The Spirit #2 – Review

By Darwyn Cooke (Writer/Artist), J. Bone (Inks), Dave Stewart (Colors)

After my heavy bashing of issue #1, I left off by saying that my fingers were crossed on this series and I hoped that the stories would pick up. Well, I seem to have gotten my wish. Issue #2 jumps right off the rack (or back issue bin as the case may be) with a great cover featuring P’Gell. It is reminiscent of the classic femme fatale covers that graced Spirit comics in the early 50’s. This was all the incentive I needed to open the book and give it a whirl.

This issue centers around the “Maneater”, P’Gell, as she attempts to seduce and marry a Middle Eastern prince who is responsible for the death of someone important to her. With revenge on her mind even The Spirit will have his work cut out for him trying to stop her. We also get a glimpse into the life of The Spirit’s alter ego, Denny Colt, as Cooke addresses the already well trodden path of living the double identity of both masked crime fighter and regular joe.

Issue #2 improves greatly over the almost forgettable events of issue #1. The characters seem deeper and more individual. The contrasts of cast and settings (respectively) are turned up quite a bit leading to greater detail in both. Cooke’s art is allowed to stretch its legs a bit with more action shots, as well as a more detailed story line with a few small twists thrown in. I was also pleased to see a nod to the classic splash/title page images that are so distinct in Spirit stories of old.

This story runs circles around the first issue, and while not perfect, definitely changed my mind about the series. My scorecard now reads 1-1. I hope the trend continues towards wins in the future. Issue #3 here I come, a day late and a dollar short. (Grade: B)

-Chris Williamson

The Spirit #1 – Review

By Darwyn Cooke (writer, art)

I am a huge fan of Will Eisner’s Spirit. Eisner’s newspaper sections were, and are, hugely influential to several generations of artists and writers. He set a tone in graphic storytelling that will stand as long as the medium does. How do you improve on perfection? Simply put, you don’t. To be blunt Eisner did more in his short sections than this book even begins to do in 22 pages.

The story reads like it was in progress before the first page and is a bit boring from start to finish. It follows a news reporter who plans to out a mob boss in a shocking expose. Instead, she is captured mid report and taken to be “silenced”. The Spirit swoops in, Commissioner Dolan yells at some cops, etcetera.

The colorful backgrounds and immense detail that were Eisner trademarks have been exchanged for rather mundane criminals and lackluster settings. To me this incarnation of the character lacks the pizazz of previous outings and leaves something to be desired. Darwyn Cooke has a cool artstyle but it really didn’t get a fair shake in this first issue. Trying to follow in the footsteps of a legend is tough and there are a few cool scenes scattered about, but ultimately, I really couldn’t get into this book at all; It just didn’t suck me in like the originals. Maybe someone without that baggage would see this differently.

I will read issue #2 in the hopes that my above complaints are simply first issue jitters and that things will work themselves out. Fingers crossed on this one. (Grade: D+)

– Chris Williamson