The Spirit: The Movie Visual Companion [Hardcover]

Mark Cotta Vaz (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 25, 2008 | Age Range: 5 and up

Will Eisner’s classic comics character makes the leap to the screen in this spectacular new live-action movie written and directed by Frank Miller (Sin City, 300), and starring Gabriel Macht as The Spirit, Samuel L. Jackson as his psychotic arch-nemesis The Octopus, and Eva Mendes and Scarlett Johansson as alluring femmes fatales.

In Central City, one man fights crime using nothing but his wits and his fists. He wears a mask, a suit and a fedora, and he is known only as The Spirit...

This stunning volume, with director’s commentary, contains interviews with the cast and the crew, color photos & production art, and scores of Frank Miller sketches, plus excerpts from the screenplay.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"* "Frank Miller is taking THE SPIRIT into the greatest comic book film noir we're likely to ever see." Ain't It Cool News"

About the Author

Mark Cotta Vaz is one of the world’s foremost author of movie ‘making of’ books. His informed, incisive, and highly entertaining writing has graced titles including Behind the Mask of Spider-Man, The Art of Finding Nemo, The Art of Batman Begins, and his acclaimed history of matte painting in movies, The Invisible Art.

Product Details

• Age Range: 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Titan Books (November 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845768329
• ISBN-13: 978-1845768324
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 1.1 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,527,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mark Cotta Vaz is the author of over twenty-one books, including four New York Times bestsellers. His recent works include Mythic Vision: The Making of Eragon, The Spirit: The Movie Visual Companion, and the biography Living Dangerously: The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of King Kong, which was a Los Angeles Times bestseller

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a very good production diary December 3, 2008

By Parka TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Length: 0:24 Mins

This is a hardcover book with no dust jacket. It's thick and the paper stock is good.

Included are many stories on the production process, Will Eisner's comic panels, behind the scenes photography on set, film stills and movie storyboards. The pages are well laid out and literally soaked with high resolution photos.

Mark Cotta Vaz has provided an in-depth writeup into the production process. The book starts all with a little history of Will Eisner and The Spirit, and goes on to talk about the process of making the movie. There are many interesting things to read, like how the studios negotiated the contract with Will Eisner, the casting of characters, shooting in front of the green screen, shooting different parts of the movies, death and rebirth of The Spirit on the movie and more.

While I'm reading this now, the movie has yet to be released. But looking at the images from the book, I've no doubt it's going to be amazing. The Sin City shooting style influence is strong, the great compositions, strong silhouettes and a limited colour palette. Oh, and add a strong cast -- Samuel L Jackson, Eva Mendes, Scarlet Johansson etc -- too.

This book is more of a production diary or a making-of book, well written and researched by Mark Cotta Vaz. It's highly recommended for fans of The Spirit, movie or comic.

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Smooth book for Will Eisner's The Spirit September 10, 2010

By Winston Blakely

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a very good production book. I enjoyed all the storyboards
and behind the scene stuff. And it was great seeing some of the
classic Will Eisner Spirit art pages as well.I mainly got this
as a reference book, since I am artist who likes the pulp era
and classic comic characters and strips. Yet, I recommend it
regardless, because of all the beautiful photography and artwork.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent inside look at the making of the movie. January 18, 2010

By Michael Gmirkin VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

For those of you who wanted to know how it was done and why it was done, and see some pretty pictures in the meanwhile, this is probably the book for you.

It's a good accompaniment to the special features on the Special Edition DVD: "Green World" and "Miller on Miller." Basically it's a production diary detailing the thought processes, costuming and technology that went in to creating The Spirit.

After Sin City, Miller and Rodriguez again teamed up to produce The Spirit, based on a different comic series, obviously. But they used much the same process, technology and visual style. It's a very reductionist / minimalist visual style, and quite distinctive.

This book steps you through the what, why, how and who, perhaps a bit of the why, too.

Thus far, I've loved this book and will probably re-read it a few times. Might have to see if they have a similar visual companion to Sin City (the movie), though the extensive bonus features on the recut / extended Sin City release are quite good.

If you like the movie and want to know how they got from point A to point B, this seems like a pretty entertaining way to find out. If you just like film production trivia, you'll probably also like this book. Overall, I thought it was great!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Spirit Companion rocks December 31, 2008

By Tim Lasiuta

Format:Hardcover

Mark Cotta Vaz, and esteemed comic book artist/creator Frank Miller, have teamed and given Spirit fans a guided tour through the world of the Spirit. Reach for the stark black and white and red cover, gently open the book, and begin your adventure...

The Shadow of the Spirit takes readers into the genesis of Eisners' iconic character. From an experimental color section to well regarded piece of main stream comic literature, Denny Colt captured the imagination of readers. Whether it was the stark imagery, or the variety of creators on the strip apart from Eisner, the Spirit was instrumental in the development of Will Eisner as a creative force.

Mr Vaz examines the creation of the film from inception to the players who make the film what it is. Truly, the moniker `movie visual companion' is inaccurate. The subtitle should run something like this, The Spirit: Four Color to Film, A Genetical Journey. Yes, the book does chronicle the development of the film, but it also digs into the film from story board to screen. Ever see a green screen before? After this book, and a viewing of the film, you will see exactly how those urban cityscapes came direct out of a computer mainframe. Viewed piece by piece, the creation of a movie is seemingly simple, taken as a whole, the process is daunting.

That is one of the main messages of the book. The Spirit is a marvellous character. The process of scripting, filming, and CGI are integral to the finished product. How they fit together on the screen is the real test. One thing is beyond doubt. This book, like the film, has style. Visually, there is no shortage of imagery from the comic strip, the story board, or the film making process.... Still not sure why Frank appears so often admiring pieces of equipment though Is this a book by Miller about the Spirit, or a Spirit book that features Frank Miller? Here's hoping the Spirit really captures the flavour and not just the texture.

Titan Books, along with Mark Cotta Vaz should be proud of this book. It is an amazing entry in the bibliography for the prolific writer!

[...]

Tim Lasiuta Read more ›

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Look Inside the film March 7, 2009

By Tim Janson HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

A companion to the recently released Spirit Film, this guide takes readers on a guided tour of the development of the film and the history of Will Eisner's greatest creation. You'll start with a brisk into to the character and of Eisner himself, who is still vastly underrated as one of the most important creators in comic book history. You'll be treated to exclusive, behind-the-scenes photos, concept art, and storyboards as you see the film come together. You'll meet the diverse cast, which includes comments from the actors and take a look at how many of the stunts and special effects were put together. These types of guides are commonplace these days with any blockbuster film but Titan has done a spectacular job with the production of the book. The photography is dazzling and there's a wealth of information here for fans