In a world of crimefighters, few could conflict more than the styles of Batman and The Spirit.
Most people know that Batman is a hard-edged, gritty crusader for justice at all costs. A lot fewer know of The Spirit, a breezy, light-hearted do-gooder originally rendered by comic-book great Will Eisner.
While Batman is a DC Comics
character, The Spirit is an independently owned creation. Only recently
did DC Comics acquire the rights to use The Spirit and this is the
first non-Eisner created Spirit comic to come out of the deal, and it’s
an almost-perfect package.
From seeing the two legendary heroes interact to watching the
villain-filled plot unwind, the comic has it all — except a quick
intro to the primary characters.
You’d think that with “Smallville” writer Jeph Loeb at the helm we’d have a quick explanation. Nope.
Instead, readers not-so- familiar with Eisner’s characters are left
wondering who some of these guys are. Heck, casual readers might not
even know who The Spirit is.
Let me tell you this much: He’s a great character, and if
we’re lucky, this is only the beginning of a Spirit revival. You’ll
have to get the rest from a trade paperback.
BATMAN/THE SPIRIT No. 1 (2006)
DC Comics
$4.99
Written by: Jeph Loeb
Art by: Darwyn Cooke
Two and a Half Stars out of Four for non-fans.
Three and a Half Stars out of Four for fans.
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