Spirit Jam is a 1998 reprint of one of the more impressive artistic stunts of the Indy era. In the 30th issue of
The Spirit Magazine from 1981, the folks at Kitchen Sink (spearheaded by in-house Eisner expert Cat Yronwode) arranged for a host of artists and writers to try their hand at a few pages of a single shared Spirit story. The story was kicked off and wrapped up by Will Eisner but in between were all manner of renditions of the 40's comic icon by some of the most potent names of the era.
Pete Poplaski penciled the wraparound cover. It's gorgeous and features the inking of the following talents: Peter Poplaski, Will Eisner, Milton Caniff, John Pound, Denis Kitchen, Richard Corben, and Leslie Carbaga.
Also included in the square-bound reprint was the four-page
Cerebus Jam story by Eisner and Dave Sim. Eisner handled the Spirit figures and Sim most everything else.
And to close things off here are two wonderful renderings of the Spirit with some iconic heroes.
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i haven't reread this wild round-robin story in many years-- probably the longest single SPIRIT story ever executed, even counting very loose storylines like 'Spirit Goes Blind" or whatever critics call that one. If I am not mistaken, the only time a non-Eisner character makes an appearance is that of Duck Drake, whose stories ran for a long time in THE COMIC READER. Even so, he might be a character who's well-remembered even from fans of that era.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed this blast from the past.
DeleteGreat to see these pages again. I used to have this book but I must have given it away in a fit of comic book clearing. Some great stuff, I particularly like Mr Gilberts and Corbens efforts. Thanks for showing these
ReplyDeleteGilbert does an especially fine job and the nudity was appreciated by me for certain.
DeleteAn interesting concept, even if some of the artwork didn't mesh well. I appreciate the creativity behind it, though. Kitchen is to be commended for making The Spirit "relevent" again.
ReplyDeleteKitchen and Eisner had a fascinating relationship. Kitchen did much to elevate Eisner, an artist who had success away from mainstream comics, but needed access to fresh readers. Eisner for his part helped make Kitchen Sink a reliable brand, and took Kitchen on as his agent when the brand ended.
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