The Spirit Archives Volume Twelve!

As I've said before, I was not able to collect up these volumes when they first appeared, and I have always craved them. Last summer in anticipation of his comprehensive review I snagged as many as I could reasonably afford. But alas, a few were beyond my reach. Volume twelve was one of those. It showcases the return of Will Eisner to his most famous creation and consequently commands a hefty price in the markets I travel in. Yet nonetheless, my compulsion for completion drove me to spend more on this book than I have ever spent on any single tome. I'm not bragging. Far from it. But I am absolutely delighted to add this to my collection at long last. 

This volume is dubbed "Will Eisner Returns!" and that's true, but it's also the arrival of Jack Spranger who pencils all of the stories below with Eisner's masterful finishes. Despite this epic work, Spranger is an artist who all but disappeared after 1959. Gil Kane reported that Spranger had suffered a nervous breakdown, but nothing is known.  So, without further ado, let's begin a look at the beginning of the peak of Eisner's Spirit. 

Hildie and the Kid Gang January 6, 1946

Hildie is one of three European orphans who make their way to the United States. The rough and tumble lives they'd been living in the post-war landscape hardened them and made them kids with little regard for the rules of society. When a crime spree brings them in contact with the Spirit, not all of them are willing to kill, but some of them are. 

Dolan's Origin of the Spirit January 13, 1946

Commissioner Dolan relates the origin tale of the Spirit, a good thing for readers who might have come in late. Denny Colt's fatal encounter with Dr. Cobra is pretty much the same as readers delighted to years before, but a few nuances are altered here and. Alterations in the tale can be attributed to Dolan's limited perspective. Great use is made of the logo once again. 

Hildie and Satin January 20, 1946

The golden-haired Hildie returns as does Silk Satin, a character we've not seen in quite some time. Satin was a British spy who worked with the Spirit a number of times and even had a budding romantic interest in our hero. Secrets are revealed. 

The Siberian Dagger January 27, 1946

This is a farce of sorts which has several Russians who might be comfortable in a Marx Brothers movie looking for a lost dagger of great renown. The action is furious and non-stop leaving little space for the Spirit. I can only assume the Cyrillic spelling of the Spirit's name is accurate. And given the set up was it all a dream? 

The End of the World February 3, 1946

The "Atomic Age" comes to Central City. Some scientists have a bomb which they use to blackmail the city, and more. The Spirit gets onto the case in the nick of time, if not actually too late. We have swallowed the nuclear pill for generations now, so the shock of this story might be lost on modern readers. The dangers of radiation are on full display. 

As Ever, Orange February 10, 1946

Ebony is cajoled by a lovely girl named "As Ever" Orange to investigate her boyfriend who is fresh from the military with all sorts of tales. It turns out that there was indeed something to look into. At the same time Commissioner Dolan and the Spirit discuss educational opportunities for the loyal assistant. 

Introducing Blubber February 17, 1946

Ebony White has gone off to school and that leaves an opening for a sidekick for the Spirit. It gets filled for a short time by Blubber Wales, an Eskimo kid who helps the Spirit defeat the murderous pirate Captain Batt who gets up a gang to retrieve a cache of whale blubber and oil he'd gotten during the war when whaling was called off. The Spirit needs the help of English fluent Blubber to survive his encounter with Batt, though justice is done. 

Rockhead Stone February 24, 1946

The Spirit searches for the notorious gangster Rockhead Stone who is obsessed with radio contests. Ellen Dolan and Blubber seek to impress the Spirit by finding the villain themselves, but things go awry. All the while Commissioner Dolan seems convinced he's captured Stone himself already. It all gets cleared up by the story's end. 

Tarnation March 3, 1946

It's off to Tarnation Texas where the Dolan clan is in the midst of a feud with the Calico clan. Dolan and Ellen are joined by the Spirit and Blubber as the action runs fast and furious. The discovery of oil doesn't help matters. It's a trip to a timeless West which never existed. Truth told, there's almost too much happening in this wild one. 

