By Darwyn Cooke with Jeph Loeb, J. Bone and Dave Stewart (DC Comics)
ISBN13: 978-1-84576-688-7 (trade paperback)
Some people are hard to please. Although The Spirit is one of the most influential comics creations of all time and Darwyn Cooke is inarguably one of the best writer/artists in the industry today, I still find it difficult to unreservedly praise his first efforts on DC’s acquisition and revival of the character, as seen in this Softcover compilation collecting the first six issues of the regular comicbook and the introductory one-shot Batman/The Spirit.
I know the Hollywood movie has a lot to do with this enterprise; The Spirit had always been a fundamentally an icon of graphic and design virtuosity, and Cooke has indeed maintained the visual innovations as well as the racy, tongue-in-cheek comedy and breathtaking action. The stories are certainly as good as much of Eisner’s output.
Perhaps my objections stem mostly from the facts that it’s set in a more-or-less contemporary world rather than the fabled forties and fifties. The ingenuous, camouflaged sexuality of Will Eisner’s work is missing from modern “in-your-face” liberated relationships, and that passionate tension is sorely missed. Or perhaps I’m just too churlish to accept anybody else’s interpretation of the character.
I certainly can’t fault the stories on their own terms. Starting at full tilt with “Ice Ginger Coffee”, which introduces a masked vigilante-detective who fights crime in Central City (almost certainly not the one inhabited by a family of speedsters, continuity freaks!) with the covert approval of Police Commissioner Dolan in a barn-storming tale of abduction, extortion and gangsterism, Cooke delivers captivating adventure stories that will appeal to much wider audiences than the average super-hero comic.
“The Maneater” introduces the DC incarnation of the legendary P’Gell, – a sultry vixen whose greatest weapon is ruthless allure – and the mostly comedic bit-player Hussein to the cast, as well as filling a few blanks from our hero’s past, when he was merely Private Eye Denny Colt, and the boyfriend of Dolan’s daughter Ellen.
A bloody gang-massacre is only the beginning in “Resurrection”, which reveals the origin of The Spirit and introduces the gruesome Alvarro Mortez, who returns to bedevil Central City in future issues. “Hard like Satin” pits the masked detective against the indomitable CIA agent Silk Satin in a gruelling test of wills that brings Eisner’s ultimate villain The Octopus into the modern continuity, whilst the hysterically funny and chilling “Media Man” reintroduces Mister Carrion and his beloved vulture Miss Julia.
The final solo adventure “Almost Blue” is a fantastical tale of rock ‘n ‘roll excess and extraterrestrial addiction with a poignant undercurrent which sits a little uncomfortably with the book’s final chapter.
“Crime Convention” added Jeph Loeb to the regular team of Cooke, inker J. Bone and colourist Dave Stewart, to recount a frantic, funny tale of The Spirit’s first meeting with Batman whilst safeguarding a Police Commissioners convention from the amassed hordes of their respective Rogues Galleries. Originally released as a prelude to the ongoing Spirit series, this is oddly out of place both stylistically and thematically but is enjoyable nevertheless.
This is by any standard a truly impressive and enjoyable read and you shouldn’t let my reluctance influence you. If you haven’t seen Eisner’s originals you must read them: no argument there. But even though this volume isn’t MY Spirit, it is a damned good one. Go on, read them both. Please yourselves…
© 2007 DC Comics and Will Eisner Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved.