Comic Book Heroes DVD

Yes, they were originally Comic Book Heroes, although The Lone Ranger and Zorro's Black Whip are probably best remembered as the 1949 TV series and the 1944 Republic cinema serial respectively. This excellent three-disc set gives us the first three episodes of the former and the entire 12 episodes of the latter. The origin of the Lone Ranger is quite an extraordinary tale by any standards, let alone those of the fizzy blandness of 1940s American TV: originally one of the Texas Rangers, recruited to act as a mobile police force during the lawless days of the West, his... entire patrol is massacred and he himself is left for dead, prompting him to become the masked vigilante of the title. The stark brutality of this event is depicted in chilling, slow-paced detail in the first episode, the distinctive voice-over narrative adding a dream-like detachment to the proceedings. Zorro's Black Whip, though slicker, is also innovative in that the main protagonist is female. The sister of a crusading newspaper editor who moonlights as the Black Whip, another masked righter of wrongs, she takes over both his day job and his crime-fighting role when he is murdered. Conveniently, she's a descendant of the legendary Zorro himself, with whip-wielding skills seemingly in her genes. But does this stuff stand up after all these years? In short, absolutely; this is first-rate period entertainment and as such is self-recommending. On the DVD: Comic Book Heroes has been transferred in its original 1.33:1 ratio and has been lovingly remastered--never has old monochrome footage glowed so richly. There are no subtitles or other extra features, though. --Roger Thomas [show more]

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