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The Spirit
The Spirit, Vol. 1
Written by Darwyn Cooke and Jeph Loeb Art by Darwyn Cooke & J. Bone Cover by Darwyn Cooke The first volume of the award-winning series is collected in trade paperback, featuring BATMAN/THE SPIRIT and THE SPIRIT #1-6.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published October 24, 2007
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297 people want to read
About the author
Darwyn Cooke
245 books356 followersDarwyn Cooke was an Eisner Award winning comic book writer, artist, cartoonist and animator, best known for his work on the comic books Catwoman, DC: The New Frontier and Will Eisner's The Spirit.
In 1985, Cooke published his first comic book work as a professional artist in a short story in New Talent Showcase #19, but economic pressure made him leave the career and he worked in Canada as a magazine art director, graphic and product designer for the next 15 years.
In the early 1990s Cooke decided to return to comics, but found little interest for his work at the major publishers. Eventually he was hired by Warner Bros. Animation after replying to an ad placed by animator Bruce Timm.
He went on to work as a storyboard artist for Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series, and in 1999 he animated the main title design for Batman Beyond. He then worked as a director for Sony Animation's Men in Black: The Series for a year.
DC Comics then approached Cooke about a project which he had submitted to the publisher years earlier which eventually became Batman: Ego, a graphic novel published in 2000.
The critical success of that project led to Cooke taking on more freelance work, such as X-Force, Wolverine/Doop and Spider-Man's Tangled Web for Marvel Comics and Just Imagine... Stan Lee for DC.
In 2001, Cooke and writer Ed Brubaker teamed up to revamp the Catwoman character. They started with a 4 issue serial "Trail of the Catwoman" in Detective Comics #759-762 in which private detective Slam Bradley attempts to investigate the death of Selina Kyle (AKA Catwoman).
The story led into a new Catwoman title in late 2001 by Brubaker and Cooke, in which the character's costume, supporting cast and modus operandi were all redesigned and redeveloped. Cooke would stay on the series, which was met with critical and fan acclaim, up until issue #4. In 2002 he would write and draw a prequel, the Selina's Big Score graphic novel which detailed what had happened to the character directly before her new series.
Cover to DC: The New Frontier #6.
Cover to DC: The New Frontier #6.
Cooke's next project was the ambitious DC: The New Frontier (2004), a six issue miniseries which sought to tell an epic storyline bridging the gap between the end of the golden and the start of the silver age of comic books in the DC Universe. The story, which was set in the 1950s, featured dozens of super-hero characters and drew inspiration from the comic books and movies of the period as well as from Tom Wolfe's non-fiction account of the start of the US Space Program The Right Stuff. The major DC characters are introduced in "The New Frontier" in the same order that DC originally published them, even down to the correct month and year in the story's timeline. In 2005, Cooke won an Eisner Award for "Best Limited Series", and a Joe Shuster Award for "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist" for his work on the series.
Most recently, Cooke contributed to DC's artist-centric anthology project Solo. His issue (#5, June, 2005) featured several different stories in different styles with a framing sequence featuring the Slam Bradley character. In 2006, Solo #5 won an Eisner Award for "Best Single Issue."
In July 2005, it was announced that in 2006 Cooke and writer Jeph Loeb would produce a Batman/Spirit crossover, to be followed shortly afterwards by an ongoing Spirit series written and drawn by Cooke. Batman/The Spirit was ultimately published in November 2006, followed in December by the first issue of Cooke's The Spirit. In June 2007, Cooke and J. Bone won a Joe Shuster Award for "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Artists" for their work on "Batman/The Spirit", and Cooke won "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist" for his work on "The Spirit".
In July 2006, it was announced that Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics would release a series of direct-to-DVD animated movies based on important DC com
In 1985, Cooke published his first comic book work as a professional artist in a short story in New Talent Showcase #19, but economic pressure made him leave the career and he worked in Canada as a magazine art director, graphic and product designer for the next 15 years.
In the early 1990s Cooke decided to return to comics, but found little interest for his work at the major publishers. Eventually he was hired by Warner Bros. Animation after replying to an ad placed by animator Bruce Timm.
He went on to work as a storyboard artist for Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series, and in 1999 he animated the main title design for Batman Beyond. He then worked as a director for Sony Animation's Men in Black: The Series for a year.
DC Comics then approached Cooke about a project which he had submitted to the publisher years earlier which eventually became Batman: Ego, a graphic novel published in 2000.
The critical success of that project led to Cooke taking on more freelance work, such as X-Force, Wolverine/Doop and Spider-Man's Tangled Web for Marvel Comics and Just Imagine... Stan Lee for DC.
