The Spirit Archives, Vol. 25

A couple weeks ago, I was reading a collection of Mike Hammer comic strips from the early 80s when I made a wondrous discovery. Listed in the volume were a slew of other news strip collections available from the publisher. I was beyond thrilled to learn that there was not one but three volumes devoted to a 6-day per week collection of The Spirit comic strips. 

As any established Will Eisner aficionado knows, The Spirit got it's start as an 8-page color insert in the Sunday edition of many national newspapers. But did you know that for about 2 years, readers were treated to 7-days of adventures starring the Spirit, his assistant Ebony and the Central City police force? I sure as heck didn't!

The next day I went on Amazon to try and purchase those volumes. All 3 were available. But at really expensive prices that I just wasn't willing to pay. Then I got the idea that maybe, JUST MAYBE, DC released the dailies as part of the complete Will Eisner's The Spirit Archives. Lo and behold, a volume was produced. The penultimate book in the library has the whole scoop on the Spirit dailies along with a foreword by Tom Spurgeon and a brief introduction from one of those early 80s strip collections by the master himself on the art team behind this version of The Spirit. And I just happened to have this book in my 'to-read' pile and didn't even know that I was sitting on a gold mine!

Will Eisner only got to work on about the first 6 weeks of stories as both the writer, artist and inker before being drafted by the Army. Like a few others in the industry, Eisner attempted to moonlight as the strips artist and inker. But his military responsibilities grew to be too much and he had to go on an indefinite hiatus for the remainder of World War II.

Lou Fine and Jack Cole replaced Eisner in his absence in subsequent order. Both tried extremely hard to make the transition of creators as seamless as possible. While they managed to capture the artwork fairly well (I didn't notice a definite lacking in that quality until about the last third of the book), neither talent could match the genius of Will Eisner. For one thing, their story plotting seems to go in circles. There's a definite lack of creativity. Plus neither Fine nor Cole could portray Ebony White with any sort of dignity. His faces are exaggerated to the standards of the Jim Crow minstrel. His English is severely broken. And instead of being a reluctant hero, Ebony's portrayed more as a buffoon whose fate hinges on pure dumb luck.

The Spirit dailies were a victim of World War II. While popular with readers, a lack of talent willing to take on the assignment, spelled doom for the strip. Jack Cole's Plastic Man had become a hit and he was too busy to continue with the tight deadlines for a daily. So with paper at a premium due to rationing, and other titles more than willing to take Denny Colt's place, The Spirit was cancelled; reduced to merely appearing in newsprint every Sunday.

I think what I liked the best about this collection were the two lost Christmas stories, plus a handful of holiday themed strips. As an owner and reader of The Christmas Spirit, I thought I had read all of the character's holiday offerings. But thanks to this volume, I not only got those untold Christmas tales but at least 1 Thanksgiving and a Halloween haunt to read and enjoy as well!

If there is a lesson to be learned from all of this, it's that if you plan on making a very expensive purchase for an addition to a large comic book collection, be sure to do your research and make sure that you don't own the work in another format. I'm so glad that I didn't make an impulsive purchase without checking my books because I would have spent a lot of money on something that I already had and I would have been furious about it.

Worth Consuming!

Rating:8 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit Archives, Vol. 21

This volume covers 6 months of Will Eisner's The Spirit towards the end of its original run. I've been reading these out of order. Normally, that hadn't been a problem as continuity wasn't an issue. However, controversial, but universally loved, sidekick Ebony White is missing from this work, replaced by 2 really annoying sidekicks (and wannabe detectives) Sammy and Willium. (Actually, Willium isn't that bad. But he's no Ebony.) 

Eisner's writing style at this point in time has exploded with creative plotting, experimental narratives and other elements that you'd only find in a masters level English Lit class. Reading this book was like attending a writing clinic. You can see how generations of comic book artists, writers and prose novelists were inspired by Will Eisner's The Spirit. The crazy thing is some of the best Spirit stories don't even have the main character as an active player. Heck, sometimes, he's nowhere to be found!

Something new, at least in the volumes I have read so far, is a multi-issue story arc about a lawman named Dick Whittler. A sheriff from another town, he's called the Spirit in to help with a murder case in which we discover that our hero is the prime suspect. Over the course of 3 chapters, the Spirit must clear his name while proving that Commissioner Dolan wasn't an accomplice to the crime. 

