The Spirit Goes Underground!

Following Harvey's two mainstream newsstand issues on the spinner racks for kids and adults alike, the Spirit went underground. Kitchen Sink revived the character in two very handsome comics. I love the slightly raw and rather naughty covers on these.

The first issue offered up four vintage reprints from just after Eisner's return to the strip after WWII. These are in lush black and white. In addition, we get four one-page efforts by Eisner to bring The Spirit into the swing of the 60's. "The Criminal" is a wonderful turnabout on the classic costumed superhero and simple justice. The second features a young girl reporter who asks The Spirit to explain his attitude on crime, all the while our hero is thrashing some villains. The third you can read above and features Ebony. It seeks obviously to take some of the edge off of Ebony's minstrel aspects. 

And the last offers up an ironic attempt by criminals to end crime. See above. 

In addition to four vintage P'Gell yearns the second issue of this duet gave us a new four-page Spirit story titled "The Capistrano Jewels" featuring a slightly older P'Gell, who is no less intoxicating or trustworthy.  Eisner's women would become increasingly matronly over the years. The rendering of the dames on these two issues are perhaps the sexist he ever created, especially P'Gell. 

Later in the decade Denis Kitchen's outfit took hold of the Spirit property again picking up the numbering of the Warren magazines, and in close collaboration with Eisner produced some of the nicest Spirit comics, books and products well into the 1990's. 

And I don't want to fail to showcase the Spirit's single Snarf cover appearance, which teased the two full comics. It was a different time for certain. 

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