The Art Of Will Eisner!

It's been quite the year. My year-long look at the expansive Spirit canon by Will Eisner and others has been a project I've wanted to complete for quite a few years and I'm both happy and sad that's it's finished at long last. Will Eisner, aided by a talented team of assistants made some of the finest comics to ever appear in the field. Eisner was at once a great artistic talent, a gifted storyteller and a savvy businessman who was able to keep control of his greatest creation while most others lost theirs to faceless corporations. With the help of publishers such as Kitchen Sink he was able to produce new work as well as see his classic material reach fresh audiences.

Thanks to DC all of The Spirit's classic stories are in print. I was able to put together a full set of the archive editions from second-hand sources, though I confess I paid more for certain volumes than I anticipated I would when I began the gathering of resources. But I don't regret a dime spent on collecting up these gems. I've always had a healthy collection of Spirit stories, but now I have an even finer collection. And it might require a few years, but I cannot rule out another reading of these magnificent stories. Even the weaker tales by other talents have their charm. 

So let me close out this reflection after twelve months of heady reading. I'm sated for the moment and ready for a new challenge. More on that in a few days when we welcome in the new year, but for now a respite. Tomorrow and the day after expect something very different to cleanse the palate for what is to come next. Until then. 

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The Spirit Archives Volume Twenty-Seven!

Following on after DC's long run of The Spirit archive editions, Dark Horse Books in conjunction with longtime Kitchen Sink owner Denis Kitchen put out a twenty-seventh volume in the style of the DC books which gathered together the nine issues of The Spirit - The New Adventures. After many years of trying to talk Eisner into allowing other creators to play with The Spirit's universe, he at last convinced him of the idea in 1998. Some of the best comic men of the time took a dip in those Central City waters. 

The debut issue of The Spirit - The New Adventures features three tales by the super-star team of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, who also produced the cover. "The Most Important Meal" features Dr. Cobra who tells his origin story. "Force of Arms" offers up a possible clue to the identity of The Octopus. And the final story "Gossip and Gertrude Granch" tells us what really happened to Dr. Cobra's muscle-bound assistant. These stories all are connected in strange ways with that subtle Moore magic. 

The second issue offers up a cover by Will Eisner Mark Shultz. Under it is "The Return of Mink Stole" by Neil Gaiman and artist Eddie Campbell and combines a Spirit story with one torn from the realm of Quentin Tarrantino which propels a timid writer into a shady story of theft and more. "Sunday in the Part with St. George" by Jim Vance and artist Dan Burr has The Spirit race to the aid of a woman dangling from a flagpole where he meets an old enemy. "The Sphinx the Jinx in the Game of Life" by John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra features a hapless chap just released from jail but doomed by fate to return. 

The third issue features a striking cover by Brian Bolland. The first story "Last Night I Dreamed of Dr. Cobra" by writer Alan Moore and artist Daniel Torres is a strange affair set in a distant future in which Central City is the site of an archeological endeavor and in which strange discoveries are made. "Ellen's Stalker" by Mark Kneece and artist Bo Hampton features Ellen Dolan when she is at first saved then pursued by a man who imitates the look of The Spirit. 

The fourth issue sports another new cover by Will Eisner, this time with the assistance of William Stout. "The Samovar of Shooshnipoor" was written by Kurt Busiek and drawn by his partner on Astro City Brent Anderson. It features Sand Saref in a tale in which she tries yet again to manipulate The Spirit in a bid to gain riches. This issue also has a pin-up by Moebius of The Spirit looking a lot like Humphrey Bogart. "The Weapon by Michael Allred, Matt Brundage and Michael Avon Oeming has The Spirit fighting Nazis and their robot allies on the docks of Central City. "Dr. Broca Von Bitelman" by Mark Schultz and artist David Lloyd features Satin and a mad doctor and his deadly "Super-Beetles". 

The fifth issue features a cover by Paul Chadwick and John Nyberg and is a key scene from the issue-length story titled "Cursed Beauty" by the same team. This one deals with a gorgeous woman who leaves the scene of a murder naked save for a barely concealing overcoat. There are lots of twists and turns in this story which also showcases Ebony White in a key role. 

The sixth issue features a gritty cover by Tim Bradstreet. The first story titled "Swami Vashtibubu" was written by John Ostrander and drawn by Tom Mandrake, and has The Spirit go around in drag to knab a gang of fraudsters led by a murderous couple. "Baby Eichbergh" by Scott Hampton on both script (with assistance by Mark Kneece) and art tells of a terrible kidnapping which features a strange quartet of good Samaritans. 

The seventh issue features a cover by Peter Poplaski. Under it is a story titled "Golf Anyone?" in which Commissioner Dolan cajoles The Spirit onto the links for a game to relax him, but of course that only ends in the duo finding more crimes to solve. A long-missing cast member shows up unexpectedly. "The Pacifist" was written by Eddie Campbell and Marcus Moore and drawn by Campbell and Pete Mullins and tells the tale of a bullet with ambitions beyond that for which it created. "The Ghost of Tiger Traps" written by Jay Stephens and drawn by Paul Pope features a trio of boys including Sammy and P.S. Smith as they try to get to the bottom of a notorious gangster who seems to rise from his grave. 