The Spirit is known for solving extremely puzzling mysteries. This volume solved a long-standing puzzle for myself. A couple of years ago, I read The Christmas Spirit. Produced in 1994 by Kitchen Sink Press, the holiday treasury collected all of the Christmas themed stories to appear in the series' original run. One story told of a little girl named Darling O'Shea, the richest girl in the world who wants to capture Santa Claus for skipping her house for the past several Christmas Eves. I wondered who in the heck just this little tyke was and thanks to this book, I finally learned her origins. 

As I've gotten older, heading into my late 40s, I've really been craving the comfort foods of Carl Barks, Stan and Jack, and Don Rosa. Add Will Eisner to that menu. I know that their works have flaws. But nobody is perfect. History is full of prejudices, stereotypes and ignorance. Eisner's Ebony White was steeped in black stereotype and was phased out eventually by the comics legend who was troubled by the character's legacy. When I try to read comics from 'a simplier time', I'm not oblivious to the blemishes. But man are the 2020 such a downer that I need some escape!

My first degree is in history. I love learning about the past. Especially the pop culture era of 1938-2000. And I have found that one of the best ways to learn about this time period is through the entertainment of the day. Who better than Will Eisner to learn about the highs and lows of the American storyteller? He might not have been a perfect man but his works are far superior than a lot of modern comic creators who act like they've never made a mistake in their entire life. 

I'll keep on reading and doing my darndest in trying to collect the entire Eisner library.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit Archives, Vol. 4

October is almost here. That means I can let myself read Halloween and other horror themed titles throughout the whole month. But I can't wait. I'm like a kid waiting for Santa to arrive. I needed a fix and I needed it quick.

I decided to go with an unread volume of Will Eisner's Spirit Archives. With its noirish tone, creepy villains and the fact that the Spirit lives in a cemetery, I felt like I could scratch that Halloween itch without breaking my self-imposed reading guidelines.

The stories in this volume were originally published from January-June, 1942. Pearl Harbor shocked the country and America is now at war with Germany and Japan. Thus, elements of the war are beginning to creep into the strip. There's spies and saboteurs galore. The Spirit has been enlisted by the Army as a G-2 level agent, called from time to time to put down the fascist secret agents operating in the shadows of Central City.

These enemy agents are pretty well organized. That's because of workings of their leader, the mysterious master of disguise, the Squid. I can't find evidence of this, so all I can do is conclude that the Squid is an an early version of what will become the Spirit's arch-enemy, the Octopus. But for all I know, they might be the same guy. You never see either's true face. Both wear purple suits with matching gloves. Only the Squid is an operative of Adolph Hitler whereas the Octopus was his own boss and the unofficial leader of the city's underworld.

The controversial Ebony White really shines in a few stories. He develops a robotic figure that helps uncover espionage on an Army base. Plus he shows real bravery and loyalty sticking up for not just the Spirit but Commissioner Dolan and his daughter Ellen.

There's a love triangle afoot as British agent Silk Satin returns on several occasions to help the war effort. Satin almost succeeds in permanently stealing the Spirit away from Ellen during a particularly intimate mission in which The Spirit and Satin must play parents to an innocent little baby. A babe who just happens to be the exiled King of Balkslavania!

The artwork makes me jealous. I wish I could draw that spirited (no pun intended.) Eisner's hands could put so much life into a panel. It's not just a comic book. It's a living breathing world with so many untold tales behind every door and darkened window, just begging to be revealed! 

I want the whole collection. I don't care about the order. Will Eisner's Spirit is my comfort food for when I long for an entertaining, creative read on a chilly night with a faithful cat and warm blanket. Perfect fall weather reading.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit Archives, Vol. 10

January through June, 1945. The second World War is drawing to a close. Will Eisner is still tinkering away as a warrant officer in Washington, using the medium of comics to teach preventative maintenance. In New York, Eisner's creation, the vigilante detective posing as a criminal warlord, the Spirit, is still being published by talents such as Jack Cole. And yet, Eisner's creation just isn't the same without him.

Under Will Eisner, the characters had emotion. The layouts were brilliant experiments in lettering and design. The plots were simultaneously action-packed and funny. The art evoked empathy, passion and horror. Above all, an air of whimsy filled the corner of every page until it oozed off the paper. 

