Spirit, The - Archives, Volume 1: June 2 - December 29, 1940 (Spirit Archives)
Eisner's reputation as one of the most important and influential figures from the comics' early days is based primarily on his best-known creation, the masked crimefighter called the Spirit. The Spirit's exploits, which started as comic-book inserts for Sunday newspapers, have been reprinted before but never as lavishly as now. It is treatment they richly deserve, and DC Comics plans to faithfully reproduce their entire run of more than 10 years in full color and hard covers. The stories from 1940 featured in the inaugural volume are relatively primitive, but already evident are Eisner's hallmarks: layouts influenced by German expressionist film composition (and presaging film noir, which would emerge in the mid-'40s), moody drawings drenched in atmospheric black ink, subject matter culled from outside genre conventions, and unwillingness to treat the figure of a do-gooder in a domino mask with a straight face. The stories slated for future volumes are among the most accomplished and memorable ever done for comics, but even this premiere collection constitutes an ideal introduction to Eisner.Gordon FlaggCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved