World Famous Comics: The Spirit Archives, Vol. 1: June 2 - December 29, 1940
The Spirit Archives, Vol. 1: June 2 - December 29, 1940
By: Will Eisner Publisher: DC Comics Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: DC Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 200 Publication Date: June 01, 2000 Release Date: June 01, 2000
Classic Spirit Fantastic collection, recommended to fans of the Spirit and new readers alike;
I would like to point out that the series debuted in 1940, and there are some harsh racial undertones in some of the characters which would be totally unacceptable today but the comics are uncensored from their original publishings when racial ignorance was more acceptable, Will Eisner, The Spirit and this hardcover are in no way an endorsement of these racial sentiments.
Excellent storytelling from start to finish This is my first introduction to The Spirit. The fact that Darwyn Cooke has started up a new run of the series and Frank Miller's movie will be in theaters by next year definitely peaked my interest. I have to say, coming from a Batman fan, I think this blows the early Batman stuff away, in both story and especially artwork.
Being as old as this is, I was surprised at how mature a lot of the themes were. Many of the stories deal with crime, corruption, murder, and suicide. The stories were always consistent, and while not everyone of them was brilliant, there were never any that were plain bad. What is great about Eisner's style is he introduces new characters in nearly every strip and when these were first printed it was on a weekly basis.
I marveled at how he was able to come up with so many unique stories without just bringing back the same old villains again and again (most of them are killed off). In fact in some cases, The Spirit doesn't even appear until midway through the story so there's always something new to focus on. The comic strips are only 7 pages in length and so I was impressed at how much story Eisner was able to tell in such a short amount of time (granted he typically stuck to the traditional 9 page layout).
Worth checking out, whether you are already a fan of The Spirit's updated stuff, or want to check it out for the first time.
A Great Collection Eisner was a genius. The Spirit Archives are a great collectors series. If anyone wants to see where comic books came from, this is certainly a place they want to stop and see. But to comprehend the Spirit you will have to read a TON of volumes. The Spirit volume: 1 is a fun and exciting book and i can't wait to start volume: 2.
So racist that it is unpalatable I bought this book because I am a huge fan of comic art and this series is considered to be a groundbreaking classic. However, I found it to be so incredibly racist that I was literally embarrassed to be reading it. I realize that there were different standards in the 40's, but this is completely over the top. In addition, I later researched the series more thoroughly and found that Eisner never really came to terms with his own racism later in life. I will admit that the art is great and groundbreaking--but the level of bigotry and sexism in the book canceled out any artistic merit for me.
There are two Spirits just as there are two, really more, James Bonds. I had read the Spirit in the late forties when it origianlly came out. Recently I have had the pleasure of buying from Amazon and reading Volumes 12-16. These are supposed to represent the best work of Will Eisner. However, to talk about the later books and contrast them with those by Eisner before he went into the army is unfair. I have just read the first two volumes and liked them much better than some of the other reviewers. The original Spirt seems more edgy, more dangerous like The Batman. Those after the war are a bit light hearted. I like them all and want to make an observation. I am a James Bond fan, especially of the first two Bond stars. Sean Connery's original Bond is the most edgy, hardest to predict, and despite the one liners he has a mission you would be afraid to cross. Roger Moore's Bond is more like the Spirit after the war years. More light hearted, even a little campy at times. There is enough enjoyment in the character of The Spirit that I will likely try some of the archives during the war years as done by other artists and writers. After all, Superman and Batman have had many different writers and artists, most very very good. So this is something I need to judge for myself.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
