Will Eisner's The Spirit: A Celebration of 75 Years Hardcover – July 14, 2015

On a night adorned by a bright full moon, the eerie shadows of Wildwood Cemetery almost obscure the shocking sight of the resurrection of a brave man. In life, he was known as Denny Colt, private investigator, but as he slowly rises from his own grave, he is about to take on a new name and become a legend called..."The Spirit!"So begin the adventures of one of the classic comic serials of all time, created by one of the grand masters of American comic art, Will Eisner. From its unique syndication in newspapers across the United States, premiering in 1940; its 12 year publication to 1952 in which it reached almost 5 million readers a week; through its many incarnations in the following decades, "The Spirit" stands as a visionary achievement in the advancement of comic storytelling, or as Mr. Eisner came to describe the medium, "sequential art." This special book, "Will Eisner's The Spirit: A Celebration of 75 Years," provides comic readers a grand showcase of selected tales of this great creator's most famous work and additional stories by comic artists inspired by Mr. Eisner's genius.This hardcover collection begins with an introduction by writer Neil Gaiman, then presents a total of 60 tales of the exploits of "The Spirit." Mr. Eisner's blue-suited and masked hero first debuted in newspapers in what came to be called "The Spirit Section," a 16 paged supplement Mr. Eisner designed and co-produced along with other talented writer/artists from 1940-1952. Created for newspapers as a competitive answer to the then growing popularity of comic books, the supplement was a 16 paged comic headlined by "The Spirit," which ran from 7-8 pages at its peak, followed by the back-up features, "Lady Luck" and "Mr. Mystic." Published with 480 pages, this book is twice as thick as an average tome of DC and Dark Horse Comics' ambitious and admirable 27 volume reprint series, "The Spirit Archives," which they released between 2000 and 2009.As "The Spirit" matured over time, Mr. Eisner used the supplement to experiment with the possibilities of telling stories in comic form. Thus, his resilient leading man would become involved not just in film noir inspired detective tales, but horror type stories, globe-trotting adventures, comedic escapades and science fiction sagas. These stories were continually highlighted by Mr. Eisner's famous flash pages: truly imaginative illustrations the artist conceived for the opening page of the weekly supplement which showcased the title of its lead feature in wondrous, eye catching ways. For example: "The Spirit" logo in a swirling whirlpool, the title shaped as an ornate gate, "The Spirit" letters cut in red letters washing down a street storm drain, the logo written in arabic or asian-like script; oftentimes, "The Spirit" title was drawn as a stone structure or monument, a coincidental conception of what the series itself would become in the annals of comic history.But it is not just Mr. Eisner's innovative art techniques that make "The Spirit" a classic. It is his masterful sense of story and character that makes it a masterwork. Mr. Eisner had the amazing ability to infuse a powerful sense of character depth, atmosphere and drama into a finite number of pages...and he did it week after week after week!At the heart of Mr. Eisner's tales of "The Spirit" was the author's sense of humanity, his empathy for the struggle of the everyman or woman. His hero was no Superman, no "strange visitor from another planet with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men." He was not Captain America, a courageous young man who became a "super soldier" to fight the threat of Nazism in World War II. He was not The Batman, no "creature of the night," driven to strike fear into the hearts of the "superstitious, cowardly lot" of criminals, even though the characters did share a kinship. "The Spirit" is an all too human hero, often beaten, battered, bruised but ultimately unbowed by the underworld enemies he battles to bring to justice. He is a moral man but not so high and mighty to not be continually tempted by the seductive wiles of the many beautiful women that he encounters. His long-time girlfriend Ellen Dolan, daughter of his confidant, Commissioner Dolan, femme fatale P'Gell, and the alluring, complex Silvia "Silk" Satin, are just three of the ladies that remind "The Spirit" that women can be both the spice and bitter herb of life.A specific example of this humanity in all its complexity is the character of Ebony White. A young African-American boy who shares in "The Spirit's" adventures from the start of the series, he is drawn by Mr. Eisner, in what can only be considered by contemporary audiences, in a racist and derogatory manner. His speech pattern is also written in a negative, stereotypical fashion. Throughout the years of the comic series, Ebony is used mostly as comedy relief but it must be pointed out that the character is also depicted as "The Spirit's" loyal and brave side-kick, a young man the hero trusts completely and who he willingly lives with and shares his crimefighting exploits. As the series evolved, Mr. Eisner also strove to downplay the more troubling aspects of the character he created. Ebony is a regrettable product of his time, but Mr. Eisner imbues the character with just as much humanity as any other character in his work.Of the many tales of "The Spirit" this book collects, a number of standouts include:"Croaky Andrew's Perfect Crime:" a story in which just the mystique of "The Spirit" can defeat a criminal."The Jewel of Death:" an atmospheric adventure of "The Spirit" in the Middle East, featuring a classic splash page."Meet P'Gell:" the introduction of perhaps the ultimate temptress in the cases of "The Spirit.""Life Below:" an especially gritty story that takes "The Spirit" beneath the streets of his Central City home."The Story of Gerhard Shnobble:" a favorite of Mr. Eisner: the tale of a man with an uplifting gift."Ten Minutes:" how a few short minutes can change a young man's life."Sand Saref" and "Bring in Sand Saref:" tales that reveal the past of "The Spirit.""Outer Space:" Mr. Eisner teams up with artist Wallace Wood for some classic stories near the end of the series."Crime Convention:" a special crossover adventure with "The Spirit" and The Batman by Jeph Loeb and Darwyn Cooke.Any story featuring "Silk" Satin. What a woman!With an iconic Eisner image of the lead character on its front cover taken from the splash page of the October 2, 1949 "Spirit Section," complimented by a tribute illustration of our hero on the back cover by Darwyn Cooke, from "The Spirit" premiere issue published by DC Comics in 2006, this book contains true treasures of sequential art. This single volume collection is perhaps the best introduction to "The Spirit," and the genius of Will Eisner ever published. While the series has been reprinted many times over the years, in many different formats, this book offers readers the most one can have of the breath of the character's 75 year history within the pages of one volume.This reviewer gives it my very highest recommendation.

