I agree…most likely the Zodiac encountered this at some point, and used it as part of his "thing".
Zodiac to The Zodiac was clearly a "wheel of death".

I really like the combination/juxtaposition of those two items, the symbol with those points marked and the "wheel". It’s a pity that the "Death by Arrow" features, isn’t it? It might have been a little more conclusive if it had not, but there ya go. Nice idea.

@smithy: thanks. One wonders (I know I do) what nefarious deed The Zodiac would have committed post-Stine if, and only if, those kids had stayed away from the window that night…I can certainly see him killing someone with a crossbow.

*

Inside…

You never did explain how you came upon this little discovery, Tahoe. Would you be so kind as to explain the nature of the method you used to locate this particular comic? Was it a matter of chance, Internet searching, mental deduction, or some other methodology? Your revelations would greatly aid the rest of us in our searches for similar.

Thanks.

Yes, I also have been wondering under exactly what circumstances did you happen across this issue of this comic book and then make the connection to Z. Please explain!

(see page 3)

Dunno if I am reading some of the replies here incorrectly, but I don’t think that there can be any doubt that this comic figured largely in his imagination. It would be one thing, as someone said, if there was only one element repeated- such as one phrase. The fact that it is repeated verbatim coupled with the red mask on the skeleton removes absolutely any doubt that this was a part of his landscape. I know that the original card was found and compared to the one Z sent and he did loads of doctoring to this card, and of course, the skeleton was not originally wearing a red mask. This was all purposeful. I don’t see how it is possible that anyone could possibly disagree but maybe I am jumping to the wrong conclusion.

Two things-
If you think of your own likes and dislikes, things that have influenced you- especially if you are an artist- not all of these things are going to be on the top level of your recall. They could have passed into another level of what may be called "personal archetypes". In some crude way, we can use the idea of an artist being inspired with the idea of Z being influenced by this or that. Things lodge in your own personal sieve and you are not always conscious as to why. I have made films and videos for years and there are things from my childhood- "In Search Of", for instance- that were hugely influential on me that I wasn’t quite conscious of til I actually sat down and thought of it. Every artist has their own personal "bank" of influences and you rarely sit and consciously catalog them. I don’t think it was necessary for him to have a copy of Tim Holt lying around to have it be such a huge influence.

What I find so intriguing is that there is NOTHING in his writings that would betray this particular fascination for cowboys. I don’t know if anyone else has mentioned that, but being that he was quite happy to make allusions to "the Mikado" and was quite keen on portraying himself as larger than life, I find it funny that he never betrayed some predilection for shoot-em-up Western comics. Because he seemed quite eager to share other things with the public. In fact, overly keen. Why is it that despite the fact that it is beyond probability that this comic must have been important to him, he never betrayed this? Other than the "your ass is a dragon" card I can’t think of a single instance in any of his letters that showed any sort of imagery or used any sort of language that could have remotely been connected to anything overtly "Western". And the "ass is a dragon" card is stretching it at that.
So, granted, it could have been operating just below his consciousness, but it seems a bit funny that just ONE issue, and not the whole breadth of Western esthetic, would have influenced him to the degree that it obviously did. And if it wasn’t just a single issue, then its even funnier that that hasn’t really came out in other writings. That he didn’t use any phrasing or whatnot other than this single instance. I don’t know, I just think that is peculiar and might be telling.

Could it be as simple as him sitting in a waiting room, dentist or doctor and he picks up the brightest peice of old reading material .. A wry smile draws across his face as he slips the red Ryder cartoon into his coat jacket.

Could it be as simple as him sitting in a waiting room, dentist or doctor and he picks up the brightest peice of old reading material .. A wry smile draws across his face as he slips the red Ryder cartoon into his coat jacket.

I have never been in a doctor’s office that featured comics. Back in those days especially comics were seen to be pretty trashy reading, or at the very best, strictly for kids. I found a book at the library the other day about this whole scandal involving British comics in the fifties and the attempts to censor them because of their purported terrible influence on children. Maybe a children’s doc would have them but that shoots off into a whole other realm of thinking.
But you are right in the sense that it could very well be a one-off thing. He could have just seen the comic in a grocery store and the idea of Lady Doom turned him on.
Not trying to get lost in a rash of supposition here, but the idea of Z’s age being somewhere in the 20-30 range would put this comic as being released perhaps during his pubescent period. Could have helped shape his sexuality- or he might have been attracted to it simply because of the lady on the cover, and it stayed with him because of that.

This suits me.

Is it me, or is that drawing incredibly…unrealistic? He’s got this long dagger or cavalry sword or whatever it is just magically stuck to him, it appears.

Perhaps that’s how Z dealt with carrying his gun at PH too – Red Mask style, no functional straps or anything, just sort of hovering close to his frame.

"ventilate" was this a common expression of the era. this is page 20 Red Ryder edition #29
and now I have to stop reading comic books.

"ventilate" was this a common expression of the era. this is page 20 Red Ryder edition #29
and now I have to stop reading comic books.

Bumping sorry
Z did write positively ventilate?

Yes, Mr. Lowe, misspellings aside Zodiac did write "positively ventilate" on page 4 of the Bus Bomb letter.

http://www.zodiackiller.com/BombLetter4.html

"ventilate" was this a common expression of the era.

I don’t know how far back it goes but it definitely predates the example above. It’s a fairly common expression – you can even find it in some dictionaries as slang for shooting someone.

What I find so intriguing is that there is NOTHING in his writings that would betray this particular fascination for cowboys. I don’t know if anyone else has mentioned that, but being that he was quite happy to make allusions to "the Mikado" and was quite keen on portraying himself as larger than life, I find it funny that he never betrayed some predilection for shoot-em-up Western comics. Because he seemed quite eager to share other things with the public. In fact, overly keen. Why is it that despite the fact that it is beyond probability that this comic must have been important to him, he never betrayed this? Other than the "your ass is a dragon" card I can’t think of a single instance in any of his letters that showed any sort of imagery or used any sort of language that could have remotely been connected to anything overtly "Western". And the "ass is a dragon" card is stretching it at that.
So, granted, it could have been operating just below his consciousness, but it seems a bit funny that just ONE issue, and not the whole breadth of Western esthetic, would have influence of him to the degree that it obviously did. And if it wasn’t just a single issue, then its even funnier that that Hasner really came out in other writings. That he didn’t use any phrasing or whatnot other than this single instance. I don’t know, I just think that is peculiar and might be telling.

But, he did and, in nearly every letter he ever wrote. He has an obsession with it or shall I say "him" as it is more to do with a man than a western theme. While western would be true its incidental. The oddities laid out before us have to do with this man. Sometimes its a person like Tim Holt. Sometimes a place like where he mailed his letters or hailed a cab. Sometimes it is only a single word. Believe it, or not, even that damn skeleton and pumpkin tie back to that one lone man. Sounds odd I am sure to read what I am saying. Sounds odd to even type it. Without explicitly laying it all before you im sure i come across as a quack. But, I assure you, it is there. This guy had deep seated issues but he knew his "problem" really well. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if he kept a book and had gobs of images on the wall. This man or, perhaps more in what he represented, consumed zodiac’s life.

Soze

As Seagull pointed out, Bolle drew those cartoons. He also used Egyptian themes, including reincarnation. Plenty of skeletons – and instructions to ‘whip’ uppity women into obedience…

http://frankbolle.com/latest_news.htm

(Notice his characters’ names.) Too many coincidences to be chance, I think.
This is my first post. Be gentle?
My goodness, I am very glad to be here. I’ve been lurking for 3 months and feel as if I know you all. A wonderful community.