Without Will Eisner, the Spirit has become a soulless crime book. Instead of being imitated by the rest of the industry, the series has become just another in an endless sea of crime comics that seek to push countless envelopes. 

There are essentially 2 sections of this book. About the first 9 or 10 stories are trash. The artwork is flat but acceptable. The plots are complicated to the point of being unintelligible. The dialogue is like someone took a bunch of Sam Spade and James Cagney scripts and threw them in a blender: cliche without substance.

Then some miraculous changes around that 11th or 12th story. The art begins to pop. The colors are brighter. The story lines are now creative and the dialogue is much more polished. It lacks the charm Will Eisner brought to the characters. None of the writers that contributed to the Spirit at this time seem to be able to get Commissioner Dolan's relationship with the hero right. But it's better than the drivel that filled the first 80 pages of this book. 

I want to own the whole 26-volume Spirit archive. (There's actually 27 books in the set. But I think I own all the material that fills that final book and might not need to possess it.) Anyways, I buy (and read) these out of order. I purchase that which is affordable, not chronological order, based on many of these being out of print. Knowing now that Eisner is absent from the books containing the war years, If I am faced with two volumes of about the same price range that is favorable to my wallet and one is set during World War II and the other is not, I'll take the latter... for now.

A fair read. I wish I knew who wrote those later stories in this volume so I could give proper kudos. The difference between the halves of this volume really are as different as night and day.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit Archives, Vol. 3

I could have finished this book in September. Only there was a Halloween story. So, I took a break until the week before All Hallow's. I read that seasonal tale and progressed until I hit the Thanksgiving story. Hitting the breaks again, this was my last Turkey Day read for 2023. I then kept reading until there came a Christmas caper! So I waited until I got a little bit closer to Santa's arrival. And then I forgot all about this book. 

I had picked up a collection of all of Will Eisner's Christmas Spirit stories. I think after I did the review, I probably got all mixed up in my head and combined that book with this one and just moved on. Thankfully, working on my comic book inventory and filing, I realized that I still had this book to finish. To my delight, I didn't mind all the delays because I really, really love The Spirit. 

This collection is early Will Eisner Spirit. At book's start, the Spirit has only been running in syndicated Sunday newspapers for a year. This edition marks the beginning of year 2 of the Spirit. Eisner's genius is showing through. However, many of those iconic villains have yet to be introduced yet. Arch-enemy, The Octopus and femme fatale P'Gell are about 5 years away from becoming a part of the Spirit's Rogue's Gallery. Childhood love turned law breaker Sand Sarif won't come back into the former Denny Colt's life for another decade. Despite some of these notable absences, there are still some memorable characters to be found inside.

The pint-sized P.S. Smith causes trouble for the Spirit and baddies alike for at least 2 hilarious stories. Spirit sidekick Ebony White has a number of misadventures with his cousin and other family members. And we can't forget Commissioner Dolan's daughter Ellen, who is madly in love with the Spirit. She works so freaking well as the Gal Friday and Kate Hepburn to the Spirit's Cary Grant/Spencer Tracy. But she's also great on her own; especially in a romp where Ellen joins an all-women's football team that's playing a team that is nothing but tough guys in drag attempting to beat the point spread!

By the start of break #1 in my reading of this book, I took to Amazon to buy up a couple more volumes. I knew that my wife wasn't going to get me these for my birthday or Christmas, so I was clear in buying up a couple of books. Thanks to remembering that I needed to review this collection, I went back to Amazon to snag a couple more. These Archive editions are not cheap. They retail for $49.99 and many are either out of print and that means whatever copies of those I manage to find are not cheap. But hopefully, I wind up with all 26 volumes and the complete run of original Will Eisner Spirit stories in my possession.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Christmas Spirit

Will Eisner's The Spirit ran as part of a 16-page syndicated supplement in newspapers from June, 1940 to October, 1952. During this print run, a total of 9 annual holiday set tales were published. (Eisner was drafted into the Army during the height of World War II, resulting in the yule tide Spirit capers to be postponed from 1942-1944.) These stories were published as 'The Christmas Spirit.' In these festive adventures, The Spirit takes a backseat; in fact, he's not even in a couple of these stories. The anti-hero formerly known as Denny Colt refuses to work on Christmas, claiming that another Spirit works in his stead every December 25th. For many fans, these are some of the most beloved stories from Will Eisner's most famous creation and I might just have to agree.

