Posted By Dan Greenfield on Jun 25, 2024 | 3 comments

A BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE in 13 PAGES…

By PETER BOSCH

Ah, Zorro. When we were young, who among us did not long to put on a mask and take up a sword to bring justice to the land, to defend a lady’s honor, and to fight half a dozen enemies on one side and more on the other? In movies, we lived vicariously through Douglas Fairbanks and Tyrone Power and Antonio Banderas. On TV, it was through Guy Williams and Frank Langella and Duncan Regehr. And in comic books, it was through Alex Toth!

One of my greatest pleasures in life was, and is, getting swept away by the sheer artistry of the late Toth (born 96 years ago, on June 25, 1928) drawing the daring righter of wrongs in old El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles (translated as The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels). He first drew the swashbuckling Zorro in Four Color #882 (1958, Dell), which adapted the initial two episodes of the Walt Disney TV series starring Guy Williams. He would continue illustrating the adventures of el Zorro (“the Fox”) in Four Color #920, 933, 960, 976, and 1003, as well as Walt Disney’s Zorro #12 (Dec. 1960-Feb. 1961).

Four Color #882 (1958, Dell)

When a new TV program was created in 1990 starring Duncan Regehr as Zorro, Marvel published a 12-issue comic book series and had Toth draw the last few issues’ covers.

Zorro #12 (Nov. 1991, Marvel)

So, now, let the kid in you emerge as you enjoy this celebratory tribute to Alex Toth, with 13 ZORRO PAGES (or 12 pages and one illustration):

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Four Color #882

Four Color #882

Four Color #882

Four Color #882

Four Color #882

Four Color #882

Four Color #882

Four Color #882

Four Color #882

Four Color #960 (1958)

Four Color #976 (1959)

Four Color #976 (1959)

A 1986 convention sketch by Alex Toth to Peter

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MORE

— 13 COVERS: An Anniversary Salute to TV’s ZORRO. Click here.

— PAUL KUPPERBERG: My 13 Favorite FOUR COLOR COMICS Drawn by ALEX TOTH. Click here.

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13th Dimension contributor-at-large PETER BOSCH’s first book, American TV Comic Books: 1940s-1980s – From the Small Screen to the Printed Page, was published by TwoMorrows. He is currently at work on a sequel, about movie comics. Peter has written articles and conducted celebrity interviews for various magazines and newspapers. He lives in Hollywood.