpings from Douglas Fairbanks and Tyrone Power, Basil Rathbone, Britt Lomond, Duncan Regehr and others. My personal favorite is the Walt Disney TV show, probably because I grew up with it. Disney substituted Sgt. Gargia for Sgt. Gonzales and I think he added a lot to the program. A case can be made for both and Dynamite has used both in different story arcs. I was not a fan of the later Regehr TV version but the scientific bent that show added was a good contribution to the mythos. Now Dynamite has made Zorro a mestizo and Bernardo is no longer merely a servant. That's keeping up with the times and the values of our society.

I think there is room for many different takes on a character. If I were writing the stories, Zorro would have a pistol in his waistband and probably another on his saddle.

[torqueflite]

Any new Zorro comics?

Is Dynamite still publishing a Zorro title or is this over? Thanks.

[positronic]

Zorro Rides Again #10 (of 12) shipped May 15. Issue #11 is expected to ship sometime in December. (This information came from the Diamond Comics website.) I hadn't realized until you asked, but that IS a long gap between issues! So yes, it is still published, although not with the frequency we'd like. No word so far on whether there will be another follow-up series after the current one concludes.

[Guest]

I am waiting for the rides again vol 2 trade. . . I was starting to worry that it is like GH Strikes and won't actually happen

Vol 1 might be my favorite Dynamite comic

[torqueflite]

Thanks. I wasn't sure if "Zorro Rides Again" was still underway. I enjoyed "Matanza" but it ended seemingly very unresolved. The publishers seem to end the story nearly everytime an arc concludes, so it's a bit frustrating. I've read every "Zorro" comic I could find all the way back to the early Dells with art by the legendary Alex Toth.

There have been some great story arcs here and the current artwork in "Rides Again" is certainly above standard. I hope Dynamite always has a "Zorro" title!

[Guest]

Not sure why December has been mentioned for Zorro Rides Again #11 but I'm lettering that one right now, so I'd imagine it will be shipping in the next 4-6 weeks. Also, as far as I'm aware, GHS #10 is definitely still on the horizon.