Spirit Archives, Volume 7

Rating:
Summary: A return to roots for The Spirit
Review: Basically The Spirit is a crime fighting hero who uses ingenuity and physical skill, rather than super powers, to defeat evil. He is witty likeable and politically incorrect. The comic pioneered many layout techniques and so many super heros are modeled after The Spirit. The story lines and comics hold up even now more than 60 years later and I recommend for comic book fans to try out the series.

Volume 7 of The Spirit Archives contains reprints of comics written from July 4 - December 26, 1943. During this time Eisner was still absent (he had been drafted). In Volume 7 The Spirit returns to his roots. Rather than fight Nazis he focuses more on the home front. He must save love-interest Ellen Dolan when when she is framed for a murder. As in the first volume The Spirit is himself framed for a murder and must evade the police as he fights crime. Also in a return to roots The Spirit is up against femme fatale villains in a kidnapping story.

Purists will complain that The Spirit was better with Eisner in charge. These comics still hold up. On the other hand I would recommend this for die hard fans only. If you are new to the series then try out any one of Volume 1-4 or 12 or higher. Will Eisner (after whom the Eisner Award was named) had creative control of those volumes so they are more historically significant. I recommend Volume 7 along with the rest of the series to libraries, because this is a unique opportunity to archive the entire run of a very influential comic.

Rating:
Summary: The Spirit Archives Series
Review: Will Eisner is the only comic book artist to ever have his work shown in a museum of art. His most important work is the Spirit. The Spirit Archives series has brought together all of his work, that was printed in a weekly newspaper insert. However, after the work found in volumes 1 and 2, Eisner was called to active duty and served in the army during World War II. The Spirit carried on, but it was drawn by other artists. Eisner's work does not pick up again until the stories found in Volume 12 of the Archives series. The work in Volumes 3-11 is fine, but it is not the work of Will Eisner.

Rating:
Summary: The Spirit Archives Series
Review: Will Eisner is the only comic book artist to ever have his work shown in a museum of art. His most important work is the Spirit. The Spirit Archives series has brought together all of his work, that was printed in a weekly newspaper insert. However, after the work found in volumes 1 and 2, Eisner was called to active duty and served in the army during World War II. The Spirit carried on, but it was drawn by other artists. Eisner's work does not pick up again until the stories found in Volume 12 of the Archives series. The work in Volumes 3-11 is fine, but it is not the work of Will Eisner.