This 1994 trade paperback from Kitchen Sink Press collects all 9 stories. There's also an introduction by Eisner that no fan of comic books should overlook. It explains how the very Jewish Will Eisner came to create a yearly story that became a Christian holiday tradition for millions of readers.

To pick a favorite would be like picking the child you like most. There's so many great stories here. But if I had to select the one that was my least favorite, it would be December 1946's 'A Fable'. In this story, a trio of characters are accosted separately by Central City lowlifes. It turns out that these 3 men are ambassadors attempting to solve the crisis of Post World War II European reconstruction. Should they fail, the region will fall back into an endless cycle of conflict. Each one's individual assaults threaten that peace process. Why was it the winner of my least favored read? For one, the story was confusing. For second, the plot of the story is unbalanced, focusing on 2 of the ambassadors while seemingly forgetting the third altogether by page 2 of the tale.

A product of the 1940s and 50s, there are some outdated elements. Elements such as the exaggerated look of Spirit's sidekick, Ebony, have been lamented over often as poor decisions by Eisner. If you are willing to overlook those dreadful parts of history and see this book as a time capsule of how people thought and acted during the time period, you can enjoy this book. While it has its sins, The Christmas Spirit collection is a heck of a lot more positive than just about anything currently being released by any form of multi-media. 2023 feels like a time where nothing can improve. 1940-51 Christmas Spirit stories felt like there was a promise of a new day on the horizon. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Batman/ The Spirit One-Shot (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

The Batman/The Spirit one-shot team-up titled 'Crime Convention' won the 2007 Eisner Award for the 'Best Single Issue/One-Shot'. Written by Jeph Loeb, this madcap adventure is the first ever pairing of the Dark Knight and 'the real only middle-class crimefighter.'

The story has Gotham City's Commissioner Gordon and Central City's Commissioner Dolan heading to Hawaii for a convention of police and law enforcement officers. On his way to the airport, Dolan is swooned by a fiery redhead named Ivy while Jim Gordon is being accompanied by his new girlfriend; a sultry brunette by the name of P'Gell!

The villains of the Batman and the Spirit have joined forces to make the convention an explosive event that nobody will ever forget! Everyone from the Cossack to Killer Croc have converged on America's 50th state to have some fun, get some sun and hit at the heart of their arch-enemies. Thankfully, Batman and the Spirit are en route to Hawaii. But are they too late?

The star of this book is artist Darwyn Cooke. Introducing the Spirit to the DC Universe, Cooke would later go on to be written and illustrator for the first 14 issues of DC's Spirit ongoing. A student of the golden and silver ages of comics, Cooke combined classic artwork with modernized poses and Kirby-esque framing. As a result of his efforts on both this one-shot and the Spirit monthly, Cook earned the 2007 Joe Shuster Award for Outstanding artist.

Dave Stewart won the 2007 Eisner as best colorist for this special. 

A Late Freeze, The Preposterous Adventures of IronHide Tom, Skyscrapers of the Midwest #3 and They Found The Car were the other nominees for this category. 

Batman and the Spirit would team again, along with Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze in the 2010 miniseries First Wave.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #9 (Best Single Issue or Serialized Story to Win Eisner Award) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

The Spirit #13

Okay. So this is a holiday book. It's only that the holiday covered in this book doesn't match the one on the cover. There are 3 stories in this issue with only the first issue being set during a holiday. And that holiday in question? Is it Christmas? Nope. It doesn't even take place in December. It's Halloween!

On that Halloween night, a gang of goons have just robbed a jewelry store dressed as The Spirit. Things are going good until they reach the tiger lion exhibit at the city zoo and the jewels have somehow wound up right next to a giant Bengal beauty.

Tale #2 has the Spirit helping out an elderly woman who is being targeted by literal grave robbers on the hunt for her uncle's missing inheritance. 

This issue wraps up with a story told entirely in symbols. There's a literary term for this; but I can't remember what that was. And I refuse to quantify it as emojis.

All 3 stories were good. I don't think I've ever read a bad story about The Spirit. There have been some that I had to read a couple times over as capers involving cons and double-crosses. That last story using symbols required a re-read but mostly because there are so many subtle elements that get lost when there are no words to be seen. 

