As Brett Matthews and Sergio Cariello did for The Lone Ranger this time Dynamite Entertainment taps Grendel creator Matt Wagner and artist Francisco Francavilla to retell the classic story of Zorro in this new series. Here’s our review of the first issue!
Zorro #1
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In the tradition of Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One, Matt Wager (creator of Grendel) retells the origin of one of comics earliest and most enduring characters – Zorro.
In this first issue the tale is told of the first appearance of a mysterious demon who attacks a band of soldiers by the lone survivor of the altercation. Intermixed with his tale is the origin of Diego De La Vega as told by his childhood friend and loyal supporter Bernardo who peals back the veil to give us a look at the important events in the life that shaped Deigo into the man he would become.
There is much here to enjoy and as the story unfolds on multiple fronts from Diego’s first experience at injustice as a child to juming out of the night in the shadows. In these short and limited panels of our hero’s first foray into the night the story borrows from Miller’s Batman origin tale, which is only fair as Batman has borrowed much from Zorro over the years. In fact my only real complaint is that it’s done so well we never actually get to see Zorro!
Wagner also adds a new element to including in the tale Isabel Allende’s version of Diego’s mother as a Mexican tribal warrior whose heritage, along with the Spanish heritage from his father, was passed on to her son. The story includes a Spirit Quest for both Bernardo and Diego as each finds part of their future, and a piece of Zorro.
The art by Francisco Francavilla captures both the harsh light of Diego’s past and the darkness and mystery (what little we do see) of Zorro. I’ll wait a little longer until the masked man makes more of appearance in the series to provide a final critique, but I like what I’ve seen so far.
The tale is dedicated to Zorro creator Johnston McCulley and the “countless films and comic creators who have chronicled the adventures of America’s first masked super-hero.” From the first words to the reveal of the final panel the story, one that has been told many times over the years, will keep you enthralled. Whether this is your first experience to Zorro or your hundredth, this is a Zorro worth spending some time with.