Unlike fellow Buzzscope columnist Sandy Collora, I haven’t yet seen “Batman Begins.” But I was lucky enough to get a peek at “The Legend of Zorro” trailer, featuring Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and loved it! And believe it or not, I’m just as psyched to see Zorro again.

Not that I won’t be first in line to see Batman, mind you. Batmania has busted out everywhere. With the movie opening June 15^th, smack dab between the MoCCA Art Fest (www.moccany.org) the weekend of June 11th and 12th, featuring such guests as Dark Knight’s Frank Miller and Silver Age Bat-Artist Neal Adams, and the Big Apple Show (www.bigapplecon.com), June 17^th and 18th, which has the Dark Detective’s Steve Englehart, Marshal Rogers, and Terry Austin, as well as Joker and Robin creator, Jerry Robinson, and Bat-Artists such as Silver Age great Carmine Infantino, Bob Kane ghost Lew Sayre Schwartz, Dick Giordano, Joe Giella, and Joe Staton all in attendance.. And that’s not all, MoCCA and the Big Apple have teamed-up to present several other bat-events at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, as part of celebrating what they’ve dubbed, “ Bat-Week.”

But, I really can’t wait to see Zorro! Of course, I’m biased. I edited Zorro for Topps Comics, I’m back editing Zorro again for Papercutz, the new comics and graphic novel publisher.

Zorro’s cool in many ways, and has lots in common with Batman. Zorro was inspired by the Scarlet Pimpernel (there’s a name to conjure with!), Batman, in turn, was inspired by Zorro. Zorro has even become a part of Batman’s origin -- the night young Bruce Wayne witnessed the murder of his parents they had all seen “The Mark of Zorro.”

Can’t wait to see if this homage to Zorro will be in Batman Begins. With the way Hollywood is these days, it wouldn’t be surprising if a Warner Bros. exec objected to “product placement” of a rival studio’s franchise character. To be fair, no one objected to Aunt May’s Superman line in Spider-Man. Also, to stray further off-topic, how odd is it that a rich couple with their young son, went to see an old movie, dressed for the theater, and then took a short cut through a dark alley? To be remotely believable, Gotham City must remain a strange, dark, timeless city. To update this bit, we’d see the casually dressed Wayne family leaving a midnight showing of Star Wars at the cineplex and getting gunned down in the darkened mall parking lot.

Getting back on track… Zorro debuted in the first installment of Johnston McCulley’s five-part serialized pulp novel, “The Curse of Capistrano,” in the August 9, 1919 issue of ALL-STORY WEEKLY. Batman appeared twenty years later in DETECTIVE COMICS # 27, as the cover-featured star in a strip by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. Both characters have since been adapted into movie serials, feature films, syndicated comic strips, both live action and animated TV series, novels, and more.

Other cool Zorro/Batman similarities are obvious. Both had wealthy alter egos, Batman is Bruce Wayne, and Zorro is Don Diego de la Vega; Batman has Alfred, his loyal man servant, Zorro has the mute Bernardo; both have secret caves and crime labs; Batman has the Batmobile, Zorro has a horse named Tornado; and while Batman has a more extensive Rogues gallery, Don McGregor created many memorable foes for Zorro; Batman has the Catwoman, Zorro has Lady Rawhide and Catherine Zeta-Jones; and both heroes are named after other creatures, a bat and a fox.

Further Zorro/Batman connections include a Batman comic featuring Bruce Wayne attending a costume party as Zorro, and a guest appearance by TV’s Batman, Adam West, on the New World syndicated Zorro TV series.

When I became Editor-in-Chief at Topps, our first comic was an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. This led to more Dracula comics, including a Dracula/Zorro title by Don McGregor and Thomas Yeates. (Dracula and Zorro had met before in an unauthorized appearance in Marvel’s Tomb of Dracula). Of course, Batman, and a gazillion other characters, met Dracula too.

