HOOD RIVER, OR– Massive Publishing is thrilled to introduce their Kickstarter campaign for Zorro: Man of the Dead, an innovative new take on the landmark character by renowned comic writer/artist Sean Gordon Murphy, creator of the Batman: White Knight Universe.
“The idea for this book is Don Quixote meets Narcos, told in a contemporary setting,” says Sean Gordon Murphy. “Diego is a young man who’s convinced that he’s Zorro—as a child, he had a psychotic break after witnessing the murder of his parents by the drug cartel in his village. To cope with the trauma, he embraces the 200-year-old legend of Zorro by putting on the mask, training with the sword, and waging a war against the Narcos to free his people.”
Zorro: Man of the Dead brings Sean Gordon Murphy’s unique voice to one of history’s greatest masked heroes, promising to be every bit as sought-after and ground-breaking as his career-defining work with DC Comics.
In this Direct-Reserve Kickstarter campaign, set to coincide with Día De Los Muertos, MASSIVE Publishing is thrilled to celebrate the iconic character whose legacy has reflected an enduring struggle for justice and the indomitable spirit of Hispanic culture.
”As a Hispanic comic writer and artist, Zorro is such an important character,” says Michael Calero, Massive Publishing CEO. “He was one of the first and only representations of a Hispanic hero. Not to mention the archetype for so many other great characters. I’m especially honored to have legendary Hispanic creators like Humberto Ramos and Joe Quesada lending such beautiful contributions to the project.”
Zorro: Man of the Dead premiered today on Kickstarter with supporters able to reserve the limited series in a variety of premium formats from prestigious artists like Joe Quesada, Humberto Ramos, Adam Hughes, Amanda Conner/Jimmy Palmiotti, Walt Simonson, Dan Panosia and more. The deluxe pre-order campaign will also feature an exclusive connecting cover by Murphy himself, special book formats (such as the 11×17 Artist Edition), Original art, and a premium hardcover collection with cover art only available through this campaign.
Massive and series creator Sean Murphy wanted to contribute to the legacy of this legendary character in an impactful way by combining the power of crowdfunding with the lifeblood of our industry, THE LOCAL COMIC BOOK SHOP! At retail, Massive will be offering a range of exclusive retail variant covers from some of today’s top artists (Sean Murphy, Dustin Nguyen, Matteo Scalera, Tony S. Daniel, and more) starting on October 22nd. These releases will start in January and drop simultaneously with the campaign’s digital rewards, followed by the fulfillment of the premium editions offered to backers.
This campaign is meant to be an industry game changer, putting the power in the hands of fans to reach stretch goals that unlock additional variant covers both on Kickstarter and at their local comic shop. In this innovative crowdfunding model, contributing to the campaign is supporting your local businesses in real time, creating opportunities for retailers to join in on the excitement of the campaign as it progresses.
Kevin Roditeli, President of Massive Publishing added, “All of us at Massive Publishing are excited for this new strategy. We believe it will drive fans to comic shops, extending the campaign experience all the way to the shelves of retail.”
Visit the Zorro: Man of the Dead Kickstarter page for a full rundown of campaign rewards and follow along as stretch goals and retail exclusives are unlocked! Find your participating retailer here: https://www.comicshoplocator.com/.
ABOUT MASSIVE
Massive Publishing was founded by Michael Calero, Trevor Richardson, and Kevin Roditeli, which launched with its first imprint Whatnot Publishing in 2022, a licensed collaboration with the social commerce platform, Whatnot. After distributing over 800,000 units to retailers in their first six months, Massive was added to the Deluxe Publisher Tier of Diamond Comic Distributors, the world’s largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop culture merchandise. Massive recently announced the launch of its flagship line with its first title being superstar writer/artist Sean Gordon Murphy’s five-issue limited series, The Plot Holes (August, 2023). Also announced were two new imprints, ‘Overlook’, a horror imprint helmed by writers Cullen Bunn, and Heath Amodio; and ‘Kingwood Comics’, writer David Crownson’s imprint focused on Black creators and characters. Massive is also the exclusive Direct-Market distributor of Sumerian Comics, which is set to release its American Psycho comic series October 11th.
