neb
02-02-2008, 03:01 AM
I know I said I would do this on Sunday, but I had the day off from work due to snow and had time to get this going!
Welcome to the trade of the month thread featuring February’s trade The Best of the Spirit by Will Eisner. As those of you who followed the brainstorming thread may know, this pick was made as a sort of celebration of The Spirit goodness that’s been happening over the last year. So, this thread is dedicated to discussion of both Will Eisner’s Spirit and Darwyn Cooke’s modern take on the character.
For me, it was hard to not read one without thinking of the other. My first exposure to The Spirit came when I first laid eyes on Darwyn Cooke’s artwork gracing the cover of his first issue. Don’t get me wrong; I’d heard of the character and knew it was created by comic legend, Will Eisner, but I had never read anything featuring him. I picked up the issue, not quite knowing what to expect, but I was pretty excited based upon Darwyn’s previous work. Like most readers, it was love at first sight as Darwyn pieced together a fun whimsical world featuring a likeable and human character.
So, of course, I was curious to see what Will Eisner’s take on the character was like. When picking up the trade, the first thing that stands out is the quote right at the bottom of it: “The Citizen Kane of comics.” Whoa.
But this book fails to disappoint. The table of contents page lays out that this is a collection of comics from 1940 to 1950, but as I read, I couldn’t help but think how modern they all seemed. These stories are timeless, and when reading, it’s obvious why it is that Eisner’s work is compared to the venerable Citizen Kane: he changed the way people read comics, much in the way that Orson Welles changed the way people watched movies.
Eisner’s layouts and designs for each and every story are nothing short of genius. Each story has its own feel, something that makes it distinct from the rest, and what he’s able to accomplish in each story is astounding. For most stories, he is able to tell a complete arc in a few mere pages, something that many modern writers have a difficult thing doing with their 32 page comic. What really stands out in this book are the moments when the Spirit isn’t gracing the panels. The side characters that Eisner creates are endearing, and often times, they are the stars of the strip, with the Spirit making an occasional appearance. One of Eisner’s other innovations, the title page, was captured brilliantly by Darwyn, but it’s in this volume you can see just how creative and masterful Eisner was for his time. Imagine being a child in the 1940’s and looking at the title page to “The Last Trolley.”
The character of the Spirit is a cunning goof ball, and one that readers can’t help but root for. His charm and charisma ooze from each word that he says, and it’s no surprise to the reader that he’s a lady killer. The story with Satin is a fun romp, but we really see Denny Colt grow as a character over the course of a decade. He’s a champion that never gives up and fights for what’s right…even if he’s a little dense.
Eisner’s real strength shows through in the storytelling devices that he uses. In the comic “The Killer,” the story follows a killer, and we even get to see the action take place through the killer’s eyes. It’s this change in perspective both in storytelling and visually that makes Eisner’s work so unique. When many writers of the time were happy to just follow the action of their heroes, Eisner was busy experimenting with ways to deliver the story to the reader. I can’t help but love the adult themes and characters that make up a book that is drawn so whimsically and purely. Eisner’s art is able to deliver the story in a manner that draws the reader’s eyes in. The facial expressions of his characters, their fluid movements, and the believable cityscapes make this book sing from beginning to end.
While I loved Darwyn Cooke’s run on The Spirit, it’s hard not to love Eisner’s work even more. Call me a sucker, but I’ll take innovation like this any day. While Darwyn wove an adult tale with beautiful art that stayed true to the character, he failed to capture what makes Will Eisner’s work so great: the innovation. In Darwyn’s tale we didn’t see many perspective changes or new storytelling devices. But in a way, that was probably the best call. For a book like that and a character like this, sometimes experimentation can be the kiss of death. I’m uncertain what future remains for The Spirit as a new creative team takes charge of the series, but I’m not too worried. Even if it gets cancelled, we’ll always have this collection to remind us of just how awesome The Spirit can be.
Welcome to the trade of the month thread featuring February’s trade The Best of the Spirit by Will Eisner. As those of you who followed the brainstorming thread may know, this pick was made as a sort of celebration of The Spirit goodness that’s been happening over the last year. So, this thread is dedicated to discussion of both Will Eisner’s Spirit and Darwyn Cooke’s modern take on the character.
For me, it was hard to not read one without thinking of the other. My first exposure to The Spirit came when I first laid eyes on Darwyn Cooke’s artwork gracing the cover of his first issue. Don’t get me wrong; I’d heard of the character and knew it was created by comic legend, Will Eisner, but I had never read anything featuring him. I picked up the issue, not quite knowing what to expect, but I was pretty excited based upon Darwyn’s previous work. Like most readers, it was love at first sight as Darwyn pieced together a fun whimsical world featuring a likeable and human character.
So, of course, I was curious to see what Will Eisner’s take on the character was like. When picking up the trade, the first thing that stands out is the quote right at the bottom of it: “The Citizen Kane of comics.” Whoa.
But this book fails to disappoint. The table of contents page lays out that this is a collection of comics from 1940 to 1950, but as I read, I couldn’t help but think how modern they all seemed. These stories are timeless, and when reading, it’s obvious why it is that Eisner’s work is compared to the venerable Citizen Kane: he changed the way people read comics, much in the way that Orson Welles changed the way people watched movies.
Eisner’s layouts and designs for each and every story are nothing short of genius. Each story has its own feel, something that makes it distinct from the rest, and what he’s able to accomplish in each story is astounding. For most stories, he is able to tell a complete arc in a few mere pages, something that many modern writers have a difficult thing doing with their 32 page comic. What really stands out in this book are the moments when the Spirit isn’t gracing the panels. The side characters that Eisner creates are endearing, and often times, they are the stars of the strip, with the Spirit making an occasional appearance. One of Eisner’s other innovations, the title page, was captured brilliantly by Darwyn, but it’s in this volume you can see just how creative and masterful Eisner was for his time. Imagine being a child in the 1940’s and looking at the title page to “The Last Trolley.”
The character of the Spirit is a cunning goof ball, and one that readers can’t help but root for. His charm and charisma ooze from each word that he says, and it’s no surprise to the reader that he’s a lady killer. The story with Satin is a fun romp, but we really see Denny Colt grow as a character over the course of a decade. He’s a champion that never gives up and fights for what’s right…even if he’s a little dense.
Eisner’s real strength shows through in the storytelling devices that he uses. In the comic “The Killer,” the story follows a killer, and we even get to see the action take place through the killer’s eyes. It’s this change in perspective both in storytelling and visually that makes Eisner’s work so unique. When many writers of the time were happy to just follow the action of their heroes, Eisner was busy experimenting with ways to deliver the story to the reader. I can’t help but love the adult themes and characters that make up a book that is drawn so whimsically and purely. Eisner’s art is able to deliver the story in a manner that draws the reader’s eyes in. The facial expressions of his characters, their fluid movements, and the believable cityscapes make this book sing from beginning to end.
While I loved Darwyn Cooke’s run on The Spirit, it’s hard not to love Eisner’s work even more. Call me a sucker, but I’ll take innovation like this any day. While Darwyn wove an adult tale with beautiful art that stayed true to the character, he failed to capture what makes Will Eisner’s work so great: the innovation. In Darwyn’s tale we didn’t see many perspective changes or new storytelling devices. But in a way, that was probably the best call. For a book like that and a character like this, sometimes experimentation can be the kiss of death. I’m uncertain what future remains for The Spirit as a new creative team takes charge of the series, but I’m not too worried. Even if it gets cancelled, we’ll always have this collection to remind us of just how awesome The Spirit can be.