World Famous Comics: Will Eisner's The Spirit, Vol. 1
Will Eisner's The Spirit, Vol. 1
By: Darwyn Cooke, Jeph Loeb Publisher: DC Comics Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: DC Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 192 Publication Date: October 24, 2007 Release Date: October 24, 2007
Cooke's The Spirit run is brief but a classic Darwyn Cooke only worked on 11 issues of DC's re-launch of The Spirit, it seems that's as long as he could stomach working for them, but these 11 issues stand as perhaps the best Spirit stories ever; even some of the best comic book stories of all time. What he realizes is the Spirit is a vehicle to explore whatever topic the writer is interested in. The Spirit is the ultimate everyman superhero and is truly the first "middle class" comic book character.
Cooke explores issues from the modern media to targeting children with advertising, and he throws in a lot of two fisted action and even horror. If only the Frank Miller movie were as good as any one of the comics in this all too brief run. These comics are fast paced, relevant, and funny. Highly recommended!
Dead Man Kicking I DIG THIS! And not just 'cause I get to see my name in print on practically every page. New to comics (I've got a lot of catching up to do,) I'd never even heard of The Spirit until I saw the movie trailer recently. Originally, this character was created by Will Eisner in the 1940s; this book re-introduces him to a new generation, bringing him right up to date (yes, there really was a pre-cell phone era-how did we ever survive?) but retaining that retro vibe in the fantastic artwork.
The Spirit is former P.I. Denny Colt, dead as far as the world's concerned (see story #3) but actually very much alive, his secret entrusted to his late dad's friend Police Comissioner Dolan and his daughter Ellen who's Denny's girlfriend. Also in the know is under the radar kid, Ebony, who drives a cab and is kind of his wingman on occasion. Back from the grave and above the law because of his non-existent status, he's now gone vigilante in his dad's suit, old hat and an eye mask (well, glasses and bad posture worked for Clark Kent...) and is the unofficial guardian of Central City. There are six short stories in here, seemingly unrelated, written by Darwyn Cooke, plus a Spirit/Batman special written by Jeph Loeb (who I know mostly from Heroes but I get the impression he's a legend in the comic book world.) These stories are foundation laying, almost complete in themselves, but while the bad guys and one black widow gal are often foiled, they also mostly elude justice so they can pop up in future episodes to torment our hero and keep us enthralled. I think this is a good thing-it's ultimately more satisfying, in the unreal world, to delve deeper into the dark side of characters and gradually discover their motives and psychological make up rather than the too neat format of bad guy gets caught and tossed in jail first time out: That, I've discovered while reading some 1940s original Superman, creates far too many and forgetable villains (not that I'm dissing Superman, you understand. Please don't hurt me.)
There are elements of James Bond and Batman, though The Spirit carries no weapon-but the baddies do so cue a lot of good ol' fashioned gunfights and punchouts which is a refreshing change in a world of guys in far out costumes, lab accidents, do-gooder aliens, mutants and playboy millionaires with utility belts and heavy metal armor. I'm also happy that there are strong, smart and alluring (while remaining-gasp!-fully clothed) female characters here, albeit in supporting roles. So yes, The Spirit is a regular joe, but there's still something very appealing about this character and his world; maybe it's the dapper blue suit reminiscent of an era of true glamor; maybe it's the idea of a normal guy fighting the good fight while quipping a la Buffy: Maybe it's the compelling storylines that leave one wanting more and arouse questions which drive one to keep reading in search of answers (like how does he get electricity and indoor plumbing in the abandoned cemetery where he lives?) Whatever it is, I'm now a new fan and wanting to hunt out Will Eisner's original comics while looking forward to more by Mr Cooke-and I don't have long to wait because I've just ordered book 2...