Because of this Batman/Zorro connection, it seemed only natural to get the Dark Knight’s Frank Miller to draw a Zorro comicbook cover. Who says lightening doesn’t strike twice -- check out Miller’s covers to the Topps Zorro # 1 cover and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns # 1:

It was big deal for Topps Comics to announce that Frank Miller would do a cover for Zorro. Unfortunately, things don’t always work out as planned and Miller got very sick during the time he was scheduled to create the cover. Despite illness, Miller came through and delivered an amazing cover. He went way above and beyond the call of duty, and I’m still incredibly thankful.

And clearly, Miller must think Zorro is cool too. Check out this particular character from Frank Miller’s Sin City:

Zorro Girl isn’t even the first female Zorro. In the 1944 serial, Zorro’s Black Whip, Linda Stirling played a female Zorro. And who can forget the charming scene in Amelie, where Audrey Tautou has fun dressing up as Zorro. Yet another example of Zorro’s certified coolness.

And if that wasn’t enough, the artist most often associated with Zorro is Alex Toth, one of the coolest comicbook artists ever, who illustrated the late 50s Dell Zorro comics. Alex is also famed as the character designer for the animated Super Friends TV series, which, of course, featured Batman. Check out Toth’s covers for Batman Black and White # 4 and Marvel’s Zorro # 10:

Don McGregor, who wrote a Black and White Batman story, illustrated by Dick Giordano, for Batman: Gotham Knights # 28, is perhaps the comicbook writer most associated with Zorro in recent years (Hmmm… from McCulley to McGregor!). McGregor wrote all of the Topps Zorro comics, “The Mask of Zorro” movie adaptation for Image Comics, and the entire two-year run of the syndicated Zorro comic strip, the first year of which was collected in trade paperback by Image Comics. With the scheduled October 28^th release of “The Legend of Zorro,” the time was right for Zorro to return to comics.

With a new novel by Isabele Allende focused on the early life of Don Diego and offering new insights on how he became Zorro, there’s no need for the comics to take a “Zorro Begins” approach.

Instead, the new Papercutz Zorro comics and graphic novels pick up where the syndicated comic strip left off, with Zorro literally on the run, trying to find a safe haven for the beautiful Eulalia Bandini. Bandini had bravely risked her life to prevent Commandante Monasterio from fatally shooting Zorro, and wound up physically and mentally scarred. Monasterio wants Bandini dead for her actions, and will not stop until he achieves his goal. Together with Zorro and Bandini, we’ll meet fascinating new characters caught in desperate situations, as well as villains such as Lucifer Trapp and Ripklaw. Zorro # 1 is on sale now, and it’s the perfect jumping-on issue. (Hey, I couldn’t resist saying that!)

Just as Batman Begins shows a mainstream movie audience a part of Bruce Wayne’s life they’ve never seen before, the new comics place Zorro in all-new locales and situations. Even the look of the Papercutz Zorro comic is controversial. Just as the Papercutz graphic novels have given The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew manga makeovers, Zorro is being drawn is a manga influenced style. In fact, artist Sidney Lima’s style actually evolves over the first three issues, in a quest to find the look that captures the heroic qualities of Zorro best. Even the coloring by Marcos de Miranda changes during these issues. As a result, we’ve decided to make issue # 4, the start of the second story arc, a special 99 cent jumping on issue.

The Legend of Zorro, picks up from The Mask of Zorro, and it too presents a Zorro we’ve never seen before – married and with a son and no longer Zorro. Shades of the Incredibles! Naturally, events conspire to bring Zorro out of retirement, and that’s when the fun really begins.

So, because of all the history between us, and because he’s just so damn cool, I’m aching to see The Legend of Zorro. But until then, I’ll have the comics, the novel, and Batman Begins to enjoy.

(For more information on the history of Zorro, track down the out-of-print Zorro Unmasked, the Official History by Sandra Curtis. You’ll be glad you did!)

Addicted to Comics is © 2005 by Jim Salicrup. All rights reserved.