The Mark of Zorro

Johnston McCulley introduced the masked outlaw Zorro in this swashbuckling adventure, first serialized in 1919 as The Curse of Capistrano. In the sleepy pueblos of old Spanish California, the wealthy young Don Diego de la Vega hides behind a bored, foppish manner while riding out by night as Zorro, the black-clad avenger who defends peons and friars from corrupt officials and leaves his slashing Z as a signature. With his mute servant Bernardo at his side and the spirited Lolita Pulido to win, Zorro’s duel against the tyrannical Captain Ramon becomes pure romantic escapade. The tale gave popular culture one of its first true masked heroes and helped inspire later figures like Batman. A free PDF and EPUB edition is available.