By the latter months of 1945, the war was winding down and the world was beginning to confront the challenges ahead to recover. The United States had been spared and so was ready to lead the world into a new era of relative peace. The Spirit comic strip was on hard times. Lou Fine had been the artist on the series for a few years, and he had slowly but steadily transformed the look of the section. Gone for the most part were the evocative splash pages, but a shortening of the section from eight pages to seven some time before likely contributed to that change. The cover for this Archives edition is the most tepid of the series. But things are about to change.
The Amato Gang July 1, 1945
This is a muddled story about the Spirit and Dolan attempting to track down some post office robbers. The robbers are tipped off by a soda jerk and later the gang attempt to hold the ice cream loving Ebony as hostage. Jack Cole and Lou Fine brought us this okay story.
Elbows and Cheesecake July8, 1945
Cheesecake is one of those Spirit molls, beautiful and brainy. She leads a gang with her partner Elbows who gets his nickname from his fighting style. They try to rob the Police Relief Fund which is switched from bank to bank on an annual basis. The Spirit has to fight a little harder in this story Wade Manly Wellman and Lou Fine.
The Millionth Customer July 15, 1945
The titular character is a man named Jed who is murdered so he cannot claim a prize of ten grand for being a store's lucky customer. There are lots of suspects in this one as the Spirit and Ebony plumb the mystery. I felt sorry for poor Jed in this Wellman and Fine effort.
Caressa July 22, 1945
Wellman and Fine return with a story about a woman named Caressa who comes to the Spirit to protect from the advances of dangerous. The Spirit doesn't realize he's the one in danger. Ellen Dolan gets a role in this one. To be honest the plot of the villains didn't make that much sense to me, but so it goes.
Mr. Grifty Goes Straight July 29, 1945
When a baddie named Grifty seems to want to reform, we quickly realize his schemes are deeper. There's a lot of skullduggery in this short seven-page story by the team of Wade Manly Wellman and Lou Fine.
The Kuttup Shop August 5, 1945
When Commissioner Dolan and his police force crack down on some racketeers two of them slip away and after a brutal murder pretend to be the operators of a novelty story. But the Spirit sees through their disguises and makes some good use of sneezing powder. Lou Fine drew and possibly Manly Wade Wellman wrote it.
Eye, Feets and Lock August 12, 1945
Joe Millard and Lou Fine join forces to bring us a tale about vaudeville, hypnotism and crime. A gang uses their theatrical talents to rob the homes of wealthy patrons. The Spirit and Ebony get to the bottom of this little crime wave.
The Vickram Forgery August 19, 1945
Manly Wade Wellman and Lou Fine give us this tale of art forgery. When a famous painting called "The Purple Pirate" turns up in the hands of a wealthy art critic, things really get going when the Spirit is able to identify the painting as a fraud. It's back and forth and back again in this one.
Mobar's Comet August 26, 1945
Wade Manly Wellman most likely wrote this bizarre tale for Lou Fine to draw. A famous comet is about to streak across the sky and the descendant of the astronomer who named the comet is murdered in an explosion. Figuring out what railroads have to do with it all is how the Spirit solves this one.
Cookie September 2, 1945
Manly Wade Wellman and Robin King team up to give us this tale of a young woman who is dating a dangerous fellow. The Spirit steps and before you know it, he's dating her. And then that idea is pretty much dropped as the Spirit has to confront the criminal who started it all. A strange and disappoiniting tale this is.
The Durand Gang September 9, 1945
Wellman and Fine deliver this bland story in which a gangster seems to get kidnapped but not really. I frankly lost the plot literally while reading this little seven-page entry. Even when I went back it still didn't make much sense.
Madame Larna's Crystal Ball September 16, 1945
When a fortune teller tries to sign up with a local gang, her crystal ball comes in handy in a number of ways. This story by Wellman and Fine is a bit surprising in the myriad ways they dream up. Sadly, Madame Larna herself seems to lack much personality.
Mr. Martin's Pistols September 23, 1945
Lou Fine teams up with an unknown writer to deliver a story all about ballistics. When a man is shot Commissioner Dolan leaps to a conclusion and it's left to the Spirit and Ebony to unravel the mystery. I'm not sure I understand the solution, but there you go.
The Case of the Missing Undertaker September 30, 1945
Commissioner Dolan is tired of the Spirit upstaging him all the time, so he sets off all on his lonesome to solve the mystery of a missing undertaker. He gets to the bottom of the crime quickly but without the Sprit's involvement he'd end up six feet under. Wellman and Fine are responsible.
Jason Ghor is Innocent October 7, 1945
This is a weird one. The Spirit imagines he's been called to account in the afterlife and to vindicate himself he must work to prove the innocence businessman Jason Ghor who is accused of having mob ties. As any might suspect there is much more to this story than seems evident at first. Lou Fine definitely drew it in fine fashion and Wade Manly Wellman most likely wrote it.
Jonas Dubrik's Plan October 14, 1945
Jonas Dubrik's plan remains a mystery throughout most of this story when he is suddenly murdered. It's made to look as if the Spirit was responsible. But his niece seems to be assisted by a gumshoe named Spandrill, much to the Spirit's regret. Wellman and Fine work together to offer up as close to closed-door mystery as the series has produced to this point.
Nitro October 21, 1945
Wellman and Fine join forces yet again to give us a story of extortion and explosives. A thug who calls himself Nitro appears and demands ten grand, or he will start blowing up property. When the Spirit gets involved, he brings along Ebony who ends up a captive of the villain. I liked the pace of this one and the final panel has a classic Spirit touch.
Death, South American Style October 28, 1945
When two rivals for the affections of one woman collide on the street, one ends up dead. A chap who calls himself "On-the-Spotter" seeks to make money by blackmailing the survivor. It's up to the Spirit to help prove the innocence of the well-traveled suspect. Wellman likely wrote it and Lou Fine for sure drew it.
Vaudeville Vinnie November 4, 1945
Suddenly it seems the Spirit has gone crazy. First Ebony finds him swing at thin air and claiming to be first a king and then an admiral. And later he imagines himself to be Don Juan and makes love to Ellen Dolan. The secret is a simple one in this story by Wellman and Fine. It was nice to see some whimsy back in the series.
Triton and Josie October 11, 1945
Triton is a thug who kidnaps a girl named Josie who stands between him and a fortune. This is a very simple story which has the young woman depending on the Spirit for her survival. This Wellman and Fine effort had a darker edge indeed.
Spelvin's School for Actors November 18, 1945
Wellman and Fine give us a strange story about a school for acting. When both Ebony and the Spirit get involved of course we realize more might be happening. Turns out this is all about trying to be less uncouth. There are some twists and turns as this one unrolls, it was not what I anticipated.
Soapy Keeps It Clean November 25, 1945
Lou Fine and possibly Wade Manly Wellman join forces for a story about a criminal who likes things clean and shiny. This fetish proves to be the weakness the Spirit needs to bring him and his gang to justice. Soapy felt more like a classic Batman villain.
The Alibi Factory December 2, 1945
Murderers seem to be getting off in court when sudden alibis appear. The Spirit suspects an operation is behind it and sure enough he's right. But it proves more difficult than he expected. Shots fly in this oddly dour outing from the Wellman and Fine team.
The Strange Case of the Two Five Dollar Bills December 9, 1945
A man throws Ebony two fives to get him a five-dollar suit, but that only kicks off a particularly strange Spirit story by Joe Millard and Lou Fine. There are echoes of the classic Sherlock Holmes story "The Man with the Twisted Lip", but only echoes. The solution is different indeed.
Derry Mortlock December 16, 1945
When Ellen's old classmate Derry Mortlock shows up on the Dolan doorstep in desperation it triggers a wild affair which sees Ebony kidnapped. This one is all about fear, but strangely not the kind one would expect. Wade Manly Wellman and Lou Fine tap out on the series after a few years on the job replacing Will Eisner who was in the military. The Spirit has changed a lot in that time, but things were about to change back.
The Christmas Spirit of 1945: Horton J. Winklenod December 23, 1945
Will Eisner returns at long last to his greatest creation. The war has finally ended, though the world will take decades to heal. Eisner taps artist Jack Spranger to pencil the strip while he of course wrote and inked it lushly. The first story is a "Christmas Spirit" story. In these the Spirit takes the day off and lets the spirit of the holiday take over. It does just that when Horoton J. Winklenod, rich and generous man first learns that Santa isn't real. Stricken by the new he wanders the streets until he meets a small-time crook who just wants five grand so he and wife can turn their lives around. The story will leave a smile on your face for sure.
The Return of the Villains of '42 December 30, 1945
Eisner wraps up the year with a trip down memory lane for longtime Spirit fans when he brings back a cadre of vintage villains from 1942 The baddies are Mr. Fly, Hush the Whisperer, Goopleclutch and Mickleholler, and the Squid. The villains want another crack at the Spirit and team up to do so but their plans fall short of course. Eisner has now reset the playing field, and 1946 looks to be a fantastic year.
By the end of this eleventh volume the Spirit has returned in most ways to the glory which Eisner had established before he was whisked away to war duty. At first Wade Manly Wellman, Bill Woolfolk, and Lou Fine had tried to deliver Spirit stories in the classic style, but as time passed, so did that focus. This was the dreariest of the volumes to read so far. The stories often the elements but didn't come into focus well. The Spirit was just one more crimefighter and Ebony just looked weirder and weirder. That lack of focus is even more stark with the return of Eisner to the strip.
It's 1946 and Will Eisner is back on the comic which made him famous. The best of the best is yet to come.
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