In 2001, Cooke and writer Ed Brubaker teamed up to revamp the Catwoman character. They started with a 4 issue serial "Trail of the Catwoman" in Detective Comics #759-762 in which private detective Slam Bradley attempts to investigate the death of Selina Kyle (AKA Catwoman).
The story led into a new Catwoman title in late 2001 by Brubaker and Cooke, in which the character's costume, supporting cast and modus operandi were all redesigned and redeveloped. Cooke would stay on the series, which was met with critical and fan acclaim, up until issue #4. In 2002 he would write and draw a prequel, the Selina's Big Score graphic novel which detailed what had happened to the character directly before her new series.
Cover to DC: The New Frontier #6.
Cover to DC: The New Frontier #6.
Cooke's next project was the ambitious DC: The New Frontier (2004), a six issue miniseries which sought to tell an epic storyline bridging the gap between the end of the golden and the start of the silver age of comic books in the DC Universe. The story, which was set in the 1950s, featured dozens of super-hero characters and drew inspiration from the comic books and movies of the period as well as from Tom Wolfe's non-fiction account of the start of the US Space Program The Right Stuff. The major DC characters are introduced in "The New Frontier" in the same order that DC originally published them, even down to the correct month and year in the story's timeline. In 2005, Cooke won an Eisner Award for "Best Limited Series", and a Joe Shuster Award for "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist" for his work on the series.
Most recently, Cooke contributed to DC's artist-centric anthology project Solo. His issue (#5, June, 2005) featured several different stories in different styles with a framing sequence featuring the Slam Bradley character. In 2006, Solo #5 won an Eisner Award for "Best Single Issue."
In July 2005, it was announced that in 2006 Cooke and writer Jeph Loeb would produce a Batman/Spirit crossover, to be followed shortly afterwards by an ongoing Spirit series written and drawn by Cooke. Batman/The Spirit was ultimately published in November 2006, followed in December by the first issue of Cooke's The Spirit. In June 2007, Cooke and J. Bone won a Joe Shuster Award for "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Artists" for their work on "Batman/The Spirit", and Cooke won "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist" for his work on "The Spirit".
In July 2006, it was announced that Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics would release a series of direct-to-DVD animated movies based on important DC com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
March 24, 2014
Nope. Not feeling this one.
Which is a shame, 'cause I really loved DC: The New Frontier, Vol. 1.
This thing just felt sort of awkward. Like maybe it was trying to be a sort of parodyish spoof of an old-timey comic...or something.
The whole thing was a collection of one-shot issues that tied together (kind of) loosely at the end.
The last issue, which was a Spirit/Batman team-up, was cute, but not worth slogging through the rest of the stories.
Everything had a sexist/racist undertone to it that made flipping through the pages feel a bit slimy and tainted.
And I can be fairly insensitive and offensive, so it's hard to make me feel slimy.
I'm going to assume Cooke was trying to make some sort of statement about the way comics were written in the past.
But if that's what he was going for, it didn't work for me.
The art was interesting and cool, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this to anyone.
Which is a shame, 'cause I really loved DC: The New Frontier, Vol. 1.
This thing just felt sort of awkward. Like maybe it was trying to be a sort of parodyish spoof of an old-timey comic...or something.
The whole thing was a collection of one-shot issues that tied together (kind of) loosely at the end.
The last issue, which was a Spirit/Batman team-up, was cute, but not worth slogging through the rest of the stories.
Everything had a sexist/racist undertone to it that made flipping through the pages feel a bit slimy and tainted.
And I can be fairly insensitive and offensive, so it's hard to make me feel slimy.
I'm going to assume Cooke was trying to make some sort of statement about the way comics were written in the past.
But if that's what he was going for, it didn't work for me.
The art was interesting and cool, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this to anyone.
February 2, 2012
This homage to Will Eisner is absolutely amazing and I think everyone who reads this will love it.
Read
February 28, 2021I adore Darwyn Cooke’s art. If you know his style, I don’t have to tell you why, but I think he really was one of the best modern comics artists. My quest to read all his projects comes to The Spirit, which he also wrote. I’ve only read a handful of the original Eisner stories but I can tell Cooke’s version respects the source. His Spirit lives in the 21st century with cell phones and computers but he’s still very much the same character. These stories - all standalones more or less - are fun, quirky at times, and well-told. Cooke’s art pops as usual, and his action scenes are just as captivating as pages of people talking. The covers are lovely, as are all those creative title pages (check out issue three). The one story that didn’t quite work for me was “Almost Blue.” I get that Cooke was trying to be weird here but it didn’t come together well enough. And the Jeph Loeb-written Spirit/Batman issue, while fun, isn’t as good as the others.