Still, as much as I liked this issue, I feel gypped. That cover is a beauty done in conjunction with J. Bone (Archie Meets Batman '66) and the late Darwyn Cooke (The Twilight Children). And it's Christmasy, through and through. I would have been okay if only 1 of the 3 stories were Christmas themed or if the cover was Halloween themed. But I am unhappy with looking forward all year to this Christmas comic and discovering I should have read this in October. So I am gonna grade hard!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars. 

The Spirit #32

With the US Army threatening to send the mysterious new island in Central City's harbor back to the murky depths, the Spirit races to save Commissioner Dolan's nephew before it's too late. Meanwhile, Leprechaun detective Cormac is leading an army of hobos from Central City against an army of the undead. If their reanimated leader gets his hand on a stolen Irish artifact called the Celtic Stone before dawn, not only Central City but the entire world will be enslaved by a powerful Zombie King.

   Funny, exciting, and a little scary was this the final chapter of the story titled after the stolen rock, the Celtic Stone, and it was perfect. Former Eisner disciple Mike Ploog returned to the world of the Spirit to send this epic series out in style and he did just that! The plot was great- the art even better. I loved it!

    I just hate that this is the final issue of a fantastic Spirit series that highlighted some fantastic artists and writers.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit #31

 

  The series ends with the opening chapter of a two-parter about strange happenings in Central City harbor. A mysterious island has just popped up in the bay much to the panic of the US Armed Forces. Meanwhile, the Spirit is on the hunt for Commissioner Dolan's nephew who might be tied up in some shady dealings and has gone missing. Adding to the fun is the appearance of a new detective from Ireland who also happens to be on the hunt for the young Dolan. Oh, and this new inspector is also Leprechaun...

   Mike Ploog, who actually worked on the Spirit with creator Will Eisner returns to the franchise in this two-parter titled 'The Celtic Stone.' You can really see the influence of Eisner on Ploog's script, but it's the art that shows the biggest resemblance. I could have sworn that this was a missing Eisner work because it looked that close to the master's original works.

   I really enjoyed this first chapter. It captured the fun, mystery, and sometimes creepy tones of the original Spirit series from the 40s. I hate that this series is ending as this is a prime example of just how great a character the Spirit is and a testament to the overall quality of the past 31-issues.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit #30

   Central City is in the midst of a gang war between the Yakuza and Triad that operate out of the city's China Town. But as it's spilling out into the rest of the City, Commissioner Dolan puts the Spirit in charge of ending the turmoil. Can the hero solve this conflict alone or will he have to accept some less than reputable help from some of the other gangs that operate in the metropolis?

   This was a perfect noir story that had twists, turns, and the patented shock ending. It was very fast paced and a very fun read. Michael Avon Oeming writes and draws this single-issue epic. He did a magnificent job from cover to cover. Sadly, it was the only one he crafts in the dynamic series devoted to the Will Eisner hero. 

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit #29

   If you are a fan of Doctor Who, then you know that some of the best episodes don't even feature the Doctor in them. Take the classic episode 'Blink' which introduces the ultra scary Weeping Angels. The 10th Doctor is in that episode maybe a total of 10 minutes. But it's the supporting cast (and those darn Angels) that make it a fan favorite.
   That's the same way here with a story titled 'Needles and Pinski.' Here, an up-and-coming tattoo artist named Pinksi who is taking the city by storm. So much that Commissioner Dolan's daughter is dying to have one inked by him. In between Ellen's trips to see about some new art, we learn that this new artist is secretly running a drug running operation on the side.
   
    Pinksi's partner is an older tattoo artist from the old school way of body art. Named Needles, he's feeling his age compared with the youngsters popularity. Tempted to retire, Needles has only one thing stopping him- the parlor's beautiful receptionist.

    A love triangle forms as Needles has no idea that the secretary for the parlor is secretly Pinski's girl. As jealousy mounts, the elder partner will learn of the drug running scheme but his life may be in danger when he also catches Pinksi in the middle of the act of fixing to torch the place.

   Will the Spirit, on the trail of Pinksi's drug running pals be able to save the day before it's too late?

  As you can see from my plot synopsis, I mentioned the Spirit once. I think out of the 32-page story, he appears in maybe 8 of them. Ellen Dolan is in this issue more than the Spirit is. But with it's gritty finale, twist ending, and dynamic art, this is one of my favorite issues not just in this Spirit series but of any published incarnation of the Will Eisner character that I have yet read.

    Worth Consuming and sure to become a favorite of yours if you just give this unique tale a fighting chance.

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit #28

   Part three of 'Choices' focuses on the Spirit femme fatale, Plaster of Paris. The Spirit travels to France after he gets a tip that the lethal lady may just have returned from the dead. While in Gay Paree, our hero flashes back to his first meeting with Plaster in the hot desert sands of the Sahara.
   
    While the dangerous dame did have ties to the Spirit villain the Octopus, that's about all that this chapter has to do with the previous two issues. That's very disappointing because after building up a running story involving Spirit trying to rehabilitate his former girlfriend, Silken Floss, the Octopus lackey is nowhere to be found. Plus, except for popping up in flashbacks, the former Denny Colt's archenemy doesn't appear either.

   Now, the story about the possible resurrection of Plaster of Paris was very good and entertaining. It just had nothing to do with the previous two chapters of the 'Choices' storyline despite being built up as such. So, that's going to drop the star rating for this book a little bit but not enough to not be considered Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit #27

The cover by Brian Bolland features a super-creepy
looking Lorelei Rox and the deft fingers of
the ever-unseen Octopus.

   Chapter 2 of 'Choices' features a character named Lorelei Rox. She's a siren with an enchanting voice that at the right frequency she can control minds. The Octopus has decided to take advantage of the chanteuse's gift by setting up a sonic device that could enslave the entire city and eventually the world. It's up to the Spirit, Commissioner Dolan and the Central City police, and Octopus affiliate, Dr. Silken Floss to stop the madman's ploy of global domination.

   One part crime noir, one part Phantom, this story was thrilling and a little hokey. The character of Lorelei is a lot like the 1966 Batman series villain Siren, played by Joan Collins. But the character of Ms. Rox was created first sometime around 1940. But I can see that this character definitely was an inspiration to the writers and producers of that classic ABC series.

   This issue builds upon the previous issue with the Spirit having helped to restore Dr. Floss' reputation. But she's still on the fence where her loyalty lies. The team of DeSanto and Uslan have done a wonderful job in crafting what I think is the first ever multi-part Spirit story. But, I felt like the story flipped from gritty noir to goofy parody the moment the Octopus whisks Lorelei to his subterranean sewer lair. Hopefully, the final chapter in the next issue will not disappoint.

   Worth Consuming

  Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit #26

Cover by the great Brian Bolland.

   

    

   Issue #26 kicks off a three-part story devoted to an integral part of the Spirit mythos- the femme fatales. The first dangerous doll featured is Dr. Silken Floss, the former high school sweetheart of Denny Colt before he became the Spirit. This is mostly an origin story that reveals why the former good girl devoted herself to a life of crime as the Octopus' right-hand man- er woman. It's up to the Spirit to tap into that now hardened persona in hopes of convincing her to help stop the Octopus from unleashing a deadly biological agent on Central City.

   This is all-new territory for fans of the Will Eisner hero. First, this marks writer FJ Desanto and artist's Justiniano's inaugural take on the Spirit. With a different tone and new art, I had to prevent myself from saying that this story was better or worse that Aragones/ Evanier/ and Hardin's run on this series.

   This issue is also the first chapter in the first ever multi-part story of  this series. Most of Eisner's original Spirit tales were single issue stories. Thus no cliffhangers. But that didn't mean that there wasn't a degree of continuity throughout the Spirit's classic first run. That's exactly what happens here as this issue has an ending, but there's also a set-up for chapter 2 of this storyline entitled 'Choices.'

   An okay story but it's one fraught with more questions than answers. Hopefully, more will be revealed in issue #27.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit #25

   The Octopus seeks to corner the canned mushroom market in Central City. Now, what would a dastardly villain like that be wanting to set up a monopoly in such a thing as that? Well, it turns out, he's rigged a cooking contest where only his brand of canned mushrooms is eligible for the winning recipe. Thus, the Octopus hopes that once the citizens of Central City become poisoned by his tainted fungi, the crime lord will be able to hold the town ransom for the antidote.

   I really loved this issue. One it involves the Octopus- the definitive archenemy of the Spirit. Two- it's a story with heart, brains, and humor. And three- it involves cooking which is my passion and vocation. So for me it was a win-win-win!

