Sean Gordon Murphy’s ‘Zorro’ Blows Past Crowfunding Goal In Minutes
by Tom Smithyman
Sean Gordon Murphy is bringing Zorro into the modern age – and fans are embracing the concept.
Murphy, the writer and artist behind Batman: White Knight and Punk Rock Jesus, launched a Zorro: Man of the Dead graphic novel crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter this week that surpassed its $40,000 goal in less than 30 minutes. The more than 1,100 pledges total well over $100,000 for a book that is not expected to be delivered until July of 2024.
While the original Zorro, created by Johnston McCulley in 1919, took place in Spanish California in the late 1700s, this new version brings the hero to today. Diego is a young man who is convinced that he’s Zorro. As a child, he suffered a psychotic break after witnessing the murder of his parents by the drug cartel in his village. To cope with the trauma, he embraced the 200-year-old legend of Zorro by donning the mask, training with the sword and declaring war on the Narcos for the sake of his people.
“I love Zorro and I want to have fun,” said Murphy, who writes and illustrates this book. “I’m always looking for new challenges and going back to my love of Alex Toth and the classic B-movie swashbuckling genre is just sort of me getting to be a kid again.”
Massive Publishing, which created the campaign, is offering the typical backer rewards, including digital copies of the book, Kickstarter-exclusive covers as well as access to a lunch party at next year’s Dallas Fan Expo. In addition, the publisher is offering local comic shop distribution with a range of exclusive direct-market variant covers from such renowned artists as Dustin Nguyen, Matteo Scalera and Tony Daniel. The more stretch goals that backers unlock, the more variant covers are available at local shops.
The Kickstarter campaign (found here) runs through November 4, 2023.