Some people may view this series as little more than pastiche, which I suppose it kind of is. But the storytelling is strong and the book is so beautiful to look at that it doesn’t bother me. If you like the original Spirit or crime comics in general, this is worth a look.
Some people may view this series as little more than pastiche, which I suppose it kind of is. But the storytelling is strong and the book is so beautiful to look at that it doesn’t bother me. If you like the original Spirit or crime comics in general, this is worth a look.
April 1, 2021
Darwyn Cooke is the perfect person to make the remake of Will Eisner's work. His sense of style and storytelling is just so fitting for The Spirit and it perfectly delivers a modern take. I'm curious what the thought process was behind holding the origin until the 3rd issue because it was a stroke of genius. It helped to establish all the characters beforehand so that their perspectives during the flashback was more meaningful. The flashback also had a different art style to make it more distinguished which I enjoyed. Another big highlight for me was the issue with Satin, the narrative was done in a particularly engaging and eloquent way that made it a very satisfying read.
He even reintroduces Ebony in a nonracist way, and while they don't acknowledge the problems with his original look they do make a joke about his name.
Excited to read the rest of this run.
He even reintroduces Ebony in a nonracist way, and while they don't acknowledge the problems with his original look they do make a joke about his name.
Excited to read the rest of this run.
March 16, 2009
Darwyn Cooke is the only writer/artist I've seen in thirty years that actually captures the spirit of... well, The Spirit. Alan Moore has written some fine Spirit stories, but since Moore doesn't draw, the art always suffered. Cooke totally "gets" the character and atmosphere, and the ghost of Will Eisner proudly haunts these stories. Not only are "problem" characters (such as the "comically" stereotyped 1940's cab driver Ebony) updated in convincing ways, but the new original characters, such as Ginger Coffee—who speaks in a kind of on-air TV lingo—exudes the essence of what makes Eisner's Spirit fun and exciting. A great job all around.
Skip Frank Miller's bombastic film, and pick up Cooke's version right away.
Skip Frank Miller's bombastic film, and pick up Cooke's version right away.
June 17, 2022
Stephen Moffat got a lot of flack during his run on Doctor Who for writing interactions between The Doctor and his companion, Clara, that came off as misogynist and creepy. I disagreed. Some of the time. But in his final episode, Moffat brought back The First Doctor who went on saying incredibly out of touch things, which enabled The Twelfth Doctor to achieve a little self-awareness on how he'd behaved. It was a good conceit but it was cringey as hell to watch. I didn't like it.
Will Eisner was The Comics Artist of his generation. They named the awards for best comic creators after him. He is credited with inventing the graphic novel. His most famous character is The Spirit, and The Spirit comics are racist and misogynist As Hell. And he regretted it. And he apologized for it. The early 20th century and the early 21st century are two very different times. But it makes it very difficult to read Eisner's Spirit comics.
Darwyn Cooke is one of my favorite creators. His style is perfect for comics that have the feel of a mid-20th century superhero or noir comic. He is absolutely the artist who should have revamped The Spirit. And in his revamping, he has tried to write around the stereotypes and misogyny of Eisner's run by inverting the tropes, letting the women be the ones who triumph, and the non-Americans not be who you would assume if you were a racist. And, like the Doctor Who interactions, it's a good conceit but it's not fun to read. It's also Super Cringey. Which is a shame because the art is So Beautiful.
So while I enjoyed looking at the book, and appreciated the intentions behind it, I can't really recommend this to anyone other than a This Is How To Invert Tropes For Satirical Purposes And Still Come Across As Clumsy And Out Of Touch. It gets three stars because the art is amazing and the dialogue and stories are incredibly well done. If he'd somehow found the right tone for this, and made better humor choices (there are some genuinely funny moments in the book, but they're pratfall funny, not astute political commentary funny) this would be a five star book.
I'm still going to read Book Two, and hope it's a bit better. But I'm not hopeful.
Will Eisner was The Comics Artist of his generation. They named the awards for best comic creators after him. He is credited with inventing the graphic novel. His most famous character is The Spirit, and The Spirit comics are racist and misogynist As Hell. And he regretted it. And he apologized for it. The early 20th century and the early 21st century are two very different times. But it makes it very difficult to read Eisner's Spirit comics.
Darwyn Cooke is one of my favorite creators. His style is perfect for comics that have the feel of a mid-20th century superhero or noir comic. He is absolutely the artist who should have revamped The Spirit. And in his revamping, he has tried to write around the stereotypes and misogyny of Eisner's run by inverting the tropes, letting the women be the ones who triumph, and the non-Americans not be who you would assume if you were a racist. And, like the Doctor Who interactions, it's a good conceit but it's not fun to read. It's also Super Cringey. Which is a shame because the art is So Beautiful.
So while I enjoyed looking at the book, and appreciated the intentions behind it, I can't really recommend this to anyone other than a This Is How To Invert Tropes For Satirical Purposes And Still Come Across As Clumsy And Out Of Touch. It gets three stars because the art is amazing and the dialogue and stories are incredibly well done. If he'd somehow found the right tone for this, and made better humor choices (there are some genuinely funny moments in the book, but they're pratfall funny, not astute political commentary funny) this would be a five star book.
I'm still going to read Book Two, and hope it's a bit better. But I'm not hopeful.
September 23, 2022
Story-wise, I know I'm not the target audience here. I don't like procedurals or crime shows nor do I like monthly floppy comic serieses, particularly of the crime-fighting puncher type.
Cooke is one of my favorite artists, and some of the splashes here are absolutely elite. None of the artwork is ever bad or mediocre. But... for all that I love his art, it didn't stand out as I was reading the way the art does in my favorite stories. I was going over the same page over and over again to soak in the artwork less than I do in some of my favorite books.
All said, this is a good book. For readers who like crime procedurals and/or monthly superhero floppies, I'd expect this would be received as a great book.
Cooke is one of my favorite artists, and some of the splashes here are absolutely elite. None of the artwork is ever bad or mediocre. But... for all that I love his art, it didn't stand out as I was reading the way the art does in my favorite stories. I was going over the same page over and over again to soak in the artwork less than I do in some of my favorite books.
All said, this is a good book. For readers who like crime procedurals and/or monthly superhero floppies, I'd expect this would be received as a great book.
October 12, 2020
I love Darwyn Cooke's art, but I also really enjoyed the writing here.
I never got through Will Eisner's The Sprit, but happily enjoyed this/Cooke's take on the gumshoe-hero instead. Cooke took these characters and brought them into the 21st Century while keeping the retro/noir feel without too much of the racist and sexist garbage from the 1940's, I think. I mean, there is a bit of it, but not as cringe as I imagine the original to be. At least, I think so.
I also enjoyed the Batman/The Spirit crossover issue, which I had read before.
The Sprit reads like a sweet, well intentioned detective & do-gooder & I love the lightness of this volume.
I never got through Will Eisner's The Sprit, but happily enjoyed this/Cooke's take on the gumshoe-hero instead. Cooke took these characters and brought them into the 21st Century while keeping the retro/noir feel without too much of the racist and sexist garbage from the 1940's, I think. I mean, there is a bit of it, but not as cringe as I imagine the original to be. At least, I think so.
I also enjoyed the Batman/The Spirit crossover issue, which I had read before.
The Sprit reads like a sweet, well intentioned detective & do-gooder & I love the lightness of this volume.
March 28, 2018
Very good. It's like a good cover of a great song - different enough from the original to be worthwhile, but still keeping the positive qualities of the original. I still prefer the Eisner originals, but Cooke did a great job with these. Even Loeb's issue - not good enough to be a Best Single Issue or whatever award it won - was mostly well done, a huge surprise given Loeb's severe hackiness in recent years. The one thing that Cooke improved on, compared to Eisner, is Ebony. I love Cooke's Ebony White.
February 24, 2024
I didn’t click with this book. Unfortunately, I love Darwin’s art but as for the individual spirit stories didn’t really have that much fun reading them. If I’m being honest, the only two stories in here that I really liked was the villain with the bird selling used meat with the spirits face on it. That was fun, and I love the bird.
the Batman crossover was a lot of fun. But I’m a whole I didn’t love this excluding the art
the Batman crossover was a lot of fun. But I’m a whole I didn’t love this excluding the art
October 6, 2025
The art is dynamic yet retro but the stories lack juice and it feels a bit too cheesy. I guess a lot of noir is cheesy so maybe its just that noir is not my scene anymore. I know Cooke had to do a lot of stereotype subverting to drag the original concept into the 21st century but meh he did it better in New Frontier.
October 4, 2022
I love Darwyn Cooke's cartoony art and I had fun reading some of the stories but still there were some really impossible ones. There are a couple of hilarious moments too and I have the feeling that the slightly sexist/racist part is probably a kind of satire to the original 1940s The Spirit.
August 25, 2024
Coke’s cartoon style art is great, generally the plots are pretty good (though didn’t like the Batman/Spirit crossover issue). Dialogue is Cooke’s weakest attribute and better dialogue really could have improved this otherwise solid tittle.
October 30, 2025
Definite problematic fav. Issues 1 and 2 are varingly rough(wow that Islamophobic commentary really curdled)- but I couldn’t help but enjoy how Cooke maintained the(for lack of a better word) spirit of Eisner episodic classic. That Batman crossover is especially fun.
May 14, 2017
as good as will eisner !!!
October 26, 2021
I'm not a big fan of Eisner's Spirit and these stories don't do anything to change that, but Cooke's art is gorgeous as always. He was a perfect fit for a reboot of these characters and their world.
April 17, 2023
60's batman style silliness with the attitudes of the time. I liked bits and pieces but not enough to save it.
June 19, 2023
There is no reason not to read everything that Darwyn Cooke worked on. It was a shame to lose him.
January 10, 2024
The art is perfect. The stories are... Not quite.
March 10, 2017
Darwyn Cooke is one of the best writers/artists of The Spirit outside of Eisner himself.
January 23, 2013
Edit: I have since read three volumes of Will Eisner's Spirit Archives and it really does improve this series. Having come across P'Gell, the Octopus and Mister Carrion and Julia before, I can appreciate how Cooke brings them into the modern day. I also can appreciate more of the slightly light-hearted tone of the series, at least in how it mostly comes down to The Spirit punching someone, heh. Also, it's a HUGE plus to see Ebony rendered as an actual human being (the definite low point of reading the original series is the very offensive black caricature design for Ebony) as well as a nice update to Ellen's relationship to the Spirit (and less awkward patriarchal sexism). So I will say that it's much better if you have read the original Spirit, or at least are familiar with the characters. It's good without, but so much better to see how much care Cooke gives these characters.
The only reason this didn't get a 4 star rating is simply because I have not yet had the chance to read the original Spirit books by Will Eisner. As such, I know I'm not in a place to really appreciate what Cooke is doing with his revival of the classic character from the early days of comic books here in the US. I can say that I immediately get why DC Comics picked Cooke to write and illustrate the Before Watchmen: Minutemen series. Even though he has the Spirit existing in modern times, you can feel the old school Dick Tracy kind of feel in the dialogue and art and it works really well.
Each issue is more or less it's own separate plot with an ongoing thread about Alvarro (misspelled Elvarro in one issue) and some organization/person known as the Octopus. Given how most police officers, news reporters and significant others are often unaware and even antagonistic to the hero, it's nice to see that those in the Spirit's close circle know and like him both with and without the mask. Though why he's fighting crime is a bit questionable when he doesn't have any powers, or even training like Batman.
That's more realistic, but it also means that most of his opponents can't really stack up against rogue's gallery of the likes of Batman (interestingly this volume ends with a Spirit/Batman crossover featuring both police commisioners being targeted by their combined foes, definitely a highlight). In the end, the art is great and I enjoyed the stories, but without the proper grounding in the original canon, it's hard for me to care as much about the Spirit. Though as a noire light style comic, it's pretty great.
The only reason this didn't get a 4 star rating is simply because I have not yet had the chance to read the original Spirit books by Will Eisner. As such, I know I'm not in a place to really appreciate what Cooke is doing with his revival of the classic character from the early days of comic books here in the US. I can say that I immediately get why DC Comics picked Cooke to write and illustrate the Before Watchmen: Minutemen series. Even though he has the Spirit existing in modern times, you can feel the old school Dick Tracy kind of feel in the dialogue and art and it works really well.
Each issue is more or less it's own separate plot with an ongoing thread about Alvarro (misspelled Elvarro in one issue) and some organization/person known as the Octopus. Given how most police officers, news reporters and significant others are often unaware and even antagonistic to the hero, it's nice to see that those in the Spirit's close circle know and like him both with and without the mask. Though why he's fighting crime is a bit questionable when he doesn't have any powers, or even training like Batman.
That's more realistic, but it also means that most of his opponents can't really stack up against rogue's gallery of the likes of Batman (interestingly this volume ends with a Spirit/Batman crossover featuring both police commisioners being targeted by their combined foes, definitely a highlight). In the end, the art is great and I enjoyed the stories, but without the proper grounding in the original canon, it's hard for me to care as much about the Spirit. Though as a noire light style comic, it's pretty great.
Read
July 27, 2012I've never read Eisner's original Spirit comics--in fact, I've never read any Eisner, which is a big hole in my comic book education--but my local library happened to have Darwyn Cooke's recent run. I've read Cooke's previous adaptations, Richard Stark's Parker #1: The Hunter and Parker: The Outfit, and I enjoyed the art, so what would Cooke do with Eisner's characters, especially since Eisner is noted for his experimental and artistic layouts.
The Spirit started in 1940 and exists now in some hybridized time of fedoras and cellphones, femme fatales and 24-hour news networks. Other works might make a hash of this, but here it feels more like whimsy, where old-fashioned and new-fashioned rub elbows. (We can thank god that the Spirit's African American sidekick and driver, Ebony White, looks more like a little black kid than like a blackface caricature, even if Eisner was playing with stereotypes consciously.)
The stories themselves are pretty standard superheroic sorts; for instance, in one story, the Spirit has to rescue a journalist who cares more about her story than her life, which if you change around some names, is probably a story that has been done with every superhero ever. What's really on display here is the Spirit's/Cooke's visual inventiveness; I especially like the title pages where "The Spirit" is displayed in some diegetic form--cactus-cast shadows spell "The Spirit," rain spells it out, a big display ad gets wrecked and the falling letters spell out "The Spirit," etc.
There's an overarching story across these two volumes, a story having to do with the Spirit's past; and I also want to give attention to Cooke's different styles for different time periods, and his handling of multiple POVs.
The Spirit started in 1940 and exists now in some hybridized time of fedoras and cellphones, femme fatales and 24-hour news networks. Other works might make a hash of this, but here it feels more like whimsy, where old-fashioned and new-fashioned rub elbows. (We can thank god that the Spirit's African American sidekick and driver, Ebony White, looks more like a little black kid than like a blackface caricature, even if Eisner was playing with stereotypes consciously.)
The stories themselves are pretty standard superheroic sorts; for instance, in one story, the Spirit has to rescue a journalist who cares more about her story than her life, which if you change around some names, is probably a story that has been done with every superhero ever. What's really on display here is the Spirit's/Cooke's visual inventiveness; I especially like the title pages where "The Spirit" is displayed in some diegetic form--cactus-cast shadows spell "The Spirit," rain spells it out, a big display ad gets wrecked and the falling letters spell out "The Spirit," etc.
There's an overarching story across these two volumes, a story having to do with the Spirit's past; and I also want to give attention to Cooke's different styles for different time periods, and his handling of multiple POVs.
January 26, 2016
*Note: This is a general review for Darwyn Cooke's run on the book, Volumes 1 and 2.
If someone, anyone, was going to revisit Will Eisner's classic The Spirit, it had to be Darwyn Cooke. No one else in comics was better suited to handle both the narrative and artistic tone of the character, and I think Cooke nails it. I don't know any of the stories of The Spirit before reading this book; I just knew that a lot of the characters had horrible puns for names (Sand Saref? Silken Floss?). And coming in cold didn't effect my enjoyment reading these books. Prior knowledge isn't required; Cooke brings you into the world in a way that's accessible to any reader.
After reading these books, I went back and read some of Eisner's Spirit comics, and it may be blasphemy to say, but I feel like Cooke's The Spirit out-Spirits Eisner's original. And it's totally possible that my opinion was swayed by the modern updates to the story (existence and use of cell phones and the Internet, lack of overt racism in the characterization of Ebony White, despite still being named "Ebony White," etc.). But even with the modern touches, the story still feels of the era, and that's due to Cooke's outstanding artwork. People often compare Cooke's artwork to Bruce Timm's (which is a totally valid comparison in my book), especially Timm's work on Batman: The Animated Series (aka the greatest animated TV show of all time), and with The Spirit, that comparison hits hard. Clothes, buildings, vehicles all look like they're from the 40's/50's, but with random touches of modern technology mixed in here and there. The end result is a unique visual style that feels old and new at the same time. I think it's a great way for a new generation to experience a classic character.
If someone, anyone, was going to revisit Will Eisner's classic The Spirit, it had to be Darwyn Cooke. No one else in comics was better suited to handle both the narrative and artistic tone of the character, and I think Cooke nails it. I don't know any of the stories of The Spirit before reading this book; I just knew that a lot of the characters had horrible puns for names (Sand Saref? Silken Floss?). And coming in cold didn't effect my enjoyment reading these books. Prior knowledge isn't required; Cooke brings you into the world in a way that's accessible to any reader.
After reading these books, I went back and read some of Eisner's Spirit comics, and it may be blasphemy to say, but I feel like Cooke's The Spirit out-Spirits Eisner's original. And it's totally possible that my opinion was swayed by the modern updates to the story (existence and use of cell phones and the Internet, lack of overt racism in the characterization of Ebony White, despite still being named "Ebony White," etc.). But even with the modern touches, the story still feels of the era, and that's due to Cooke's outstanding artwork. People often compare Cooke's artwork to Bruce Timm's (which is a totally valid comparison in my book), especially Timm's work on Batman: The Animated Series (aka the greatest animated TV show of all time), and with The Spirit, that comparison hits hard. Clothes, buildings, vehicles all look like they're from the 40's/50's, but with random touches of modern technology mixed in here and there. The end result is a unique visual style that feels old and new at the same time. I think it's a great way for a new generation to experience a classic character.
