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emberology 's review for:
The Best of the Spirit
by Will Eisner
Well put together and succinct stories that showcase Eisner's innovative style. The changes in point of view and the overall inventiveness regarding the plot lines are impressive, not to mention the beautiful line work and striking colours. I'm actually completely in awe with the visuals of the 1940s and 1950s comics, and when you add up Eisner's style of story telling, it all comes together to near perfection. I also loved that Eisner doesn't just settle into the one urban setting, but takes the reader into the shadowy streets of Istanbul among other things.
Of course, there's the racism that no one can ignore, but unfortunately that kind of backwardness can be expected from the time period. I have issues with the female characters as well, since they seem to be there only to exemplify the Spirit's amazing qualities. For example, in the story where we meet Satin for the first time, she seems to scream independence and awesomeness. Apparently, Spirit is such a dapper hunk, that Satin soon forgets to be sensible and refuses to kill the Spirit. Obviously it won't do that the Spirit is killed, but the way the conclusion is reached is absolutely ridiculous. In my opinion a femme fatale is not a femme fatale if she's enslaved by men's charms.
Despite the problems, this is an entertaining read and the Spirit is definitely interesting as a character. Eisner seemed to have such passion for the comic book form that it shows in his stories, and I can imagine they can handle multiple reads as well. The outlandish main characters (an alien agent, a flying man, a toy machine gun etc.) demonstrate that Eisner also had a certain playfulness, and that you can expect almost anything from him. Out of all the villains the Octopus appears to be the most intriguing (at least based on this selection). Only his gloves are clearly visible, so because he doesn't show his real face, he's probably able to infiltrate all areas of the society and to reach his tentacles effectively into the life of crime.
For a great view on Eisner's work I strongly recommend this essay.
Of course, there's the racism that no one can ignore, but unfortunately that kind of backwardness can be expected from the time period. I have issues with the female characters as well, since they seem to be there only to exemplify the Spirit's amazing qualities. For example, in the story where we meet Satin for the first time, she seems to scream independence and awesomeness. Apparently, Spirit is such a dapper hunk, that Satin soon forgets to be sensible and refuses to kill the Spirit. Obviously it won't do that the Spirit is killed, but the way the conclusion is reached is absolutely ridiculous. In my opinion a femme fatale is not a femme fatale if she's enslaved by men's charms.
Despite the problems, this is an entertaining read and the Spirit is definitely interesting as a character. Eisner seemed to have such passion for the comic book form that it shows in his stories, and I can imagine they can handle multiple reads as well. The outlandish main characters (an alien agent, a flying man, a toy machine gun etc.) demonstrate that Eisner also had a certain playfulness, and that you can expect almost anything from him. Out of all the villains the Octopus appears to be the most intriguing (at least based on this selection). Only his gloves are clearly visible, so because he doesn't show his real face, he's probably able to infiltrate all areas of the society and to reach his tentacles effectively into the life of crime.
For a great view on Eisner's work I strongly recommend this essay.