Spectre, The: Crimes and Punishments [Paperback]

John Ostrander (Author), Tom Mandrake (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (October 8, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563891271
• ISBN-13: 978-1563891274
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 6.7 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #976,161 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There is a hereafter. There is Justice. The Spectre is both., October 24, 2002

By 

OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Spectre, The: Crimes and Punishments (Paperback)

While it was Frank Miller and his interpretation of Batman that got me back into reading comics after 20 years, it was John Ostrander's take on the Spectre that kept me reading- for 60 glorious issues. This collection contains the first 4 issues that established the basics and the tone.

The Spectre has always been an underrated character in the DC universe, inspite of the fact that he is the most powerful, and that he was created by Jerry Siegel (the co-creator of Superman.)
Ostrander, and the artist Tom Mandrake, were the first to really do justice to the character.

Here is the Wrath of God welded to a human soul. This dual creature, part man, part immortal aspect of the Creator, is tasked to wander the earth confronting evil and avenging the unavenged dead. It is a task at which he must ultimately fail, or as the character admits: "For fifty years, that's what I've done. And the world is no better." You see, he was meant to confront and COMPREHEND evil, for when his mortal portion understood WHY men commit evil, then his soul would be freed and...another soul would be welded to that of the Spectre to serve penance. Morally, philosophically, theologically it is some pretty heavy stuff.

And when the Spectre shows his true aspect and power while proclaiming "There will be Justice! There will be Retribution! You must pay!" well, it still gives me chills. After all, this is the voice of the Wrath of God....

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great character and story, but incomplete., June 5, 2005

By 

Darth Nat (Weaverville, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spectre, The: Crimes and Punishments (Paperback)

Ask someone who Batman or Superman is and they'll spout off to you a brief description and history of the character as if it were common knowledge. Ask someone who the Spectre is, and you're likely to get blank looks.

The Spectre is definitely one of DC Comic's more obscure characters, despite his current resurgence in the "Day of Vengeance" miniseries. The Spectre really hasn't appeared in many storylines. He had a pretty short-lived run in the ancient "More Fun Comics" series, appeared as a narrator in the popular graphic novel "Kingdom Come", and ultimately obtained his own comic series that ran for sixty-something issues. And though he was created to be an archetypical character like Batman and Superman, he never really caught on. Which is a shame.

This graphic novel collects the first four issues of the 1990's Spectre comic (the one I mentioned earlier that ran for sixty-something issues). This comic focused heavily on the characters and morally ambiguous situations because it's hard to put the Spectre into a fight where it would be realistic for him to lose. The Spectre, you see, is perhaps the single most powerful entity in the entire DC universe. And instead of trying to deny this, John Ostrander acknowledges this key element of the Spectre, and instead of trying to put him in situations where he himself is in danger, he puts him in situations where he must question his own effectiveness and how he uses the incredible powers that he wields. The comic is not very action-oriented, but instead involves more psychological battles than physical ones.

The story revolves around Jim Corrigan, a dead man that has wandered the Earth for more than fifty years as the frightening and ethereal Spectre, the embodiment of the Wrath of God. His mission is to inact vengeance and retribution for the murdered dead, but in the process also come to understand the nature of evil. He is tortured by his power, as he cannot rest until he fulfills his mission. After being involved in a mystery that ultimately results in the death of an innocent, a young social worker takes an interest in Corrigan, and he must examine the past and how he came to be the Spectre in the first place.

The storyline is a good one, and it gives a good insight into the nature of the Spectre as well as his slightly different alter-ego, Corrigan. One thing that is really enjoyable about the story is how Ostrander works around the Spectre's near omnipotence. The Spectre wields nearly limitless and unimaginable power in the real world, but when he enters the soul of another, he is almost entirely at their mercy. It leads to many interesting situations that examine the nature of the human heart and soul.

The artwork is quite good as well. It enhances the storyline by painting pictures of the surreal world that the Spectre resides in. Also note that this book is not for the faint of heart. The Spectre is not a hero like Superman or even Batman; when he combats criminals and those worthy of punishment, he generally finishes them off in the most gruesome and visually unpleasant way he can think of.

Though I really like the story and the main character, the book feels incomplete, something addressed in the foreword by the author. These first four issues are a great introduction to the Spectre, but they also start a plot arc that was not resolved for eight more issues in the original comic series, making the book feel like it just ends without a suitable resolution. The main point of the work is achieved, which is to establish the character of the Spectre and how he operates, but the finer points and subplots feel incomplete.

In the end, I really enjoyed the Spectre. He is definitely one of DC's most underrated heroes. However, the fact that this book only gives you a brief taste of what the Spectre is about pains me, since there are currently no other collections of comics from this series available. It's a crying shame, as I would certainly pick them up to read about the further adventures of one of the most powerful and most tortured heroes in comics.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Spectre is an awesome character.........., February 26, 2002

By 

Nelson Jimenez "nelsonzz" (stamford, ct USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spectre, The: Crimes and Punishments (Paperback)

This graphic novel reprints the first 4 issues of the SPECTRE series by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake. They redefined the character for a new generation and did not throw out any of his previous history (he dates back to the 1940s). Ostrander is one of the best writers in comics and is not afraid to tackle controversial topics. The artwork of Mandrake is both moody and exquisite at the same time. They made an awesome team and this comic was the best one published by DC in quite awhile. The comic was voluntarily ended by Ostrander but what great stories he gave us (well over 60 issues of classic storytelling).