Great Collection of Will Eisner's Classic Spirit Strip-- they should have omitted all of the pre-World War II stuff except for maybe the first one so that you can see the evolution of the strip, because it really takes off after WWII-- there is plenty of those stories in here too, it's just that you can skip the first 80 pages or so-- but you've got 500 so lots of good stuff too.Easier than pulling down one of the Spirit Archives and this has a lot of the real classic stories.For those of you outraged by Ebony-- because of his minstrel comedy nature-- get over it. Will was demonstrating the same humor of the period which was on display in many Hollywood films-- and those films had many African American fans, so stop being outraged. Eisner also addresses the issue of Ebony and has him go off to school to get educated. If you give him a chance you realize Ebony is a true assistant to The Spirit.

If you are not already a fan of The Spirit, well this is a great jumping on point for you! If you are already a fan, such as I, this is a fabulous group of stories to just sit back and relax with! Will Eisner was one of the immortal graphic artists to walk the earth, with a different kind of story telling that has really never been matched in our time. Perhaps though, one of the most interesting stories in this collection is not Eisner scripted nor drawn, but is Darwyn Cooks match up of The Spirit with another great crime stopper, Batman. You will not be able to sit this one down, and you will be glad to add it to your collection. Beautiful selection of stories and artwork from both Eisner and some of the great talent that exists amongst us today! You won't be sorry!

This is really well produced volume in celebration of the Spirit by Will Eisner. In an edition that looks great next to the Spirit Archive Editions, DC offers us clear, colorful, easy to read and see reproductions of the strip/comic's original newspaper run, as well as a 1970's story from Kitchen Sink and DC's #1 issue of the Batman/Spirit with Darwyn Cooke doing the rendering. This book is a colorful, fun, celebration of this well-loved creation. Great job DC! Highly recommended.

The book arrived in shrink-wrap and since it will be given as a gift--I have not opened it and can't comment on the content. I am giving it four stars based on my past experience with different "Spirit" collections from Will Eisner.

An engrossing collection of so many of the masterpieces that make up the Eisner canon PLUS the recent interpretations of The Spirit. This will please existing Spirit fans AND hopefully bring a new generation to this special series and its characters and styles!

Excellent overview of this iconic character. Fine service.

I really enjoyed this collection - good overview of the Spirit's career.

And if you don't want to take my word for it, go ask Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman who are both admirers of Will Eisner and have both written homages of The Spirit.*Although the complete Spirit stories are available in a series of over 20 quality hardback collections, they would set you back several hundred pounds but this fat collection of many of the best stories will be enough for most mortals and it certainly qualifies as essential for any decent graphic story collection simply because it contains some of the best comics ever written & drawn. The period of these stories is from the early 1940's to the early 50's with a three year gap while Eisner was serving his country during World War 2. The series did continue by other diverse (and talented hands), but this is Eisner's collection.The earliest stories do show Eisner still learning his craft but he progresses with astonishing speed, creating one mini 7-page masterpiece after another. Despite their brevity there is an amazing richness in both story and art which means that they have to be savoured just a couple at a time to fully appreciate them or the effect is lost. The sophistication is far and above the standard of the comics of the period which is why they can be enjoyed just as much today as when they first appeared. Eisner enjoyed a second career from the late 70's on with a series of original high quality graphic novels but the humanity and compassion he displays in them was already evident in The Spirit three decades earlier. The humour may be broader but they are recognisably the work of the same talented writer/artist.This collection is an absolute joy.Note: there are included a handful of new stories by other talents including a Batman/Spirit teamup.*Moore and Gaiman contributed, along with many other top contemporary comics talents, to the collection of an 8-issue Eisner-approved series "Will Eisner's The Spirit: The New Adventures" which is a worthwhile companion piece to this volume.

Just a joy.The succinctness and smartness of the writing and the fantastic art work.Eisner was a talent all on his own.

Great presented book should give marvel a run for their money on their masterworks series

Ok bien écrit.