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The Christmas Spirit
In a career that spanned nearly eight decades - from the dawn of the comic book to the advent of digital comics - Will Eisner was truly the 'Father of the Graphic Novel'. This book is a collection of heartfelt holiday stories.
70 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1995
About the author
Will Eisner
765 books539 followersWilliam 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.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 27, 2023
Will Eisner's The Spirit ran as part of a 16-page syndicated supplement in newspapers from June, 1940 to October, 1952. During this print run, a total of 9 annual holiday set tales were published. (Eisner was drafted into the Army during the height of World War II, resulting in the yule tide Spirit capers to be postponed from 1942-1944.) These stories were published as 'The Christmas Spirit.' In these festive adventures, The Spirit takes a backseat; in fact, he's not even in a couple of these stories. The anti-hero formerly known as Denny Colt refuses to work on Christmas, claiming that another Spirit works in his stead every December 25th. For many fans, these are some of the most beloved stories from Will Eisner's most famous creation and I might just have to agree.
This 1994 trade paperback from Kitchen Sink Press collects all 9 stories. There's also an introduction by Eisner that no fan of comic books should overlook. It explains how the very Jewish Will Eisner came to create a yearly story that became a Christian holiday tradition for millions of readers.
To pick a favorite would be like picking the child you like most. There's so many great stories here. But if I had to select the one that was my least favorite, it would be December 1946's 'A Fable'. In this story, a trio of characters are accosted separately by Central City lowlifes. It turns out that these 3 men are ambassadors attempting to solve the crisis of Post World War II European reconstruction. Should they fail, the region will fall back into an endless cycle of conflict. Each one's individual assaults threaten that peace process. Why was it the winner of my least favored read? For one, the story was confusing. For second, the plot of the story is unbalanced, focusing on 2 of the ambassadors while seemingly forgetting the third altogether by page 2 of the tale.
A product of the 1940s and 50s, there are some outdated elements. Elements such as the exaggerated look of Spirit's sidekick, Ebony, have been lamented over often as poor decisions by Eisner. If you are willing to overlook those darker parts of history and see this book as a time capsule of how people thought and acted during the time period, you can enjoy this book. While it has its sins, The Christmas Spirit collection is a heck of a lot more positive than just about anything currently being released by any form of multi-media. 2023 feels like a time where nothing can improve. 1940-51 Christmas Spirit stories felt like there was a promise of a new day on the horizon.
This 1994 trade paperback from Kitchen Sink Press collects all 9 stories. There's also an introduction by Eisner that no fan of comic books should overlook. It explains how the very Jewish Will Eisner came to create a yearly story that became a Christian holiday tradition for millions of readers.
To pick a favorite would be like picking the child you like most. There's so many great stories here. But if I had to select the one that was my least favorite, it would be December 1946's 'A Fable'. In this story, a trio of characters are accosted separately by Central City lowlifes. It turns out that these 3 men are ambassadors attempting to solve the crisis of Post World War II European reconstruction. Should they fail, the region will fall back into an endless cycle of conflict. Each one's individual assaults threaten that peace process. Why was it the winner of my least favored read? For one, the story was confusing. For second, the plot of the story is unbalanced, focusing on 2 of the ambassadors while seemingly forgetting the third altogether by page 2 of the tale.
A product of the 1940s and 50s, there are some outdated elements. Elements such as the exaggerated look of Spirit's sidekick, Ebony, have been lamented over often as poor decisions by Eisner. If you are willing to overlook those darker parts of history and see this book as a time capsule of how people thought and acted during the time period, you can enjoy this book. While it has its sins, The Christmas Spirit collection is a heck of a lot more positive than just about anything currently being released by any form of multi-media. 2023 feels like a time where nothing can improve. 1940-51 Christmas Spirit stories felt like there was a promise of a new day on the horizon.
December 29, 2021
A series of stories by, the master of sequential storytelling, Will Eisner.
The stories are very good. The artwork is what is to take note. This volume of stories demonstrates Eisner's development of illustration and business. Starting with the first, the artwork is good, but the second is better. As the third is better still and so on. It's the last that reveals more as Eisner was expanding as a businessman and handing artwork chores to others. The last is the weakest artistically.
Kitchen Sink was struggling at the point this was published. The printing is most often smudgy and hard to understand the artwork.
I'm very glad Denis Kitchen got this volume out, despite the difficulty viewing the artwork. The later DC archives provide a better view of the stories.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 7 out of ten points.
The stories are very good. The artwork is what is to take note. This volume of stories demonstrates Eisner's development of illustration and business. Starting with the first, the artwork is good, but the second is better. As the third is better still and so on. It's the last that reveals more as Eisner was expanding as a businessman and handing artwork chores to others. The last is the weakest artistically.
Kitchen Sink was struggling at the point this was published. The printing is most often smudgy and hard to understand the artwork.
I'm very glad Denis Kitchen got this volume out, despite the difficulty viewing the artwork. The later DC archives provide a better view of the stories.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 7 out of ten points.
March 26, 2019
Cherish this.
I doesn't matter what religion you are because the writer/artist wasn't Christian either.
In his introduction Eisner explained that he needed to participate in the uncanny feeling that he got swept up in every year because it dealt with values of humanity that transcend canon. Those are my words but read it and you'll agree- he really believed in THE SPIRIT of it!
He already had the perfectly named character and was the type of guy who approached everything with zeal so he made himself a tradition that deserved its own book- which is SPLENDID! It has all the "Eisnuance" in the writing and seeing the art mature and become legendary is a treat on its own!
I doesn't matter what religion you are because the writer/artist wasn't Christian either.
In his introduction Eisner explained that he needed to participate in the uncanny feeling that he got swept up in every year because it dealt with values of humanity that transcend canon. Those are my words but read it and you'll agree- he really believed in THE SPIRIT of it!
He already had the perfectly named character and was the type of guy who approached everything with zeal so he made himself a tradition that deserved its own book- which is SPLENDID! It has all the "Eisnuance" in the writing and seeing the art mature and become legendary is a treat on its own!
January 27, 2022
This volume reprints -very nicely - the Christmas stories from The Spirit from 1940 - 1951. For those who don't remember The Spirit was a weekly 16 page Sunday insert for the comic section of newspapers. In these tales, The Spirit steps aside and we have a story of hope, redemption, and Christmas miracles where the hero is, as often as not, Santa Claus. These tales are as fun and uplifting as Dicken's A Christmas Carol.
December 11, 2011
The perfect Christmas story for those who love comics. The artwork is superb and as for anyone who doesn't know already, Eisner was a genius.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews