The Spirit #14 – Review

By: Matthew Sturges (writer), Victor Ibáñez (artist), Ego (colorist)

The Story: Make no mistake, kids: collecting comics pays!

The Review: Even though The Spirit is of the old-school pulp/noir tradition, meaning it’s ostensibly a detective series at its heart, the actual detective work has been rather light on this run so far.  David Hine made up for it by crafting tense dramas, where the mystery comes from the depth of the characters rather than the salient features of the plot.  Still, it’d be quite a missed opportunity to not have the Spirit put his gumshoes back on at some point.

Sturges uses his one-shot, fill-in opportunity to full advantage by taking our hero back to his detective roots, which not only pays homage to the Spirit’s original conception, but also to the comics medium as a whole.  Making a comic book writer (with a resemblance to Will Eisner himself—even the name, Lou Schleicher, has a familiar ring) and his “art” collection the heart of this issue not only sets up a fun premise, but speaks on what makes comics so beloved.

The trail of clues begins and leads along in old-school fashion: a dying man’s cryptic words, the hint in his unfinished work, the “red herring” (literally), and the answer right under your nose.  The Spirit pieces them together in a fashion only an astute comics fan like him can (you can’t see Batman making these connections, brilliant as he is), so you not only feel the usual triumph that comes with these “mystery solved” moments, you also feel a rare sense of delight as well.

Our villains are mostly forgettable thugs (with shocking taste in what they consider art, seeing what they attempt to do to Mr. Schleicher’s treasures), but no Spirit comic would be complete without a compelling and bodacious broad, which Alabaster Cream definitely is.  Sturges basically takes Bettie Page, an idol who influenced pin-ups the way Eisner did comics, puts her in glasses, and makes her a comics geek.  It’s a character conception that couldn’t possibly fail, both disgustingly clever and fitting all at the same time.

Solid as Sturges’ script, it’s really Ibáñez’s art that makes this issue a comic of the highest caliber.  DC should get smart and sign him immediately, because his work is what gives comic book art a good name.  The level of detail he packs into each panel makes the Spirit’s world come alive almost cinematically.  Just look at the props he puts into Alabaster’s mess-cat apartment: the Batman Lego figurine, a Dr. Fate cosplay helmet, the bear charm on her keychain.  It’s worth mentioning he actually gives you two fully-developed, totally different kinds of art in this issue: one for the Spirit’s running story, and one for Mr. Schleicher’s Strongman comics.

Weird Worlds #2 – Review

By: Too many to list—check out the review.

The Story: Lobo experiences the perils of messing with midgets; Garbage Man finds that bullets are overrated; and Tanga discovers Bruk comes in only one, intriguingly potent flavor.

The Review: It’s very difficult for new characters to break into superhero comics.  There’s just too much competition, what with unceasing demand for more titles from the big names, or the leagues of B or C-listers waiting in the wings for a turn in the spotlight.  Writers find it easier to introduce newbies by having them join a title’s supporting cast or adding them to a team comic.  Rarely do all-new characters get to support their own title.  That being said, the special structure of Weird Worlds seems just the thing to buck that trend.

This time around, Kevin VanHook writes Lobo with a lot more finesse than last issue.  Even though Lobo spends most of his time brawling as usual, his tactics are more refined.  He plays on his mark’s arrogance with purpose, revealing his professionalism in a very clever, satisfying way.  Even though the direction of this series remains pretty vague, VanHook drops a clue in S’glayne’s background hinting this storyline may play into potentially more organized and malicious criminal forces in the future.  If VanHook can capitalize on that to give some more layers to Lobo than relentless machismo, that’d be a big step up for the character.  Jerry Oroway continues to offer serviceable art; his action still looks kind of stiff and cartoony, but the details he gives to the tech and space backgrounds are nice touches.

Batman and Robin #8 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (writer), Cameron Stewart (artist), Tony Aviña (colorist)

The Story: Batman vs. Batman, Part Two: Bruce Wayne rises from the Lazarus Pit, but all doesn’t go according to plan. He’s confused and psycho and we get some tantalizing flashbacks that show us why. Problem is, he’s nearly unstoppable and not only drops the roof of the mine on Dick, Batwoman, Knight and Squire, but Batwoman is paralyzed! And then, things go from bad to worse.

What’s Good: This story could have been called “This isn’t the Batman you’re looking for.” It is a fun ride and benefits from Kate Kane’s guest-star role. The action is quick and forceful, with a raft of people trying to stop the newly-resurrected Bruce Wayne. The mystery deepens with great hints, and we get to see our favorite precocious 10-year-old out of critical care and under Alfred’s care as they both try to figure out how Dick has screwed this up.

Stewart’s art is moody and old-school. In fact, Stewart’s work reminds me a lot of Will Eisner’s original stuff on the Spirit: the thick, viscous drops running off resurrected-Batman’s cloak, the dynamic action poses when resurrected-Batman punches Dick and throws Batwoman and Knight off of him. The old school effect is strengthened by the lined shading on Dick’s legs on the first splash page – a style that was used a *loooong* time ago by Shuster in 1938. It’s a really cool feel and very different from most art that’s on offer on the comic stands right now. Aviña’s colors are also great, both the lurid green back-lighting around Batwoman’s flashback and the speckled colors of the cave wall to show texture where other artists might have used inked lines. Basically, Stewart and Aviña pass my art test: Did my appreciation of the art slow down my read? Yes.

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