Customer Reviews

The Spirit Archives: Volume 12

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For the sake of completeness, DC re-issued all the previous sets of Sunday newspaper "Spirit" supplements created while the strip's creator, Will Eisner, was off serving during the war. But those comics by other artists (issued as #5-11 in the SPIRIT ARCHIVES series) are nothing compared to what Eisner produced before the war and certainly nothing like what he produced after it. The last book in the series ended with Eisner's return to the series with his "Christmas Spirit" story for 1945; this volume is all Eisner and shows how he had become if anything even more inventive both artistically and in terms of narrative during his absence from "the Spirit." The collection introduces (and shows the exeunt) of Blubber, Ebony's Aleutian Indian replacement as the Spirit's assistant, and it also introduces the great post-war villain, Mr. Carrion (and his pet buzzard Julia). But it is most noteworthy for some of the most inventive art and narrative that have ever been produced in the comics medium , particularly in the stories "The Fly," "The Last Trolley," "Magnifying Glasses" (a brilliant comics metacommentary on perspective), "The Bucket of Blood" and "The Rubber Band." This shows the beginning of probably the best work (and certainly the most original) done in the comics medium since "Little Nemo in Slumberland."

This volume of The Spirit Archives reprints the Spirit comic strips from January to June 1946. Spirit creator Will Eisner had just gotten out of the army and resumed work on the comic. Eisner was one of the greatest creators in the history of comics, so you can't go wrong here.

It is already said by others here: Eisners return to the Spirit didn't pass unnoticed. You see the quality raise immediately.
His replacements during wartime where merely telling stories with pictures.

Will composes words and drawings to a never before seen unity.

Notice the "Will Eisner Returns" seal at the bottom of this book. Volumes 5-11 contain work by other artists. This one (1946 comics) is true Eisner, and some of his best work. The splash page on the dust jacket is from "Last Trolley", one of Eisner's best stories. For the uninitiated, The Spirit is a masked crimefighter, with a secret identity (ala Batman). But he has no powers, just his fists. This comic is the closest you'll get to the 40's film noir classics. It's tough, touching humorous and loads of fun. The package is expensive, but worth it: hard bound, half year of comics, each expertly colored.
Fans of The Spirit will find this the best packaging of the often reprinted series (1940-1952).

I thoroughly recommend this book to Spirit fans, but not necessarily as the ideal introduction to the Great Spirit.
This volume is The Spirit's springtime.
"The Spirit" at his greatest was characterised by excellent stories, well paced, superb viewer angles in the art-work, and wonderful tension built by the ambiguity in the relationships between the Spirit and the regular characters.
In this volume the stories are good, and the pacing and the angles are developing. The cast of characters is only in its infancy.
The masterpieces are yet to come in future volumes.

The Spirit is a crime fighting hero who uses ingenuity and physical skill, rather than super powers, to defeat evil. He is witty likeable and politically incorrect. The comic pioneered many layout techniques and so many super heros are modeled after The Spirit. The story lines and comics hold up even now more than 60 years later and I recommend for comic book fans to try out the series.

I recommend this series to all comics fans, although not necessarily this volume. The Spirit was very influential and the stories are still good to read now. I recommend this series to libraries, because this is a unique opportunity to archive the entire run of a very influential comic.