Zorro Reboot Officially Announced: Iconic Hero Returns in New Series

One of the first characters to define the modern image of the costumed vigilante is Zorro. Fittingly, the masked avenger is starring in a new comic book that brings him into modern times.

This summer, Zorro's Legacy is introducing a new, 21st-century take on the iconic swashbuckling hero.

Published by Alien Books, the upcoming series does not merely reimagine the character of Zorro, but expands upon his extensive mythology. The story follows David de la Vega, a current-day resident of Los Angeles who learns that he is a descendant of the original adventurer.

David's discovery leads him down a path to uncover more about his lineage, for which his uncle, Donny — who is described as a "former hero in his own right" in the official synopsis — will supposedly prove to be a valuable asset. The plot of Zorro's Legacy #2 also hints at the relative suffering of a violent attack that motivates David to accept his destiny as the latest to take up the moniker of the legendary hero and rid Vista Park of its surrounding criminal threat.

Zorro's Legacy is the brainchild of writer Dan Abnett and artist Aaron Lopresti. The former is a prolific English creator known for his contributions to the U.K.'s dystopian 2000 AD comics, graphic novels set in the world of the Warhammer role-playing game, Marvel titles like Guardians of the Galaxy, and DC's Legion of the Super-Heroes, to name a few.

Lopresti has also lent his illustrative talents to Marvel (such as for The Amazing Spider-Man and Uncanny X-Men) and DC (including Aquaman and Harley Quinn, among others). He has additionally served as the writer and artist for Empire Comics' Wrath of God series and contributed to Image's Atomic Toybox #1 and 1998's Marriage of Hercules and Xena #1 from Topps.

Zorro's Legacy Is More Than A Century In The Making

With its modern-day setting and focus on a descendant of the eponymous hero, Zorro's Legacy serves as a fitting tribute to the character for a new generation. On that note, there are only so many other characters of this kind that can say they have been cherished by as many previous generations as he has.

The sword-wielding alter ego of young Californio Don Diego de la Vega, whose alternate name is Spanish for the word "fox," was created by American author Johnston McCulley. He made his official debut in 1919 as the hero of the writer's five-part magazine serial, The Curse of Capistrano, which was later collected into a novel in 1924.

Before then, Zorro made his onscreen debut in the 1920 silent picture, The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks in the title role. By the time Guy Williams portrayed him in a popular, Disney-produced TV series from the late 1950s, he had become a staple of pulp fiction in prose and comic book form, noted for inspiring modern costumed heroes of a similar aura, like Batman and The Lone Ranger.

Years after Antonio Banderas delivered the modern, definitive portrayal of the character in 1998's The Mask of Zorro and its 2005 sequel, The Legend of Zorro, the character continues to be a hot property in various forms of media. For instance, a new series starring French actor Jean Dujardin as Zorro is coming to the streaming service MHz Choice in late June.

There is also a big screen adaptation of Quentin Tarantino's Django/Zorro crossover comic, which brings the swashbuckler together with Jamie Foxx's title role from 2012's Django Unchained, in the works from writer Brian Helgeland. Joe Begos, the director of acclaimed horror movies like VFW and Christmas Bloody Christmas, is also working on his own modern-day Zorro reboot that is intended to be much darker than previous iterations.

Zorro's Legacy #1 hits the shelves on July 8, with Zorro's Legacy #2 scheduled to arrive on Aug. 19.