Alien Books has announced they’ve acquired the license to publish comics featuring Zorro, the legendary swashbuckling rogue created by pulp writer Johnston McCulley more than 100 years ago.
They’ll start with a hardcover reprinting Alex Toth’s Zorro comic from 1958 with remastered colors and lettering, as well as a story by Howard Chaykin and Eduardo Risso, premiering for the first time in English. Toth first drew Zorro in Four Color #882, which was published by Dell and adapted the first two episodes of the Walt Disney TV series starring Guy Williams. Toth drew several other Zorro comics around that time, both for Four Color and for the Zorro title Dell published.
Alien will launch a Kickstarter for the deluxe hardcover on April 23.
It sounds like new Zorro stories are on their way as well, although Alien did not announce anything official yet.
“We’re overjoyed to be working with Zorro Productions, Inc. to bring back classic Zorro stories in deluxe remastered editions and spearhead new and exciting adventures with some of today’s most talented comics creators,” said Alien Books Director and Editor-in-Chief Matias Timarchi.
If they decide to reprint additional classic Zorro comics, they should have plenty to choose from. Over the years the character has appeared in comics from Dell Comics, Gold Key, Marvel and Dynamite, among others, by creators like Toth, Matt Wagner, Frank Miller, Russ Manning, Thomas Yeates, Dan Spiegle, Alex Ross, Francesco Francavilla and many more — not to mention comic strips and International comics.
And when Alien does decide to release a new Zorro title, it’ll find its way to comic shops thanks to Alien’s new publishing agreement with IDW. Following the bankruptcy of Diamond, Alien Books was one of several smaller publishers looking for a new route to market, and they’ve found it through IDW.
“We are excited to be working with Alien,” said Davidi Jonas, CEO of IDW Media Holdings. “Their team led by Matias have been supremely collaborative and smart — fun, friendly, and quick. Alien has great creative and dynamic publishing plans. The IDW team has demonstrated that we are an excellent partner, and through aligned interests, entrepreneurial sensibility, and shared services we expect to massively grow Alien’s reach, revenue, and profitability… and to get their awesome books to the many readers we know they will delight.”
IDW was one of several bigger publishers that moved to Penguin Random House when they made a move into comic distribution, along with Marvel, Dark Horse and BOOM! (which PRH now owns).