Spirit creator Will Eisner, born in 1917, died in 2005. March 6, 2018, will be his 101st birthday. Someone told me once you’re alive if people remember you. So, Will, because of your work building the comics from scattershot publications on newsstands of the thirties to what they later became, your Spirit, and your personal spirit, are with us always.
You can see the three origins by clicking on the splash page below.
Great choice, Pappy.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed amazing to see how Eisner's concept of the Spirit has improved in a few years.
For what it's worth, I prefer the second version, I guess. Here you can appreciate the beauty of the "ornamental" style established by Eisner and his crew.
According to Comic Book Plus, this was penciled by John Spranger and inked by Eisner & Tom Palmer, while the 1966 version has Eisner's art inked by Chuck Kramer, I think.
Oddly enough, this version's a little less intersting to me, mostly because of the lack of interactions between graphic elements (I love how Doyle does his intro in 1946 version, literally surrounded by the word "Spirit", a scene replaced by a more conventional splash panel in 1966).
I hope you will soon be back with new entries!
I like the middle story best. Course, that's no surprise since it coincides with my favorite era of Eisner's art--that slightly gooey, energetic animated vibe that you also see in Jack Cole's stuff. I also prefer it when he refrains from getting too surreal with the paneling format. But that's me.
ReplyDeleteStill loving this walk down memory lane, Pappy. Hope everything is is going just fine back in the ol Pappy Cave.
J.D., Cavin, so nice to hear from you two. And you agree on which version you like best. Let a third join in: I agree with both of you.
ReplyDeleteJust a correction, J.D. The Grand Comics Database credits inker Bob Palmer, not Tom.