The Spirit Archives, Vol. 9

The Spirit Archives #9

by Will Eisner

Collects Spirit newspaper strips from July to December 1944. Eisner was in the U.S. Army at this point, but his capable staff was on the case. Together they produced further adventures of the Spirit, Ebony, Commissioner Dolan and Ellen. A mysterious murder at the circus includes the small wrinkle of a Bengal tiger; a leading lady faces death at the footlights; a sinister shipwreck that holds secrets; the return of the super-spy Satin; the frightful Dread Dragon Society; the mysterious Metal Monsters; the murder of society climber Miss Meda; and much more. Bonus material includes a small portfolio section of artwork produced by Eisner for the Army's Firepower magazine during the war.

Genres: Comics, Comic Strips, Comic Book, Graphic Novels

204 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1945

About the author

William Erwin Eisner was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series The Spirit (1940–1952) was noted for its experiments in content and form. In 1978, he popularized the term "graphic novel" with the publication of his book A Contract with God. He was an early contributor to formal comics studies with his book Comics and Sequential Art (1985). The Eisner Award was named in his honor and is given to recognize achievements each year in the comics medium; he was one of the three inaugural inductees to the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame.

Reviews

[Stewart Tame · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's some improvement over the previous volume. Some of these, you could imagine Eisner plotting, at least. "Who Killed Cop Robin" was kind of fun, though I noticed an inconsistency: Dolan says that Robin was killed "at his desk," but two pages later, Ellen muses that he was killed, "in the police locker room. " His desk was in the locker room?

And, in the story, "Jackie Boy," the Spirit finds Ebony working as a jockey, and comments, "Why didn't you tell me you could dish out a rubdown like that? There've been times when I could have used one!" It's a remark that raises eyebrows even IN context. Out of context? Hoo, boy!

There's still a feeling of marking time until Eisner's return. This volume takes us up to the end of 1944, so the war's end is in sight.

[Brandt · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with the previous volume, this volume contains stories that were ghost written while Eisner was serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. While this collection makes a better effort to try and use the comic form, those subbing for Eisner are not nearly as visionary when utilizing the comic form, and as such, the stories may start with an interesting premise, but almost always devolve into the Spirit completely anticipating the criminals actions and it turning into a punch-fest at the end with the Spirit, with his trusty sidekick Ebony White by his side, victorious. In addition at some point in 1944, a decision was made to cut the comic from 8 pages to 7--Eisner himself felt limited by just the 8 pages available, so cutting the amount of real estate the ghost writers and artists had was yet another limitation. But in the Spirit Archives reviews I have done, I haven't addressed Ebony White.

So let's address the problem of Ebony White.

For as forward thinking as Eisner was in how the comic medium could be used to its maximum potential for storytelling, his portrayal of Ebony is a horribly stereotypical black minstrel type, who often bumbles his way into being heroic, sometimes getting out of the jam on his own, but often times needing the help of the Spirit in the process. Eisner himself knew that Ebony was problematic, but apparently received both messages of criticism and support about the character. In addition, while Ebony looks stereotypical, Ebony is the focus of many of the early Spirit stories and thus both Eisner and the ghost writers of the WWII-era strips are able to explore his character. The real issue for me is that comics, at their core, are still a graphical medium first and foremost, and by casting Ebony as a stereotypical "darkie," the damage is already done. And while someone could make the argument that Eisner and his publishers should not be held to account for such a character, I think that's bullshit. Eventually Eisner got rid of the character in 1949 and had non stereotypical African-Americans in the strip afterward. He knew it was wrong. I commend him for doing this years before Brown v. The Board of Education and the Civil Rights Act, but he still did it. And as much as there are those in the world that would like you to think that Jim Crow and segregationism was somehow okay, just because "those were the times," those are usually attitudes coming from privileged white people who tend to benefit from these things.

I could probably wax philosophical about Ebony White forever, but the truth is that I'm sure even the young Eisner (he was 23 when Ebony first appeared) did not have the wherewithal to question his choice in his portrayal of Ebony. Eventually he did, and the character was put to pasture. Was that the right choice? Does it make sense to portray Ebony as a street-wise urchin as Darwyn Cooke later did or just to ignore it ever happened? I wish I had those answers.

[Norman Cook · Rating 2 out of 5]

“For the Love of Clara Defoe”, by Manly Wade Wellman, Lou Fine, and Don Komisarow, July 9, 1944.
1945 Retro Hugo Award Finalist - Best Graphic Story or Comic

This story has absolutely no science fiction or fantasy elements, so I'm not sure why it is a finalist for the Retro Hugo Award. It's a silly and predictable murder mystery. With Will Eisner away, it lacks the flair and inventiveness for which The Spirit comics are known. It's hard to imagine theoretical Hugo voters nominating this in 1945.

I did not read the other stories in this volume.

[Devon · Rating 3 out of 5]

so far this book has confirmed a law of the comic book universe. never, trust a man in a purple suit. even a man in just purple slacks or purple vest. also, if you are sensitive to sambo sidekicks, steer clear.