The Spirit #2: Best Served Cold

By Leroy Douresseaux
January 30, 2007 - 21:03

Mr. Charlie #107 enjoys The Spirit #2, and hopes to spread the word about this fine new series:

I still don't have any bad news to report, and that's killing the nattering nabob of negativity in me. Darwyn Cooke's relaunch of The Spirit is true to Will Eisner's original without being a bad copy, and Cooke modernizes without desecrating.

In The Spirit #2, classic Eisner femme fatale, P'Gell, returns, and she has her eyes on Prince Farouk, a visiting prince from the nation of Karifistan. The Spirit knows there's trouble, and he's on the case even if it means skipping out on dinner-and -a-movie night with his girl, Ellen Dolan. While The Spirit navigates the dangerous straits of Farouk's entourage, P'Gell enters a dangerous union with Farouk, but dangerous for whom?

Visually, Cooke has P'Gell down pat, although as far as character goes, she seems a bit off. In this tale, "The Maneater," the origin story rings a bit hollow, giving an air of even the teensiest bit of honesty that rings hollow on P'Gell. Also, these Spirit stories are 22 pages (whereas Eisner's original Spirit stories were 8 pages long per episode), so Cooke seems to be leaning towards showing more of The Spirit's domestic/civilian side, Denny Colt. That's also a bit strange. However, I prefer Cooke's one major change - the new Ebony.

Meanwhile, Cooke has a superb duo of creative collaborators in inker J. Bone and colorist Dave Stewart. Bone's solid brushwork embellishes Cooke's pencils without losing the art's distinctive flavor. Except for the double-page spread on pages two and three, Stewart gives this series a Film-Noir feel, while his colors don't intrude on the series' crime story vibe.

I also write movie reviews at http://www.negromancer.com.

Last Updated: January 17, 2025 - 08:20

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