Sean Gordon Murphy's Zorro Heads to Kickstarter -- Check Out Joe Quesada's Cover (Exclusive)

Massive Publishing today launched a Kickstarter campaign 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. Fans knew that Murphy was going to take on Zorro soon, but today marks the first significant details about the new title, which will be set in the present day and feature a man who believes himself to be Zorro after having a breakdown following the murder of his parents.

Zorro: Man of the Dead premiered today on the crowdfunding campaign 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 like a high-end Artist Edition, and a premium hardcover collection with cover art only available through this campaign.

"The idea for this book is Don Quixote meets Narcos, told in a contemporary setting," Sean Gordon Murphy said in a statement. "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."

ComicBook.com has an exclusive first look at Quesada's cover, which you can see below.

In this Direct-Reserve Kickstarter campaign, set to coincide with Día De Los Muertos, MASSIVE Publishing is embracing Zorro as an "indomitable spirit of Hispanic culture."

''As a Hispanic comic writer and artist, Zorro is such an important character," said 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."

While the title is being funded at Kickstarter, you will be able to get variants at comic book retailers as well. 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.

Massive says that the idea of their campaign is "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 creative crowdfunding model, contributing to the campaign is supporting your local comic shops in real time, and Massive is creating opportunities for retailers to join in on the campaign as it progresses. 

"All of us at Massive Publishing are excited for this new strategy," said Kevin Roditeli, President of Massive Publishing. "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.