Cream of the Comics – 03/28/2007

The Spirit #1 (2nd Printing)
written and drawn by Darwyn Cooke

Darwyn Cooke is most recently known for his brilliant work on DC’s New Frontier book (Vol 1 & Vol 2), a story told around the Golden Age of DC. However, you might recognize his art style as being similar to the awesome Batman and Superman (and Batman Beyond) animated series of the ’90s, which is fitting, since he spent a lot of time doing storyboarding work for them. These days, however, he’s doing some fantastic storytelling every month in Will Eisner’s The Spirit.

I skipped this book when it first came out. Partly because I wasn’t sure about The Spirit existing outside of the hands of his legendary creator, the late Will Eisner, and partly because I wasn’t sure if this would be New Frontier-calibur work. After months of reading review after review gushing about this book, I finally decided to pick it up. I managed to track down issue 2 through 4, and I can easily say, my one regret is not getting them when they came out. That, and not having a copy of the first issue. This Wednesday, just like me, it’s your second chance to get a crack at this series.

In trying to put it into words, I find it difficult to describe why exactly you should pick this book up – Is it the heartfelt characterizations? The cleverly told done-in-one stories? The sense of enjoyment it exudes from every page? It’s tough to say why a man in a blue suit and a simple domino-mask can captivate, but in Cooke’s hands, the book is a joy to read, and it’s one I find myself coming back to it again and again and again. Do yourself a favor and give yourself the same opportunity.

If you’re interested in more, go here for a great interview with Cooke about what it’s like working on the book.