Cooke is just the man to bring back Eisner's star character. Will Eisner's "The Spirit" is one of the classic works of the Golden Age of Comics, famed for the legendary artist's use of interesting angles, inventive plots, and a vast array of classy and dangerous women for the main character to deal with. The hero himself, a blue-hatted fellow who wears a domino mask as a token nod to superhero conventions, was mainly a vehicle for telling these stories, as opposed to a really exceptional character in his own right. This made the act of reviving "The Spirit" somewhat more challenging than it might have otherwise been, since it isn't mainly a matter of getting a grasp of the character's detailed personality; to resurrect this property, you need to resurrect a style of storytelling. The Spirit is a nondescript figure whose success or failure depends on how clever the stories he appears in are.
Darwyn Cooke, as a writer and artist, is one of the clear choices to have a go at reviving the Spirit, being perhaps the preeminent retro-ist in the current comics world. His "DC: New Frontier", which I personally found ot be more then a bit overrated, is regarded as a classic, and his art style borrows much from the Golden/early Silver Age art look. He is a well-known advocate for a light-hearted approach to stories, which suits the Spirit well. This strong colletion contains seven stories by Cooke: six issues of the regular title, and the "Batman/The Spirit" specia that he collaborated on with Jeph Loeb. The main series mixes standalone detective plots with an ongoing mystery that is just getting going at this volume's end. Briefly, the stories are:
#1, "Ice Ginger Coffee", introducing us to the Spirit's wrold, and reassuring audiences that Cooke can do silly puns on female characters' names just like Eisner (the titular reporter, 'Ginger Coffee').
#2, introducing the roguish and likeable Hussein Hussein, and revamping the classic Eisner femme fatale P'Gell. Cooke supplies her with a sympathetic backstory in order to explain her black-widowing ways, which you can debate the merits of.
#3, wherin Cooke revisits the origin of the Spirit for this series, telling it from different points of view, encompassing virtually every character involved. This is probably the most effectiv dramatic piece of the lot.
#4, with the return of Hussein Hussein and the updating of another of the Spirit's gals, Silk Satin, now a tough CIA agent out to prove she isn't an affirmative action case. We also get the return of the Octopus, the Spirit's Blofeld-esque arch-foe whose face is never seen.
#5, an oddball semi-satire of the consumer food industry that also contains some of the more violent moments in the series so far.
#6, probably the weakest story of the lot, about a group of musicians who get dyed blue by a meteorite. The Spirit himself is mainly an observer here.
Finally, there is the "Batman/The Spirit" special, which is almost entirely about two groups of villains teaming up, as well as the interactions between Police Commissioners Gordon and Dolan. This makes a lot of sense, since the supporting cast in "The Spirit" was always the life of the party. The result is a great deal of fun, and Cooke draws some very nice Bat-villains, in particular adding Harley and Ivy to his list of femme fatales.
Overall, Cooke is to be commended for his quality reimagining of Eisner's work; he expertly smoothes over the great embarassment of the classic stories (Ebony White), and touches up other characters in ways that make them a bit modern without losing their classic charm.
I must, however, join in with another reviewer here in noting the poor design of the dust jacket on this hardcover; in particular, the pieces that help define the "s" in Spirit seem destined to become bent or rip off.
This is not The Spirit! No one can do the Spirit like Will Eisner and this book tries to hard to be an up to date version but, it falls short.
Awesome. Will Eisner's original "Spirit" stories are kind of a cult-favorite thing -- they had a very peculiar rhythm and offbeat sense of humor to them and they were also lighthearted parodies of the superhero and detective genres, so they don't necessarily appeal to everyone. But they are also brilliant, funny, richly detailed and deservedly legendary.
Author-illustrator Darwyn Cooke has done an absolutely ingenius job of capturing the kooky charm and sensual feel of the original "Spirit" stories, while at the same time modernizing them and streamlining the action in ways that are quite satisfying. Fans of the old series will be pleased, as will any open-minded, intelligent comicbook fan. And if this delightful set of slam-bang, pure fun adventure tales also gets new readers to go back and check out the old Eisner stories, more power to 'em! It would be great if Cooke would continue the series, 'cause he's definitely got a feel for it, and opportunities like this don't come around too often. I read a lot of graphic novels and then pass them on to others -- this one, however, is a keeper. Highly recommended. (ReadThatAgain book reviews)
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