Time to go back to a genre of fiction I love, pulp!
Back in the late 2000s, DC let Darwyn Cooke attempt a revival of Will Eisner's classic hero The Spirit.The whole project sounded to good to go through, and even though Cooke left the book early on, the series manage to go through over 30 issues, a little mini-series crossover event and about 20 more issues of a second series.
(until it got canceled, thanks one again to DC's New 52... -sigh-)
Anyway, let's go back to the beginning and have a look how it all started!
This book has it all, Action, Mystery, Adventure! And as such sports this awesome little stamp on the cover (presented on the right here) .
Comic title: Will Eisner's The Spirit: Book One
Art by Darwyn Cooke & J. Bone
Stories by Darwyn Cooke & Jeph Loeb
Published by DC Comics
From 2007
Lineup The Spirit
Format: TPB collects issues #1-6 of The Spirit on-going series as well as the Batman/The Spirit one-shot.
This book is a perfect example of the reason why I love Darwyn Cooke's work so much.
Cooke took upon himself to reintroduce this classic pulp character of the 1940s for a modern audience, without betraying what the concept at its core.
And his art style is oh-so fitting for such a task.
This Book One reintroduces our hero in modern times (like Superman and Batman before him) but keeps the pulp atmosphere of the masked vigilante intact.
Sure, there's computers around now and you might call silly a guy defending justice in a mask, hat and a trenchcoat, but since the pulp-mystery-drama setting is also translated along it all just looks natural.
(and the comic is pretty self-aware of that, The Spirit mocks people calling his setup ridiculous - like he's pretty easily identifiable...or is he?)
The story is pretty fast paced, to the punch.
We are quickly introduced to the mystery man prowling the streets of Central City.
Denny Colt is a simple charming guy, really. But he has this whole dual life as The Spirit.
He tries his best to juggle his regular life with the love of his life, Ellen, and helping out her father the Commissioner Dolan.
Also he is not alone during his "night job", he's helped along by Ebony White, a pretty smart street kid who drives him around in their taxi.
And the feisty reporter Miss Coffee doesn't make his superhero job any easier...
Most of the stories are episodic, self-contained.
There's lots of drama, mystery, action, adventure! (I'm starting to repeat myself, ain't I?)
Villains with Blue moods, the redoubtable and seductress Madam P'Gell, the on-going threat of the criminal mastermind Octopus and more!
The on-going series was launched after the success of a little one-shot from 2007.
Also included in this book, though I wish they'd printed it at the start of the trade paperback.
This "first" story Batman/The Spirit was written by Jeph Loeb instead (who tends to write not-so-good anymore these days) but already drawn by Cooke.
Which was done to test and promote The Spirit alongside a more mainstream face,
In this little crossover, a criminologist association organizes a convention.
Things don't turn that well, various Bat-villains are gathered there, along some of The Spirit's own rogue gallery. Bats joins forces with Denny Colt to stop the bad guys and save the day!
It was a smart way to introduce the Spirit into the DC Universe as well as modernize him a bit.
(who already got a cameo in the past in Batgirl: Year One since DC owned the character but wasn't doing much with him apart from reprints)
Overall, it's a great pretty fun book.
Don't be afraid to check it out if you don't really follow DC Comics or don't usually read superhero comics though.
It's still pretty insular and don't really degenerate into full-on super-powered epic stories.
It's more grounded. More down to Earth. In a word, "pulp" in its purest form. Just the adventures of a regular Joe who gets himself into lots of troubles.
Some details have been updated graphically as well, but the characters are still very identifiable and recognizable.
Brought into the modern age with great expertise, finally, Will Eisner's The Spirit lives on~
I give it:
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