In 2005 with news of a big screen effort underway for Will Eisner's classic, DC Comics, then in the midst of reprinting the entire run, decided to put out a relatively inexpensive package titled The Best of the Spirit. This collection gave us stories ranging from 1940 to 1950. Admittedly the bulk of these "best" tales come from the celebrated post-war era, but we do get the very first story which offers up Eisner's first spin on The Spirit's death and rise from the grave to fight crime. We also get the debut stories of Satin, P'Gell, Sand Saref, and The Octopus. Other classic stories feature the high-flying Gerhard Shnobble, the alluring Lorelei Rox, the scheming Autumn Mews, and Rat-Tat the toy machine gun. Many a classic is on display in this nigh two-hundred-page, paperback collection, a great introduction to the character and to the denizens of Central City.
This is followed on in 2008 with The Spirit - Femmes Fatales. This one is full of romance and betrayal. On hand are dames such as the Black Queen, Madam Minx, Nylon Rose, Thorne Strand, Silken Floss, Pantha Stalk, Powder Pouf, and Plaster of Paris. Making return visits are P'Gell, Satin, Wild Rice, Autumn Mews, and Lorelei Rox. The weakness of this collection is that many of the stories also appeared in the first collection, but there are many new ones here, making it worthwhile to those who might have the stories in other locations. I find it a nifty way to glom some of Eisner's best dames.
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