The Fly March 10, 1946

This gets pretty high concept. We begin with the brief life of a fly and then we meet Guthrie Bendbagel Jr. Guthrie is a messenger who in all his years of service stayed just that. He was reliable and when he's given a particularly expensive tiara to deliver all sorts of villains and of course the Spirit get involved. 

Nylon Rose March 17, 1946

The especially fetching Nylon Rose is part of a girl gang who are into smuggling. But when Nylon spies the Spirit her libido is ignited and a competition for his attention is underway with Ellen Dolan. Even when Nylon's secret is exposed, her desire for the masked crimefighter does not waver. She will return. 

The Man Who Killed the Spirit March 24, 1946

This story takes place aboard a trolley car headed to its final stop at Raven Point. Aboard is a hood named Cauley who claims he shot and killed the Spirit. When Cauley sees that other members of the gang are on the trolley his fear takes over. There are secrets within secrets in this Eisner classic, one of his best tales. And that splash page is magnificent. 

Yafodder's Mustache March 31, 1946

Blubber Wales is annoyed that everyone keeps bringing up Ebony White. But then the two assistants get the chance to work together to bring to justice Zoltan P. Yafodder, a notorious defacer of public property who draws mustaches on things. Blubber and Ebony work together but Ebony is oddly silent, a secret revealed in the last panel. 

The Kissing Caper April 7, 1946

All the cops want to work a case of beatings and robberies where the only clue is some lipstick prints. Ellen goes so far as to tie up the Spirit to keep him out of his case which all believe will lead to a pretty dame. Ellen investigates herself leaving the door open for her old nemesis Nylon Rose who discovers the hogtied Spirit and makes the most of it. 

Max Scarss's Map April 14, 1946

Crooks abound in this one about gold hidden from the Axis forces. While Dolan and the Spirit attend a dinner party, deceit and death are all about them. There are blows to the noggin and poisonous drinks all over the place. The Spirit proves a bit more fallible in this one, adding some depth to his portrayal. 

Introducing Mr. Carrion April 21, 1946

Aside from the Octopus, Mr. Carrion is likely the Spirit's most famous villain of the male persuasion. In this story which introduces us to Carrion and his vulture Julia, we see him as a cold-blooded swindler who is draining money from desperate people eager to find out the fates of loved ones missing in the war. It's a nasty scheme and Blubber pays a price to bring this plot to an end. 

Dig a Hole April 28, 1946

A man named Pewter disgruntled with the world in 1786 buries himself to hide. Another man named Fiduciary does the same in 1946. Turns out Pewter is still alive and the two bond, digging out to find a world that Pewter finds filled with wonder. There is a battle with hoods who are digging for treasure in the grounds of the company Pewter's descendant plans to concrete. The Spirit fights ruggedly to defend the ground for the sake of charity. This is a story for our times for certain. 

The Head in the Desk May 5, 1946

Commissioner Dolan forgot he put a victim's head in a rolltop desk, a head which could've proved murder against a gangster convicted only of manslaughter. That thug is now out and looking for vengeance. The Spirit meanwhile tries to trick another hood into revealing the location of some stolen loot. This is a wild tale full of theft and mayhem and a grisly finale. 

Welcome Home, Ebony May 12, 1946

It's a welcome back for Ebony White who returns from his stay at school and a goodbye to Blubber Wales who becomes best buds with Ebony and the two share some ice cream before Blubber packs his things to return to the Arctic which he has become homesick for since his beating by Mr. Carrion. The Spirit meanwhile fights a thug who didn't turn himself in on time. The party awaits its guest of honor in vain. 

Carrion's Rock May 19, 1946

Mr. Carrion returns, this time washed up on a remote island owned by another criminal named Dr. Scalpel. The two plot to turn on one another for their own gain as the Spirit shows up to bring in Carrion. Ebony brings a rescue crew from the ship they'd both been aboard. The two villains give the Spirit quite the battle. 

Magnifying Glasses May 26, 1946

This one is all about big and small. A salesman pushes off glasses which make small things large and he also sells Spirit wind-up dolls. Confusion after confusion ensues when a hood seeking revenge on the real Spirit but loses his glasses and cannot see well enough to follow through. It's crazier than that really. Eisner's homage to the Outcault's The Yellow Kid, P.S. Smith shows up in this one, as enigmatically silent as ever.  

Tidal Wave June 2, 1946

Goona Island, a remote Pacific island home to a tribe of poor unfortunate tribe forced to work in Uranium mines by three villains. The Spirit and Ebony arrive to bring one of the villains to justice and the Spirit almost dies. A tidal wave proves destructive but its real cause is a mystery of sorts. Fraternization H. Shack returns to the cast. 

Pool's Toadstool Facial Cream June 9,1946

Matilda Dolan, the Commissioner's sister, returns and matrimony is again the center of attention. This time she's engaged to Gut Mutton a "wealthy sportsman" but actually a gangster looking to use a potential family connection to win influence and so commit crime with abandon. Ellen thinks its time the Spirit pops the question but when he's hit on the noggin yet again some visions show him what married life might be for a crimefighter. This is the first appearance of Gam the piano player who offers up a few verses of "Ev'ry Little Bug!" He will return. 

Bucket of Blood June 16, 1946

The Bucket of Blood is a remote cafe which caters to a rough crowd. An undertaker named Ides O'March appears looking for business. He's come to the right place criminals fall out over a lucky idol and death and murder erupt. The Spirit tries to bring Cooler to justice but it's a hard fight, especially since another villain named Shiv is intent on stabbing almost everyone. 

The Grumley Murder June 23, 1946 

The mind is a fragile thing and Dolan's mind needs some peace and quiet when pressure mounts to solve the murder of Grumly. He retreats to his lodge only to find the body there, and then it isn't. Is it his mind? Has Dolan lost the plot? He returns to Central City to find out. The real secret is cruel and the Spirit steps in to make sure justice is done. 

The Lost Fortnight June 30, 1946

In a parody of the film The Lost Weekend , which is about alcoholism, we are treated to Ebony being overcome by soda pop. The Spirit leaves in his keeping a strange keyboard which can ignite eight atomic bombs, but the targets are unknown. While he goes to capture the villains with a fake keyboard Ebony becomes more and more compelled to drink pop. When he hocks the deadly keyboard to pay for his habit, things really get hot. 

Will Eisner is back with a bang. The stories in this collection were far from the more straightforward mystery yarns by Eisner's replacements. I have some respect for those stories, but the craftsmanship on the stories in this volume is undeniable. The old cast is slipped back into place and as we all know the best is yet to come. 

Next time we tackle volume thirteen and meet for the first time all over again, the fetching P'Gell. I can hardly wait. See you in a fortnight and take it easy on the soda.

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Femme Noir - Spirit In A Skirt!

I love this series. To begin with I'm an absolute nut for Joe Staton. Ever since I stumbled across his work on E-Man for Charlton back in the 70's I've craved more of his stuff. His early Charlton work is a must-have for me when I find them, his covers especially. So, when I chanced across a series online that he was illustrating I had to check it out. It was big time fun.

The series was written by Chris Mills, a name I'd come across in other Indy comics and a name I've come to associate with stuff I like. (He was even a commentor at the Dojo in its early days.) The two of them produce a comic story that's got all that old-fashioned storytelling jazz I adore. It's grim but not necessarily gritty. It's dark but not necessarily gloomy. It's a ripe blend of fun and furious action. It was a great online comic adventure. And when I heard the boys were going to publish some of these on actual paper I was thrilled. The series did not disappoint. 

The stories were wide-ranging in contents and characters but nonetheless still obviously took place in a recognizable world. Whether fighting jungle girls or robot hoods, "Blonde Justice" the knockout star of the series finds a way to give the adventure a clever and distinctive twist. The series evokes Will Eisner's The Spirit for certain, and then it adds layers of other references and influences. Spotting what inspired this, that, and the other in the short-lived series is fun for fans. Whether you round up these stories in the original comics or get the trade, I highly recommend this series. It's the most fun you can have reading comics...period. 

Here are the covers (with both A and B versions) for the four-issue mini-series. 

If you can find it, it's a treasure. For more about where to look, check out this link to the Thrilling Detective Website. 

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Family Man!

Family Man by Jerone Charyn and Joe Staton was published by DC Comics under their Paradox Mystery label back in the 90's. Paradox produced only four stories total in twelve digest-sized installments. The only one I was much interested in was Family Man and that was because of the artwork of Joe Staton, the co-creator of E-Man and one of my all-time favorite artists. In this noir tale Joe gets to stretch his artistic muscles and offer up some gritty black and white artwork, which nonetheless has his lively style while straying far from his more warm and friendly work on things like Justice Society of America and Scooby Doo. 

Family Man is set "one hour in the future" and imagines a NYC which is overcome by crime and corruption. In fact in this story the mob is marginally more reliable than the city police force. This is the tale of two brothers, one named Alonzo who is a fearsome hitman for the Mafia, specifically the Furisoso family. His brother Charles is known throughout the city as a police chaplain and bounty hunter dubbed Monsignor. He wields enormous power and his motives are somewhat shadowy though he appears to be using former police officers to round up street gangs and collect them in the abandoned Yankee Stadium. There is also the mystery of who killed Alonzo's wife and children. 

The mobs are broken by and large as this story opens with only Don Furioso still breathing and in his case it just by a bit. Only the strength and menace of Alonzo seems to give enemies of the Mafia pause and he survives several attacks in this story which as grim as can be. There's the obligatory hooker with a heart of gold too, who seems to have feelings for both of the brothers. Mix in a corrupt police chief, a cowardly mayor, and some weird super-rich siblings who have their claws in everything as well as one another and you have a dire brew indeed. 

Jerome Charyn is apparently a well-regarded author, but while that might well be the case, my recommendation for this book is because of the outstanding Staton artwork. This book is from Drew Ford's It's Alive outfit, and while I personally have some outstanding issues with Drew, I won't let it get in the way of pointing out a quick but compelling read. 

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Earth-Prime Day!

Julie Schwartz was born on this date in 1915. He was among the earliest science fiction fanboys and published a sci-fi fanzine called The Time Traveler with buddy Mort Weisinger. The two ended up working in the comics business as editors primarily for DC Comics. Schwartz oversaw the updating of the DC Universe in the Silver Age. 

When I was a new fan my comic book tastes were broad and inclusive, limited only by my meager cash resources. I read Marvel, Charlton, Harvey, Gold Key, Archie, and of course DC. The first DC character I latched onto was the Flash and the very first Flash story I read had him go to Earth Prime, and not only was I not confused by this parallel Earth story, I was utterly fascinated, and it remains one of my all-time favorite DC stories.

"The Flash--Fact or Fiction?" is not strictly a crossover tale, but this 1968 classic does introduce the world of Earth Prime, our world where comic book heroes are just that, the stuff of comics. The Flash ends up here after clashing with an alien creature named the "Nok" which has escaped from a space zoo transport. The Nok attacks the Flash propelling him into another dimension and another Earth on which he discovers he's just a comic book hero like Jay Garrick is on Earth-1. Flash needs his Cosmic Treadmill to return home but has no resources so he visits the DC Comics offices and meets up with Julie Schwartz. Schwartz is soon convinced of the fantastic situation and helps Flash, who quickly puts together a treadmill and rushes back to Earth-1 to defeat the Nok. I've not mentioned Schwartz in these reports, since his role as editor is largely an invisible one, but as it turns out none of the crossover stories would have happened without him. All of the stories I've taken a look at happened in books he edited and he had a hand in plotting all of them I'd reckon. So it's fitting that he actually turns up in one of the crossovers, and it all started so to speak with this Flash story.