May 29, 2016
I'll start by saying that I had no idea who the Spirit is, other than Eisner basically wrote the book on comics and visual storytelling. But the character? Nada, so I had no idea what to expect other than Cooke's artwork and that is truly wonderful, especially some of the single and two page spreads that are the title cards for the issues.
There's no intro, in the story or on a summary page of who the Spirit is. The first two issues show him on two separate cases, but there are no captions and no thought balloons and the reader just follows along as he works on a case. You gather that he's a private detective/vigilante with no powers. These first two stories have the most noir feel to them and I felt the art was the best.
Issue 3 is the first with captions and it actually introduces the supporting cast and a little of the Spirit as well. You get the sense that his dad was the Spirit as well, and this is his son filling in for him, although in modern times (yet he still wears a hat/trench coat and eye-mask.)
Issues 4-6 are more to introduce the rogues gallery, but again you really just follow along with the Spirit. He's only mildly proactive and sometimes you don't see him for a few pages. In the end, you never really latch onto him. The stories are a little basic, with some slight twists and a little brutal and have a "golden age" feel to them, but are fairly simplistic for the modern age.
Issue 7 is a team-up between Batman and the Spirit and a coming together of both rogues galleries. It's fairly well done, making a little bit of fun of the cliche first time meeting between two heroes. Cooke also shows some of the similarities between the two crimefighters.
The big appeal for me is the art. The stories are an average read.
There's no intro, in the story or on a summary page of who the Spirit is. The first two issues show him on two separate cases, but there are no captions and no thought balloons and the reader just follows along as he works on a case. You gather that he's a private detective/vigilante with no powers. These first two stories have the most noir feel to them and I felt the art was the best.
Issue 3 is the first with captions and it actually introduces the supporting cast and a little of the Spirit as well. You get the sense that his dad was the Spirit as well, and this is his son filling in for him, although in modern times (yet he still wears a hat/trench coat and eye-mask.)
Issues 4-6 are more to introduce the rogues gallery, but again you really just follow along with the Spirit. He's only mildly proactive and sometimes you don't see him for a few pages. In the end, you never really latch onto him. The stories are a little basic, with some slight twists and a little brutal and have a "golden age" feel to them, but are fairly simplistic for the modern age.
Issue 7 is a team-up between Batman and the Spirit and a coming together of both rogues galleries. It's fairly well done, making a little bit of fun of the cliche first time meeting between two heroes. Cooke also shows some of the similarities between the two crimefighters.
The big appeal for me is the art. The stories are an average read.
September 12, 2010
This is a lump-all review of "The Spirit" in general, the most delightful comic strip (well, maybe "Pogo") ever to run in the papers. There are so many collections of "The Spirit" out these days that I've lost all track of them. Originally, it had a unique format: an eight-page supplement to the Sunday comix section of the 1940s that told a complete adventure by, or as often, surrounding the masked crime fighter hero/anti-hero of Central City.
It was unlike anything else to run in the papers. Humor was as often the highlight as drama, and The Spirit himself, in some of the best stories, was a minor background character. You had ghosts, talking bulls, guns that shot by themselves and, most memorably, a guy who learned how to fly. For a continuing cast there was Commissioner Dolan, his daughter (and The Spirit's love interest) Ellen, informal assistant Ebony (a black kid who'd never be let into print these days), arch femme fatales P'Gell and Sand Serif. And, of course, the enigmatic and superbly nasty Octopus, whose true face is never seen.
I read these when they came out from the age of about 7 on, and remembered some of the plots for the many years until I could find the reprints (most, sadly, in black and white). Now my daughter sends me reprints as Christmas presents. Yes, they mean that much to me.
It was unlike anything else to run in the papers. Humor was as often the highlight as drama, and The Spirit himself, in some of the best stories, was a minor background character. You had ghosts, talking bulls, guns that shot by themselves and, most memorably, a guy who learned how to fly. For a continuing cast there was Commissioner Dolan, his daughter (and The Spirit's love interest) Ellen, informal assistant Ebony (a black kid who'd never be let into print these days), arch femme fatales P'Gell and Sand Serif. And, of course, the enigmatic and superbly nasty Octopus, whose true face is never seen.
I read these when they came out from the age of about 7 on, and remembered some of the plots for the many years until I could find the reprints (most, sadly, in black and white). Now my daughter sends me reprints as Christmas presents. Yes, they mean that much to me.
January 3, 2009
I love Darwyn Cooke, and his adaptation of The Spirit does not disappoint. It's humorous without being silly and stylish without descending into self-parody. Unfortunately, my only prior knowledge of the character comes from the trailers for the absolutely terrible-looking movie that just came out, so I can't say if Cooke's done the character any favors.
