Zoro (Earth-S)

In the early 1940s, Zoro was known to frequent a casino in Rembecco, where he never gambled and very seldom spoke. When challenged or cornered, he was extremely dangerous. Zoro carried a sword-cane, and more than once was known to wield it, to deadly effect. Even without that weapon, he was quick enough to kill a gunman with their own gun. Eccentrically, he also carried a pack of trick cigarettes, each of which would fire a bullet, and he killed at least one man with this trick.^[1]

Zoro was instantly recognizable everywhere he went, not only because of the red tuxedo and blue opera cape that he wore day and night, but because he almost always was accompanied by his pet cheetah, Cheeta. Nobody knows where or how he got this beast, but Cheeta was an amazingly smart cat, and helped Zoro out of many a tight spot.

In their first recorded adventure together, the loyal cat attacked an enormous gorilla, and injured it so badly that Zoro was able to kill the giant beast by stabbing it in the back with a large wooden splinter.^[2]
In public, the cheetah's behavior was calm and quiet, and the cat accompanied Zoro almost everywhere, with no leash. They attended the 1941 Army-Navy football game,^[3] and Cheeta was apparently welcome in the lounge at Zoro's country club.^[4]

Zoro traveled the four corners of the earth in his effort to smash crime and evil.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Illusion-making: Zoro could appear to be hovering several feet above the ground, and to be impervious to bullets.^[5] It is not explained how this illusion is created, nor even confirmed that it is an illusion.
Precognition Zoro sometimes had accurate premonitions about upcoming crimes.^[6]
Vanishing: Zoro could escape a point-blank gunshot by disappearing,^[7] or vanish from a moving car.^[8]
Superhuman Agility Zoro and Cheeta could leap from a speeding car which Zoro was driving, catch, and board a speeding railroad train.^[9]

Abilities

Animal Training Zoro had an incredibly smart pet cheetah, named Cheeta. This beast could track enemies by smell thru a crowded city,^[10], would run into a burning building,^[11] and would often, but not always, capture human enemies alive.^[12]^[13]
Jujutsu Zoro was more than a match for any grappler of any size.^[14]
Medicine: Zoro carried in his travel bag a vial of monster-growth-serum antidote, made from secret jungle herbs.^[15]
Swordsmanship: Zoro's weapon of choice was a sword cane, with which he did kill quite a few gunmen.^[16]^[17]^[18]^[19]^[20]^[21]^[22]
Voodoo: In Haiti, where Zombies are common, Zoro learned how to detect fake zombies, using salt.^[23]

Paraphernalia

Transportation

Zoro owned a yacht.^[24]

Weapons

Sword-Cane
- Also conceals a length of wire, which, when extended, enables Zoro to fling the cane like a grappling bar, and climb or swing on the wire.^[25]
Concealed Handgun
Trick Cigarettes

Notes

Zoro the Mystery Man appeared in Slam-Bang Comics #6 and #7, then in Master Comics #7 thru #22.
While incredibly quick and a skillful fighter, Zoro was hardly invincible. He was knocked unconscious with blunt instruments at least twice,^[26]^[27] been strangled until unconscious,^[28] and has gotten sprayed in the face with toxic gas at least once.^[29]
In his short, violent career, Zoro killed not less than 17 adversaries, 13 with the sword-cane, and 4 by other methods (two by gunshot, one punched off a cliff, one stabbed with his own knife).^[30]^[31] His cheetah Cheeta also killed at least eight human enemies.^[32]^[33]^[34]^[35]^[36]^[37]^[38]^[39]
Known associates:
- Zoro was good friends with Captain John Baker, a yacht commander,^[40] and with Mr. Antrim, a retired millionaire.^[41]
- Zoro and Cheeta hung out at the Meadowbrook Country Club.^[42]
- Abdul Ahmid, of Cairo, Egypt, was a former classmate.^[43]

Trivia

Every episode opened with some version of this blurb: "Zoro, the Mystery Man: Who he is --- Whence he comes --- Whither he goes --- Nobody knows."^[44]
Zoro says he never smokes, but he pretends to, when using his deadly trick cigarettes.^[45]
Zoro smokes a pipe.^[46]

Zoro (Earth-S)

Contents

History