Under a strange cover by Jules Feiffer which parodies The Spirit by using Feiffer's Clifford character, we get the second half of The Spirit adventures from 1950. Will Eisner's The Spirit Archives with the twenty-first volume showcases a year of wild fun for the characters as well as a smidgeon of danger as well.
The Moment of Glory July 2, 1950
This is a story that celebrates the Fourth of July and presents us the figure of Tyler Trembly, a meek man who inspired by symbols of the American Revolution continues on bravely for the good of his community when he learns of a dastardly scheme by some town officials to clean out the coffers. The Spirit and company are taking in a holiday picnic and so are on hand to bring some justice to the situation.
The Ship Versus Darling O'Shea July 9, 1950
The Imperial was a passenger ship which also carried cargo. In this story, the ship seems to have a mind of its own and gets locked into a battle of wills with the richest girl in the world, Darling O'Shea. The young miss O'Shea is a spoiled and obnoxious brat, and it becomes The Spirit's duty to be her bodyguard. The battle between ship and girl ends in tragedy for some.
The Desert July 16, 1950
The Spirit finds himself handcuffed to a prisoner named Tate and the two of them are forced to try and stay alive in the desert when a plane crash leaves them as the only survivors. Tate is a murderer and looks for an opening to get himself free from clutches of The Spirit, while our hero merely looks for a way for them both survive. Luck is with only one of them.
Dick Whittler July 23, 1950
This story begins a delightful three-part yarn which finds our hero The Spirit wounded and caught up in a murder case in the small town of Riverbend. Dick Whittler is the top detective in this town and he's a sharp cookie indeed as it seems at first that The Spirit is helping Whittler with his case, but by the story's conclusion we realized our hero is the prime suspect.
The Chase July 30, 1950
After escaping Dick Whittler in the first part of this story we find Whittler and The Spirit together in the compact Woody's Diner, a diner in which a deadly drama will be played out. The Spirit attempts to keep his identity a secret, but circumstances force him to reveal himself and so he becomes Whittler's prisoner. But that's not all.
Investigation August 6, 1950
In the third and final part of the story, The Spirit once again escapes custody of the police, and we find out that all this time he's been protecting Commissioner Dolan. It seems that Dolan was an ideal suspect for the Riverbend murder, but The Spirit wanted to remain free long enough to be able to gather evidence to prove Dolan's innocence. But Dick Whittler will not be denied seeing justice done.
The Wreck of Old 78 August 13, 1950
The Old 78 is a retired steam engine of great fame. Having many years before replaced by more modern equipment the old engine is the property of its former engineer Jeb Stoker. Dolan and The Spirit seek to acquire the vintage machine for the Central City museum, but Stoker is not interested. But then a flood wreaks havoc in the valley and only the old engine is available to bring relief to tragic victims. What happens proves to be a most valiant moment for both train and man.
The First Man August 20, 1950
Herkimer Zither is a seemingly meek man who has one obsession, to be the first man who does a thing. In this case he seeks to be the first man to travel through a brand-new tunnel in Central City. To that end he gets up in the wee hours of the morning, and we follow him as he learns to his horror that he's not the only man who seeks such a distinction. His drive to be the first man becomes a dangerous and criminal pursuit and that means that The Spirit becomes involved by the story's end.
Camp Wachoobie August 27, 1950
Sammy and Willum go to Camp Wachoobie in an attempt to get out of the confines of Central City and into the glories of nature. But Sammy finds only a bully named Wilmer who mercilessly picks on The Spirit's young partner. Sammy attempts to remain calm but finally he stands up and fights back only to be rebuffed by the head of the camp who turns out to be an unscrupulous leader of the camp. Willum is ashamed of his friend at first and then fearful for him, so he calls our hero The Spirit for help.
Cape Cod Vacation September 3, 1950
While on a seeming vacation The Spirit runs across the spoiled rich brat Darling O'Shea once again, just in time to learn of a scheme led by Mr. Carrion and his gang to kidnap the insufferable child. The Spirit is attacked by Julia, Carrion's vulture and suffers in other ways as well and by the time he's repelled the threat, he well and truly needs a vacation.
Teacher's Pet September 10, 1950
It's back to school as The Spirit is called upon by Dick Whittler to help protect a new test for metal alloys. The fetching P'Gell is back, and she has her eyes on the test's creator as well as pretending to teach French to a flock of eager students, many eager to be the teacher's pet. The Spirit poses as a student to infiltrate her class and learn her scheme.
The Story of Sam...the Saucer that Wanted to Fly September 17, 1950
Sam was just a saucer who grew tired of being stuck in the cupboard, so when Ellen Dolan uses him at a picnic, he gets a new lease on life when The Spirit is forced to fling him at some thugs threatening their idyllic frolic. Sam learns he can fly and does so with gusto giving rise to all manner of speculation about flying saucers.
Sound September 24, 1950
A grumpy cartoonist is trudging late at night trying to meet a deadline on a horror story. But the noises continue to assault his senses, and he's increasingly nervous as the long night wears on, becoming more and more terrified. Could his condition have anything to do with the tea his disgruntled assistant brought to him earlier in the evening? It's a question for The Spirit.
The Big Win October 1, 1950
The Spirit is invited by Daniel Greer, a gangster who keeps evading the law, to accompany him on a hunting trip on which he plans to murder his rival Big Ed. The Spirit is along to catch the supremely confident Greer. They end up in a giant cavern, and our hero is hard pressed to bring the culprit to some kind of justice.
O'Shea's Uncle October 8, 1950
A British murderer and kidnapper named Barnaby Lyme turns up at Darling O'Shea's mansion and pretends to be her uncle. He plans to abscond with the richest girl in the world and demand a huge ransom. But he reckons not with O'Shea's devious ways and finds himself the one who is needing help. The Spirit and Dolan show up to "save the day", but find things are fine.
Lizzy's Boys October 15, 1950
Two twins, reminding us of Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, turn out to be genius bank robbers as well as the sons of longtime pickpocket Light-Fingered Lizzy. The two fall into the clutches of the Ghouly Gang who demand the twins scheme for them. While Sammy and Willum take on the case unofficially, they run across Lizzy. The Spirit and Commissioner Dolan turn up at the story's surprising ending.
The Haircut October 22, 1950
When a nice guy and barber named Rudy and his new wife Jenny attempt to find happiness, a surly character named Joe turns up, a former boyhood friend of Rudy's. Joe makes himself a partner and while Rudy looks the other way Joe takes his security and his wife. When Joe's numbers racket scheme comes to light Rudy is pressured to murder The Spirit. And indeed, death does take a hand.
Hallowe'en 50 October 29, 1950
Hazel P. Macbeth turns up once again, this time she wants to work in politics and goes to gather up votes in Wildwood Cemetary. Meanwhile, three identical women turn up in the city who claim to be witch hunters and soon enough find Hazel with the assistance of Sammy and Willum. But it turns out that murder is all they are interested in, and our young heroes are soon enough tied to a stake, ready for burning. Needless to say, that Denny Colt makes an appearance.
Vietnam '50 November 5, 1950
A murderous thief named Gimlet escapes The Spirit by joining the French Foreign Legion. He then begins to send The Spirit a series of letters bragging about how he's escaped and there's little our hero can do about it. But when Gimlet learns of potential hidden Nazi booty while his unit is fighting in the jungles of Southeast Asia, his plans to get rich by murder and theft leave him in a very difficult position.
Ellen Dolan for Mayor November 12, 1950
The Spirit returns to Central City after being away for a month and discovers to his dismay that Ellen Dolan is running for Mayor. She'd made an appearance on television and her comments on empowering women made her a sensation and she was soon drafted into running for office. The Spirit is less than pleased and in a fit of misogyny works for the other candidate, but with little effect. When Ellen's opponent turns to violence to win the election The Spirit finds saving her to be dangerous business.
La Cucaracha November 19, 1950
When a named Lupo enters a diner with a talking cockroach, we are regaled with the saga of how the former flea circus operating came into possession of this most talented bug. When Lupo is hired to smuggle gems into the United States, the scheme goes wrong, and he is forced to escape to Central City to save his life. Sadly, things turn out differently. Can the cockroach truly talk? The truth is revealed when The Spirit gets involved.
The Song of Little Willum November 26, 1950
In a witty parody of The Song of Hiawatha by Longfellow, we follow the misadventures of young Willum on Thanksgiving. He gets the notion that he's been forgotten for the annual holiday feast and allows himself to become part of a gang intent on a robbery, but he changes his mind and goes to warn The Spirit of the impending crime. The thugs seek vengeance on the kid for betraying them. It's all our hero can do to save the young fellow's life. This is a treat of a story as nearly every friendly supporting character in the recent history of the strip is either seen or namechecked or both. (Ebony White is a notable exception.)
The Winnah December 3, 1950
Happy Porker is an unscrupulous fight manager who tricks his fighter Herbie Gritt into taking a dive, ruining his career. Then he takes on Gritt's younger brother, promising him, he'll help the elder Gritt. But once again he proves to be a devious manager and forces the Gritt brothers to fight one another with tragic consequences. We learn all this as Porker spills the beans to an unseen fellow diner, but he's not who you think he is.
Snowbound December 10, 1950
The rich girl Darling O'Shea invites The Spirit, Mayor Ellen Dolan and Commissioner Dolan on a skiing holiday. O'Shea's scheme is to marry up The Spirit to her new governess, who turns out to be Sand Saref. This group becomes snowbound, and romance becomes dangerous for our hero as these two women he has great affection for vie for his attentions. Danger rears its head when O'Shea turns up missing.
Sammy and Willum Take Over December 17, 1950
As Christmas approaches Sammy and Willum are determined to make The Spirit and Commissioner Dolan take them seriously as detectives. To this end they follow The Spirit and Dolan and come to the conclusion that both might well be taking bribes because they are spending time gathering mysterious packages. Needless to say, our young investigators are wrong and embarrassingly so.
The Christmas Spirit of 1950 December 24, 1950
The Spirit steps aside to let the Spirit of Christmas and Santa Claus take center stage. But it proves difficult as Darling O'Shea discovers that she's not been visited by the holiday elf ever. She uses her wealth to stop Santa from completing his mission. But despite her attempts he finally finds her unguarded and makes up for years past. The holiday spirit wins out yet again.
Deadline December 31, 1950
It's New Year's Eve and a cartoonist named Eisner has a deadline to meet. But when his disgruntled assistant shoots him in order to take over the strip, things take a strange turn. We are treated to The Spirit as filtered through the talents of Jules Feiffer and his character Clifford. The cast of Clifford adopt the roles of various Spirit characters as we get a three-page rundown of the past year. This story is framed by more traditional art which targets us the readers. The story closes with some statistics about the series for 1950.
And that's 1950 done. The series had some real highlights during the year. Sammy makes an impression, but sadly every time I see him, I think of the seemingly forgotten Ebony. Willum surprisingly remains a part of the cast, like Sand Saref a remnant of the John Law stories which were woven into the mythology. I really liked that Ellen became Mayor and seemed to be an independent woman for the first time. In world which is even now attempting to put women back into dependent roles, it's most refreshing to read a story of such empowerment.
We jump into 1951 with the next volume, the twenty-second in the series. In any ways the series has peaked, but there's still quite a few adventures to go. See you in two weeks' time.
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