Wich2 wrote:
If we're discussing category specificity here... Zorro is no more a scifi property than The Lone Ranger is, by any reasonable understanding of the term.
Well, I have not read all of Johnston McCulley's Zorro stories, so I cannot comment on whether or not he encountered the paranormal with any frequency in them.

I have not listened, obviously, to all of the original Lone Ranger radio shows, but I get a sense that the Lone Ranger generally did not encounter the paranormal anyway. On a related note, the Green Hornet does not seem to have encountered the paranormal often, if ever, either. (The Encyclopedia of Fantasy by John Clute, in the entry Masked Avengers, explicitly stated that the Scarlet Pimpernel-who actually wore disguises varied for the situation-as well as Zorro, the Lone Ranger, and the Green Hornet represent examples of masked avengers outside of the fantasy genre. However, Clute did discuss the Shadow due to the radio show, the Phantom [who has sometimes encountered the paranormal, including an Ayesha manque], and the various comic book heroes.)

I would guess Cox tried his slight of hand due to the fact that many accroutements of Zorro-the cape/cloak, the secret base of operations in a cave, the codename based on a mammal-have recurred with protagonists who have bluntly fantastic adventures.

I guess defining taxonomy also depends on how often someone has mundane adventures compared to fantastic adventures. F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack does not differ that much from Travis McGee, but his adventures (with one exception) have all involved the paranormal. Indiana Jones threw me into granny knots-all of his films involved the paranormal, especially the second and fourth entries. Since Indiana Jones started in the movies, with his ownly completely mundane adventure occurring in the marginal Young Indian Jones TV series, do we consider him part of the fantasty genre?
      

Last Edited By: Scathach80 Jul 22 11 8:58 PM. Edited 2 times.