The Spirit In Pulp Friction!

The Rocketeer and The Spirit - Pulp Friction will have to be put into the missed opportunity section. Mark Waid creates a nifty story featuring the still largely experimental technology of television to bring together the sunny flying hero from California and the shadowy hard-bitten hero from Central City. The Spirit was the creation of Will Eisner arguably the finest comic book creator of all time, while the Rocketeer was the creation of Dave Stevens, one of the finest comic artists of his or any generation. 
Their milieus could not be more different. 

What brings them together is a murder, the murder of an alderman from Central City whose body turns up on the beaches of California in an impossible timeframe. Betty found the body and so becomes embroiled in this tale of corporate greed and government corruption. Cliff Secord is trying his best to keep her safe despite the fact she often seems more concerned with her career and with the Spirit's muscles. She meets the latter when he, Commissioner Dolan and his daughter Ellen fly to California to identify the body. The crime boss, a powerful businessman named Trask is in partnership with the Spirit's old nemesis the Octopus. Together they want to get control of the new technology of television with its potential for reaching the masses. It seems this technology has other uses as well which proves of interest to foreign powers. 

Paul Smith is the artist of the first installment and it's outstanding, offering up a nigh believable story which commands the reader's attention. Smith has always had an attractive style which is well suited to drawing dames such as Betty. Unfortunately for whatever reason Smith only draws the first issue and is replaced by Loston Wallace on the second. Wallace is an old internet colleague and once did some work for an early Yahoo group I managed for a time. I like his work immensely, but it seems a bit less dynamic here than I'd have hoped. The third and fourth issues are drawn by Jay Bone, a dandy artist, but one with a style much different than what had come before. There is nothing wrong with any single episode on its own, but the clash of styles does not do the storytelling any favors. It's a pity Smith couldn't have done all four issues. 

Below are the covers. The first and second issues are by the late Darwyn Cooke. Jay Bone does a bang- up job on the final two. 

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The DC Spirit - First Wave Part Two!

Following the mini-series The First Wave, The Spirit is awarded a second DC series which begins with a new number one. The first issue features an alternative cover by Mark Shultz who also writes the first three issues. Ladronn is the primary cover artist and does a magnificent job for most all of the series. The interior artist is Moritat who gives us a gritty but potent and atmospheric Central City, just right for crime. The Octopus is in this one but reimagined as the mysterious leader of eight crime families. The tone is more serious as The Spirit must fight for his life and the lives of his allies. In this one Ebony White is reimagined as a woman, a tough and sassy young lady who gives as good as she gets. The Spirit is also assisted by a what I dub the "Central City Irregulars", a gang of street kids who feed him info. Commissioner Dolan is presented as somewhat more corrupt police man but one finds his way in a dangerous environment. Ellen is present and empowered as well. 

David Hine takes over as the writer and remains steadfast alongside the artists for most of the run. We get some hard-hitting stories about drugs and their deadly effects. 

In the first nine issues of this run each issue also included an black and white short story back-up by a wide range of talents including writers Denny O'Neil, Harlan Ellison, Michael Uslan, Marv Wolfman, David Lapham, Brian Azzarello, Jan Strnad, Walter Simonson, and Paul Dini. The artists were Bill Sienkiewicz, Kyle Baker, Justiniano, Phil Winslade, Mike Kaluta, Eduardo Risso, Rich Corben, Jordi Bernet, and Mike Ploog. 

Hine and Moritat continue with their ongoing saga of The Spirit's battle against The Octopus gangs. The mystery of the Octopus is never solved though, and I guess we'll just have to live with that. 

Matthew Sturges and Victor Ibanez step in for one issue which offers up a light-hearted romp all about the tragic death of a cartoonist and original art. 

John Paul Leon steps in on the art for the penultimate issue. 

The final issue features a trio of short stories in black and white by writers Howard Chaykin, Paul Levitz, and Will Pfeifer. The artists are Brian Bolland, P. Craig Russell and Jose Luis-Garcia Lopez. The comic looks magnificent. 

I'm not aware that any of these issues were ever offered up in trades, but they should be. The black and white stories would make for a true-blue all-star offering of some great Spirit stories. And that wraps up The Spirit's stay at DC in new stories with a single exception produced in conjunction with IDW. But more on that later. 

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The DC Spirit - First Wave Part One!

The Spirit hadn't caught fire for DC but had only simmered. So, the powers-that-be decided to shift Will Eisner's creation into a new pocket universe dubbed the "First Wave". Alongside Denny Colt we find  Doc Savage and his five assistants, The Avenger, Rima the Jungle Girl, and Batman. The series was written by Brian Azzarello and drawn magnificently by Rags Morales. This cadre of misfit heroes must push back against a deadly cabal of rich villains who are seeking to use technology and weapons of massive destruction to bend the populations of the world to do their bidding. I couldn't read this 2010 series without thinking of the modern day when we do indeed find ourselves under assault by the super-rich. This is a great story with pretty good story beats for most of the heroes, though I do think The Spirit seems to get lost in the saga. This is primarily a Doc Savage story in tone and feel. 

Here is a cover gallery with alternative coves as well by the likes of Neal Adams, Geoff Darrow, and Jim Lee among others. The primary covers are by J.G. Jones. 

I recommend the trade which is how I read the story this time again. More of the First Wave Spirit next time. 

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New Blackhawk Day!

Dick Dillin was born on this date in 1928. Dillin was a rock-steady artist for decades. He worked in the Golden Age for Fawcett and Quality, but he's most famous for his long runs at DC. He worked on Blackhawk for years and later took on the Justice League of America, becoming only the second artist to work on that title. He stayed with the League for the rest of his life which came to an end in 1980. Guys like Dillin were loved by fans, but not so much the critics. 

I know it's likely only dumb nostalgia, but I wish DC would collect up the Blackhawk stories from near the end of the run which featured the team in their superhero identities. Golden Centurion, M'sieu Machine, Dr. Hands, Weapons Master, The Leaper, The Listener, as well as Blackhawk, the Big Eye himself were vibrant examples of the madhouse superhero craze. All the issues were written by Bob Haney and drawn by the team of Dick Dillin and Chuck Cuidera. 

I latched on to the very last issue of Blackhawk from this time, and I enjoyed it thoroughly as a kid. I've since gotten hold of an issue or two from this ignominious run, and I find that I enjoy them all in spite of the bad press they get. I'd love to see it collected up. Will it happen? I doubt it, but it's something to yearn for.

I'm sure my affection for the heroes is because I had no history with them before coming into contact with these "New" versions. I like the old Blackhawks very well indeed, but I am fascinated by these gonzo Blackhawks as well.

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