Welcome!

I wouldn’t check out either of the books you mention if you’re after unbiased views and useful, objective information.

But Penn’s opus is pretty interesting in many ways. If you’re interested in the origins of the "I Know Who Z Was And Here’s My Book About It" genre, it’s essential reading.

No comment Norse.

Graysmith’s first Zodiac book "Zodiac" is still the best, imo. Just make sure you take into account when he says things like "this is what may have happened next". Also keep in mind that just because you read it, it doesn’t necessarily make it a fact.

Toss Zodiac Unmasked.

Welcome!

Welcome Shiznats

Welcome, Shiznats!
If you’re interested in the Zodiac murders (and it appears you are) you’ve found the right place to do research. Zodiackillersite.com hosts many knowledgeable individuals willing to share their expertise with you. All–or at least most–of us realize that if Zodiac is ever unmasked, it will be through ALL our efforts.
Again, welcome, friend.

Welcome to the forum shiz.

trav.

Times 17 is a great book…if you’ve never taken acid and wondered what it would be like.

Times 17 is a great book…if you’ve never taken acid and wondered what it would be like.

It’s hard to understand how a paranoid schizophrenic like Penn somehow forced himself into the case, wrote a book about the case, and also became a suspect in it, all while having absolutely nothing to do with Zodiac at all.

Apparently, his degree in Germanic studies didn’t work out, so he had to find another line. He has a Wikipedia entry –
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gareth_Penn

I have no idea why it exists.

-glurk

Reviewing the 2007 David Fincher film Zodiac for the Las Vegas Weekly, Mike D’Angelo wrote, "I think the movie erred in selecting author Robert Graysmith as its source and nominal protagonist. Zodiac buffs know well that the true obsessive is a fellow named Gareth Penn."

That’s a pretty horrible idea, Mike. Just saying.

Sure, you could probably write a decent script with Penn as your protagonist (anti-hero, I suppose), but that would’ve been a completely different movie. The fictional side of Yellow Book is actually a good story: Cartoonist becomes obsessed with unsolved murder case and finally nails the bad guy – sort of.

Penn’s tale, on the other hand…Crazy guy dreams up case against innocent and mild mannered college professor, harasses him in various ways and willfully throws suspicion on himself in the process. Clearly funkier – but I just don’t see it working as a high-end, mainstream Hollywood production.

Graymsith to Toschi: "Allen is the Zodiac! His birthday was December 18th, when Zodiac called and said it was his birthday."

Can you imagine the final scene with Penn?

Penn to Toschi: " O’Hare is the Zodiac! Zodiac Commited all his crimes near water, H20. If you take H and O and flip them, you get OH for O’Hare. The word TIME in morse code, using 1 for dash and zero for dot is 100110, and in binary that is 38. And Zodiac makes a spelling error on his 38th word, The Belli letter was mailed to the address 228 which is a multiple of 38, and the count marco letter was mailed to San Raphael which is on the 38th parrallel, which is all to point out that O’Hare’s address is located in postal code 38…"

Yes, that is really stuff he said.

Graymsith to Toschi: "Allen is the Zodiac! His birthday was December 18th, when Zodiac called and said it was his birthday."

Can you imagine the final scene with Penn?

Penn to Toschi: " O’Hare is the Zodiac! Zodiac Commited all his crimes near water, H20. If you take H and O and flip them, you get OH for O’Hare. The word TIME in morse code, using 1 for dash and zero for dot is 100110, and in binary that is 38. And Zodiac makes a spelling error on his 38th word, The Belli letter was mailed to the address 228 which is a multiple of 38, and the count marco letter was mailed to San Raphael which is on the 38th parrallel, which is all to point out that O’Hare’s address is located in postal code 38…"

Yes, that is really stuff he said.

Ah, the post comparing the book to an acid trip makes much more sense now. Does anybody really believe this though? I had heard about Penn incriminating O’Hare in an article written by O’Hare…something like how it has ruined his life, etc. I thought it was interesting albeit absurd that someone (Penn) would essentially go out of their way to make such a claim. Surely his book possesses more evidence that could actually be considered evidence?

By the way, and I’m not sure if it’s cool to bring this up in this thread, but I listened to a youtube video of an interview the author of The Most Dangerous Animal of All gave. It was about an hour and 40 minutes, and I don’t think he gave anything that could be considered evidence of his father being Zodiac until maybe 90 minutes in. It seemed crazy to me! It was basically: well, my father was a really bad guy, and he was in the area at the time…he must be Zodiac! Oh, some of the letters match up and his general description fits. Cool! I actually find Thomas Horan’s argument more intriguing than Penn’s or Gary Stewart’s, and of course that’s saying something IMO.

doranchak has hosted times 17 on his cipher site … if you’re curious. http://www.zodiackillerciphers.com/?p=543

… I had heard about Penn incriminating O’Hare in an article written by O’Hare…something like how it has ruined his life, etc. I thought it was interesting albeit absurd that someone (Penn) would essentially go out of their way to make such a claim.

I don’t think O’Hare thinks Penn "ruined his life" or anything. Mostly, he seems amused and confused. That article is here:

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/featur … ohare.html

Surely his book possesses more evidence that could actually be considered evidence?

No, not really. It’s pretty much acid trip all the way down.

-glurk

I think most people with a POI find one or two things that make them Zodiac-like, then they go searching for things to make him more Zodiac-like. Usually starting with a face with black horn-rimmed glasses. Or maybe their guy just pissed them off or something.