When the American Criminologist Association holds its annual convention, its members are unaware that America's criminals are holding a gathering of their own. And when Batman's rogues gallery joins forces with the Spirit's colorful criminals, things can only get worse! With dozens of villains on the loose and the nation's security at stake, two very different crime-fighters must come together to save the day. Guest-starring just about everyone from the supporting casts of both comic book icons-including Robin, Catwoman, the Joker, Ebony, P'Gell, Commissioner Dolan and more-this is an historic comics event you won't want to miss!
I could easily go on and on and on about this book, but, since this is a Slugfest, space needs to be left for my fellow reviewers to voice their opinion. Suffice it to say, if you pass up this book, youre passing up a true classic. Will Eisner would be very proud to see his creation in such good hands. Read Full Review
All the villains of the piece look in their own special way smug. They think theyre going to win. From the looks of serene triumph the reader can tell that they think they have a foolproof plan. When these plans sour, Cooke masters looks of individual disgust on their visages but leaves the readers of Batman/Spirit with smiles. Read Full Review
I wanted to absolutely love this comic book. Instead I got something with gorgeous artwork and a mediocre story. Still, any time I get to savor Darwyn Cookes gorgeous line work, Im a happy guy. Read Full Review
This comic was a great example of how a one-shot should be done. Read Full Review
While the main attraction is the artwork, Loeb's juxtaposition of the Spirit's roguish charm and the Batman's cold, grim demeanor is a lot of fun. The writer doesn't rely too much on super-hero team-up cliches; the conflict between the title characters when they first meet is fleeting (and is actually something upon which one of them counts). Loeb does a solid job of balancing the two worlds of the two main characters. If anything, this is more of a Spirit story than a Batman story. He dominates the beginning of the book and the final page. The script tells the reader just about everything s/he needs to know about Eisner's masked hero, as well as his enemies. I was particularly intrigued by the concept of the Octopus, and I hope (and expect) Cooke will capitalize on that interest with his scripts for the new Spirit series. Read Full Review
Oh well, this story was easy on the eyes and was a fun readthe comic book equivalent of a song that has a good beat and is easy to dance to. Read Full Review
As a pilot episode for The Spirit, this one-shot shows promise. As a crossover, it fails. In a bit of cosmic irony, Batman slips on the same banana-peel that felled the Green Hornet forty-years ago. Read Full Review