   Once again the combined writing team of Aragones and Evanier crafted a masterful tale. The art, however, is quite different. The pencils by Aluir Amanico were good, but they didn't quite match the skilled pen of Chad Hardin who drew the past few issues. Still, that didn't take away from enjoying one of the best modern Spirit tales to come around in quite some time.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit #24

   Bodies seem follow wherever the Spirit roams. Or is it the other way around? The hero goes on a globetrotting adventure from the United States to the jungles of Cambodia to recover a missing artifact.  It seems that during the Vietnam War, a unit of soldiers came across a valuable idol near Phnom Penh. Since it would be impossible to bring the statue back to the states and so they form a tontine in which the last surviving member of the group would return to Central Asia and recover the priceless artifact for themselves. 

   Well, one of the vets has decided to end the wait prematurely and is killing off the rest of the unit one by one. But with a dwindling list of suspects, who is the killer and will the Spirit be able to stop the carnage before it's too late? 

   An instant classic by Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier. The art by Chad Hardin continues to emulate Spirit creator Will Eisner's timeless style quite well. But I really would like to see MAD Magazine veteran artist Aragones give pencilling the Spirit a try. I think while it would be very cartoony, it would also be a rare treat for fans of both the legendary artist and the classic noir gumshoe.

   Worth Consuming

   9 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit #23 (Correct Version)

Cover by legendary artist
Joe Kubert.

Commissioner Dolan is pretty stressed and needs to relax. So his daughter Ellen and the Spirit take him out to a Dude Ranch for a much needed R & R. But the vacation turns into a working vacay when one of the fellow visitors is murdered during a horseback ride.

    I liked this issue as the art and writing were quite good. It was like reading a comic book version of an Agatha Christie novel, of which I am a fan of. There were intriguing characters with fascinating backstories that may or may not have anything to do with the crime committed. You just have to wade through the clues.

   However, I wasn't quite such a fan of the ending. It's not that the mystery wasn't crafted well or that the reveal was a total cop-out (one Christie novella had all of the victims being the murderer for God's sake!) But when the killer was revealed, as was his motive, I was expecting the criminal to say " ...And I would've gotten away with it if it wasn't for those meddling kids!" This wasn't the mystery machine folks!

   Worth Consuming but it has a very hokey cliched ending and an even cornier punchline.

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit #22 (Correct Version)

The cover is a tribute to Will Eisner's original series
in which the series title would play a part of the scene or action.

   When magicians begin popping up all over the city dead, it's up to the Spirit to solve the case and prevent a crime spree. Most of the stories in this series have been crime noirs that are heavier on action that actual crime solving. That changes here are there are dozens of clues littered throughout this book in which the reader is invited to solve before the protagonist can.
 
    You pretty much know from the start who the villain is. But like the Spirit, you're beginning from square one trying to determine a motive while figuring out just how they did it.  Honestly, I thought the solution stunk. It was so far fetched but the build-up and the conclusion in which the Spirit apprehends the villain was very good.

    The art by Chad Hardin and Wayne Faucher was also well done. They've been a great duo to attempt a reasonable facsimile of Will Eisner's timeless style. But they, along with the deft talents of writers Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier, just aren't enough to make this a very memorable story because as I said the solution just wasn't all that great.

   Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

The Spirit #21 (DC Comics 2007-09)

   In hopes of bringing down a local gang, the Spirit impersonates their leader under the guise that he has recently been released from jail. But when Chief Dolan's daughter Ellen is kidnapped and taken as a hostage, by the gang the Central City Police are forced to release the actual baddie. What transpires when there is now two bosses and a ton of oddly polite bikers is a comedy of errors that only writers Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier could craft.

    I still prefer Darwyn Cooke's run on this series. I felt that he, with his classic noir style, seemed to channel Will Einser's original take on the Spirit really well. But the duo of Aragones and Evanier are a very close second. The plot was so screwball I thought I was reading a comic book adaptation of a Howard Hawks film. It was tons of fun.

   The art was quite good as well, but it surprised the heck out of me. I was convinced that the art was by writer Aragones. It had that quality of his non-Mad Magazine works such as 'Sergio Aragones Destroys the DC Universe.' Instead, this book was crafted by a Paul Smith. I'm not familiar with his work, but it was quite good and paired well with the Spirit and his zany cast of characters.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.