Alien Books; crowdfunded ($49.99) 

Why is it such big deal that Alex Toth's 1950s Zorro comics that appeared in Dell's Four Color are back in print in such a beautifully produced collection? Simply put, it's because they represent some of the best storytelling ever done in the American comic book form. 

Deceptively simple in their page layout – in the way that Hemingway's short stories are deceptively simple in their lean prose – they pack surprising ability to pull the reader in and hold their attention. The first time I saw them (in the 1988 Eclipse trade paperback collection), my initial thought was "This looks boring." Five pages later, I was hooked for life. 

At that point I knew nothing of Toth beyond Howard Chaykin's foreword (I'm glad that's included in this edition, too), but that would come in time. 

The stories are straight forward and very much in the spirit of the Disney TV series. If you've ever seen the show, the characters will seem familiar. If you haven't seen the show, that won't get in the way, as Toth didn't rely on his readers watching television to tell his stories. 

There's been a lot written about Toth, much of it in recent years. 

At IDW Publishing, The Library of American Comics' Dean Mullany and Bruce Canwell produced a three-volume visual biography of Toth, Genius Isolated, Genius Illustrated, and Genius Animated. They also issued Treasures Retold: The Lost Art of Alex Toth, and Bravo For Adventure, which featured more of his work. 

The reason for this is his impact on fans through his own work and through the work of artists he inspired.  

The Comics Reporter's Tom Spurgeon wrote that Toth possessed "an almost transcendent understanding of the power of art as a visual story component…" and suggested that he was "…one of the handful of people who could seriously enter into Greatest Comic Book Artist of All-Time discussions." 

This new collection was first offered as a crowdfunded package, but Zorro – Remastered Edition will soon be in comic shops and bookstores. The slipcase was exclusive to the crowdfunded version, which also offered a beautiful black and white version, Zorro – Indisputable Edition. 

The key word about this edition seems to be beautiful. The book is beautifully printed. The color, always the weak point of the originals, has been beautifully – and not overwhelmingly – updated. Even the edges of the pages are beautiful. I don't think I've ever written that last part in a review before. 

I must admit the stunning quality of the finished product was a tremendous relief. There have been inferior presentations of the material, and Alien Books' comprehensive Harbinger omnibus massively disappointed on the color front (it was as if the colors weren't adjusted at all for the paper on which they printed). The Harbinger volume arrived about two weeks ahead of this one, so two weeks' worth of dread turned into joy. 

So, no such worries with Zorro – Remastered Edition. From the Chaykin introduction and the commentary by Alex Segura in the book's opening pages to the new Zorro story by Chaykin and artist Eduardo Risso at its conclusion, this is a tremendous comic book treasure.  

Don't miss it. 

– J.C. Vaughn