In the final issue we get a cover by Mark Nelson. The story "Sweetheart" was written by Joe R. Lansdale and drawn by John Lucas. This issue-long adventure features a naked woman who refuses to stay dead and in the morgue despite repeated attempts. It's a ghoulish ending to a strange series which seemed to want to update The Spirit for a modern audience. 

In a later edition of this same volume put out by Dark Horse a story originally intended for the series by Gary Chaloner was added. In the meantime, Chaloner had adapted it in his John Law edition reversing the order of things with the epic Sand Saref tale from so long ago.  

There are lots of very good stories in this volume and I recommend it. But if you're looking for the same jolt you got from those classic Eisner tales, beware as the creators here go off the reservation as they should have done when given the okay. Eisner only limited them in two ways -- The Spirit could not be married nor could he be killed. As we've learned killing The Spirit is virtually impossible. It's been fantastic this past year reading these classic tales. I'll have wee bit more to say on this year-long odyssey later. 

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The Christmas Spirit!

The Christmas Spirit is a collection published by Kitchen Sink and gathers up Eisner's holiday tales. The gimmick is that during this singular holiday, The Spirit can take a break as a greater spirit takes over and works its tiny miracles. Eisner began these stories in his very first year on the strip and continued them right up until he was drafted. After his return they began again, creating some of the best stories from the venerated series. Below are the splash pages for the stories in this collection. 

"Joy" was written and illustrated by Will Eisner for the December 21st, 1947 installment of The Spirit Section. By this time, Eisner had produced many "Christmas Spirits" as these stories were dubbed, but this one was different. It's presented as text on single panels. Always an innovator, Eisner's technique here is exquisite and typically the story is full of character and spark. In a mere seven pages Eisner unfolds a modern fable, a tale of child who finds the land of his dreams.

This was the very first Spirit story reprinted by Warren Magazines in Eerie #54. It's a very odd choice, since it's so atypical of a standard Spirit story. Certainly, folks seeing The Spirit for the very first time must've been quite surprised by subsequent tales which hewed closer to standard comics format. Jerry Grandenetti is credited with the backgrounds on this story. Abe Kanegson did the lettering. This version has lush colors by Rich Corben.

"Joy" is just that, a story to fill your heart with the proper seasonal feeling. Merry Christmas to each and every one of you. Thanks for stopping by.

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The Spirit Meets The Green Hornet!

(Mike Allred)

The Green Hornet Meets The Spirit from Dynamite Comics is much more fun than I expected. These crossovers can work, or they can become somewhat mechanical. This one by Fred Van Lente and artist Bob Q is a whimsical story which gives a new life to all the characters involved. Set in 1966 obviously, this one gives us an unexpected take on The Spirit in a story which maintains the continuity of the original Will Eisner comic sections. This 2018 comic series is just the right length at five issues, none of the storytelling time is wasted. Not only do we get nods of appreciation to the two major heroes and their allies, we even get an offbeat mention of a certain Fab 4 from a certain "House of Ideas". All of this is in good fun with a delightful blend of humor and action with enough of a mystery to keep the reader engaged throughout. The payoff is worth the trip. 

(Ty Templeton)

(Javier Pulido)

I enjoyed this one in the handy trade edition, though I picked up the individual issues as well. 

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The Dynamite Spirit!

In 2015 Dynamite Comics picked up the rights to produce new Spirit stories. More famous for their unending alternate covers, on this project they restrained themselves in that respect, save for the debut issue. The story which ran in all twelve issues was written by Matt Wagner and drawn by Dan Schade with colors by Brennan Wagner. Covers for the series were produced by Eric Powell, and those are uniformly magnificent. 

(Matt Wagner)

(Alex Ross)

Formally titled Will Eisner's The Spirit, the series returns to the vintage world of the classic series. It opens after two years have passed since The Spirit was last seen. The world has moved on as best it can. Commissioner Dolan is considering retirement, being pushed out by a seedy politician named Weatherby Palmer. Ellen has found romance of a sort with a district attorney named Archibald Shale, and she's found meaning as a member of the city council. Ebony White and Sammy Strunk (Sammy gets a last name at long last) have formed a partnership as detectives and at the end of the debut issue decide it's high time they investigated the disappearance of their friend The Spirit. 

We see The Spirit only in flashback as the detective duo interview past friends and enemies of the missing hero. P'Gell and The Octopus come into the story in fascinating ways as do others. Finally, we discover, at least in part what has become of Central City's defender, but I want to remain relatively mum on those details so as to not spoil it. Suffice it to say that he's come into conflict with a deadly and mysterious enemy named Mikado Vass, also known as the Crimson Tiger. Vass is a villain of such stature that few will even discuss him. Also on hand is a new femme fatale named Sachet Spice, a woman who takes a very special interest in our hero. 

This is as it turns out a very compelling mystery. The creators keep our hero off the board long enough to actually create some real mystery about his whereabouts, and the payoff makes sense. Schade's art becomes increasingly cartoonish, perhaps owing to a style choice or the pressures of production, but it's not as strong at the end as at the beginning, or maybe I just tired of it. 

This has been collected and that would be the ideal way to enjoy this story. I could only get the original issues from back issue vendors as I didn't follow this series when it came out. This one is recommended for Spirit fans, especially the early issues. 

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