 

Later in the Flash series, Cary Bates, the book's writer ends up on Earth-1 also, where he helps out the Flash too. This 1974 story sets up in a manner of speaking the big crossover which would happen only a few months later in 1975.

 

"Where On Earth Am I?" was written by Cary Bates and Elliot S! Maggin and drawn by the ever reliable Dick Dillin who is joined by his longtime inker Frank McLaughlin. The cover is by Ernie Chua/Chan. The story begins in the office of Julie Schwartz where Bates and Maggin are hashing out the latest Justice League plot. They are stuck but Bates remembers the Cosmic Treadmill that Schwartz has and soon enough has used it and has disappeared. He turns up on Earth-2 and he is changed, having villainous thoughts and superpowers as well. He uses his new powers to help some robbers escape Johnny Thunder and Robin. Back on Earth Prime Schwartz and Maggin decide to send Maggin to get Bates, but Maggin ends up in the ocean on Earth-1 where he is saved by Aquaman. Quickly Aquaman gets him to the League satellite headquarters where Maggin convinces the League members Batman, Hawkman, Green Arrow and Black Canary of the truth of his story by revealing their secret identities. His story is confirmed by the Flash who turns up. On Earth-2 the Justice Society (Hourman, Wonder Woman, Dr.Mid-Nite, Johnny Thunder, and Robin) are battling some out of control plants and defeated by same controlled by the evil Bates. The League meanwhile decides to go to Earth-2 after it is determined Bates has gone there and they immediately encounter six villains (Icicle, Sportsmaster, Huntress, Gambler, Shade, and Wizard) stealing some aircraft from a Navy carrier. They quickly subdue the villains only to discover that the baddies are the Justice Society members in disguise and further that the defeated heroes are dead. Cary Bates takes credit for the scheme in the final panel.

 

"Avenging Ghosts of the Justice Society!" is again by the Bates, Maggin, Dillin, and McLauglin team. Ernie Chua/Chan supplies one of his best ever covers for the series. The story picks up with the League members memorializing the fallen JSofA members. Cary Bates is still in the middle of his crime spree and we discover that he works for the six villains seen in part one. A mysterious misty presence though makes itself known and plans vengeance for the fallen Society. The League is filling in for the dead Society members until they can figure something else out. Elliot S! Maggin is captured by Bates and imprisoned in a gigantic bubble gum bubble. The League is attracted to a black portal which takes them to the villains while the Spectre makes his presence known. A battle rages between the heroes and the villains with the heroes losing because they are haunted by the guilt of the fallen Society members who they killed while in the guise of the very villains they now fight. The Spectre implores the highest powers to allow him to revive the fallen JSofA members while Maggin tries to undermine the powers of Bates by insulting his writing skills. The combined efforts weaken the effects of the guilt on the Leaguers and the Society members suddenly appear hale and hearty. Quickly the villains are beaten and even more quickly Bates and Maggin are sent back to Earth Prime where Julius Schwartz is waiting anxious to get the next story out.

This is not the greatest story ever told by any means. The writers seem a bit too intrigued with showing off their wit and not clearly hammering out the plot details such as they are. Perhaps they considered the story just so absurd that there was no need to sweat the small stuff, but it hurts. The motivations of the characters are poorly examined. It is the Wizard who is controlling Bates, but that is not at all really clear and is supposed more than stated. Further the League and the Society don't come off in these stories looking all that competent. The Spectre's role is very offbeat, with him essentially performing a deus ex machina ending which solve the whole mess. Maybe the writers were playing with the cliches of the storytelling and making these elements explicit, but the whole story is a jumble.

But that doesn't undermine for me, the sheer fun of Earth-Prime, the comic book universe that exists right out my window. 

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Marvel Boy Day!

Mark Gruenwald was born on this date in 1953. Gruenwald loved comics and his work at Marvel in the 80's and 90's was remarkable in many ways. He took the Squadron Supreme and made them real. He co-created the DP7, arguably the best of the New Universe. But I most adore his work on Quasar, a hero for the time. Gruenwald gave depth of character to that rarest of things in comics in the 90's, a nice guy. 

It all began in the 50's with Marvel Boy. I always liked the over-the-top adventures of Marvel Boy, so when this Atlas era hero was revived in the Marvel Universe I was all for it.

I first ran across Marvel Boy in Marvel Tales alongside Spidey, Thor, and Torch. He was a cool looking hero as rendered by the slick Bill Everett. I liked the hokey adventures then, but I have to confess reading a whole batch of them, the weaknesses in the storytelling really show up.

The thing is that Marvel Boy was a series that seemed to almost have a new premise each issue and often each story. He began as a space warrior, a displaced Earther from Uranus who came back to his home planet to save us from ourselves and from alien threats. But the desire to put out horror material changed Bob Grayson into a battler of ghosts, ghouls, and vampires. Some of those were real, some were bogus. He had a partner in the beautiful circus performer turned secretary Starr Ryder, and then she just disappeared. He was an insurance investigator and then that background seemed to fade. Even his name as Marvel Boy dissolved as the series developed.

He was drawn by greats like Russ Heath and the aforementioned Bill Everett. But despite the handsome gloss of the stories and some really genuinely exciting moments, the series was seriously uneven. It seemed torn between slamming the Commies in one tale about water on Uranus and then finding for real vampire queens in another set in Italy. Each story had its charms and weaknesses but taken as a whole the mind boggled as the reading unfolded.

I still adore Marvel Boy, he's a character in search of the right circumstances, but he appeared at a time when sadly he was not allowed to become all he might have been. Or perhaps they were just trying desperately to find a formula that worked, but alas none of them seemed to have time to catch hold.

Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott

George Perez and Joe Sinnott
Marvel Boy returns in a Bronze Age two-part story from Fantastic Four #164 and #165 (written by Roy Thomas and drawn magnificently by George Perez and Joe Sinnott) featuring the reemergence of Bob Grayson into the Bronze Age of Marvel Comics, and dubbing himself "The Crusader".

It's a tragic tale, but it's an important one as this story set up scores of stories dealing with the technology which powered Marvel Boy, and this was the same equipment which made the career of Wendell Vaughn, later called "Quasar" so important. No superhero at Marvel was more intriguing to my mind than Quasar. This saga created by Mark Gruenwald, of nice guy trying his best to finish first, but always trying to do good was a ray of sunshine in a decade of comics overwrought with over-sized pistols and abundant bladed weapons.

Quasar was a great superhero, a hero who properly carried on the legacy of another superhero by the name of Marvel Boy.

When Marvel decided to revive him he was a bit of a joke as part of a special SHIELD strike force called the "Super-Agents" in the pages of Captain America, but he evolved beyond that being the only hero in the lot worth the name. Wendell Vaughn went on to become part of the Pegasus Project in Marvel Two-In-One and took the name Quasar and a new hero was well and truly born.

He was a throwback, a decent guy trying to do good. In the Marvel Universe ruled by Wolverines and Punishers, Quasar seemed quaint and naive, but in the capable hands of Mark Gruenwald, he became something aspirational. He was a hero, a man intent on helping the world become better and he has a nice somewhat retiring personality to go along with his sincere motivations.

The character went thought many a change and transformation along the years, especially after the untimely death of his co-creator Gruenwald. But during the 90's no superhero spoke to my heart like Quasar, a good and decent man trying to do the right thing. Isn't that supposed to be what a hero is?

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