Here, he comes off as sort of a low-rent, low-tech, light-hearted version of Batman, which makes his pairing with Batman at the end of the book a stroke of genius. The Joker's line about the fact that Batman never laughs is a perfect grace note, even if I'm not sure about the reasoning behind the strategy adopted by Batman and The Spirit at that point.
My only real quibble about the book may not even be fair, but it's always been my understanding that Eisner's version of the character was a watershed moment in comics history, creating and exploding a variety of comic book techniques (like a comic book version of Eisenstein, Welles, or Altman), but Cooke demonstrates no ambition beyond the desire to create a classic and classy crime-fighting caper. I suppose I'd have to read some of Eisner's work to decide whether or not its fair to deride Cooke for not pushing his boundaries a little.
Here, he comes off as sort of a low-rent, low-tech, light-hearted version of Batman, which makes his pairing with Batman at the end of the book a stroke of genius. The Joker's line about the fact that Batman never laughs is a perfect grace note, even if I'm not sure about the reasoning behind the strategy adopted by Batman and The Spirit at that point.
My only real quibble about the book may not even be fair, but it's always been my understanding that Eisner's version of the character was a watershed moment in comics history, creating and exploding a variety of comic book techniques (like a comic book version of Eisenstein, Welles, or Altman), but Cooke demonstrates no ambition beyond the desire to create a classic and classy crime-fighting caper. I suppose I'd have to read some of Eisner's work to decide whether or not its fair to deride Cooke for not pushing his boundaries a little.
September 2, 2013
I really enjoyed the artwork here, and the entire spirit (lol) of the book. It makes me think this is what good comics would have been like in the 50s. There are bad guys with schemes, and people die, but still, it harkens back to a more innocent age, but still retains relevance. The Spirit is a fun hero, one who died, only to be reborn (he was really just in stasis for a few weeks, and like he wisely points out...good thing he was in a crypt and not buried or cremated!). He's got a colourful cast of friends, and is the kind of fun you feel good about reading.
The only thing keeping this from 4 stars is that a few of the stories are just ridiculous cartoony. Like a guy who talks to his vulture and LOVES her...like physically. There's also one about a dude who's turned blue as a Smurf by rain and a meteor...but he doesn't gain anything but remain an asshole.
The last story is a fun team up of The Spirit and Batman (Jeph Loeb pens the Batman parts) and just winks knowingly at the reader a little.
Fun read, worth a look.
The only thing keeping this from 4 stars is that a few of the stories are just ridiculous cartoony. Like a guy who talks to his vulture and LOVES her...like physically. There's also one about a dude who's turned blue as a Smurf by rain and a meteor...but he doesn't gain anything but remain an asshole.
The last story is a fun team up of The Spirit and Batman (Jeph Loeb pens the Batman parts) and just winks knowingly at the reader a little.
Fun read, worth a look.
January 14, 2009
For me, the draw here was Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone rather than Will Eisner's streetwise superhero. I've never been a huge fan of The Spirit, in that most of the stories I've read featuring the guy barely feature him- he's a supporting character in his own comic.
The individual issues here give a good taste of the character and his world and I really enjoyed a lot of the stuff here. Cooke's artwork is amazing; I've been a fan since I scooped Baman: Ego out of a quarter bin back in high school and he's only gotten better since then. The Spirit still doesn't seem to be a special character to me; I didn't grow up with him and I don't have the affection for him that others do... but Cooke's work on this book is great.
This collection also includes a team-up between The Spirit and Batman written by Jeph Loeb and I thought that was pretty nice as well. I just wish I had more interest in the character beyond the creators working on him.
The individual issues here give a good taste of the character and his world and I really enjoyed a lot of the stuff here. Cooke's artwork is amazing; I've been a fan since I scooped Baman: Ego out of a quarter bin back in high school and he's only gotten better since then. The Spirit still doesn't seem to be a special character to me; I didn't grow up with him and I don't have the affection for him that others do... but Cooke's work on this book is great.
This collection also includes a team-up between The Spirit and Batman written by Jeph Loeb and I thought that was pretty nice as well. I just wish I had more interest in the character beyond the creators working on him.
January 31, 2015
It feels wrong giving anything Darwyn Cooke is responsible for one star. He's one of my favorite working creators and the man behind one of my favorite comic stories ever, New Frontier. Yet, here we are. It's hard for me to put my finger on what didn't work about these stories for me, I just know I was bored. I think it could be because I'm one of the six people who really liked The Spirit movie, and prefer the characterization of the character found there compared to what's present in this book, but even with that in mind if the stories were to my liking that wouldn't have made me dislike the book.
The art, of course, is gorgeous, so my rating is based mainly off of the stories present.
The art, of course, is gorgeous, so my rating is based mainly off of the stories present.
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