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I declare this first issue of The Spirit a success. Its easy to enjoy and benefits from Darwyn Cookes superb artwork and galvanized writing thats seven kinds of cool. Read Full Review

Once again, Darwyn Cooke manages to walk a fine line between the classic, 1940s noir feel of the original Spirit source material by the late Will Eisner and a more modern, refined tone to achieve a great revival story. Just as he did for Ebony, the Spirit's sidekick, the writer/artist also updates P'Gell for the 21st century without losing the character's strengths. Cooke also incorporates a classic love triangle into the plot, but he does so subtly. It doesn't override or interfere with the main plot, which ultimately reveals itself to be tragic and melodramatic in tone. That comes as a surprise and adds some depth to P'Gell. She's still the main antagonist in this issue, but Cooke wisely exposes her human side rather than focusing solely on her raw sexuality and ambition. And once again, I like that the Spirit only gets the better of the hired muscle about half of the time. He's not smarter than his opponents, just fortunate when it comes to friendship and dumb luck. Cooke's artwork Read Full Review

In the end, I thought this was a strong opening to this series. Cooke and crew came out swinging and delivered a fast paced story that had grotesque villains, a damsel in a dress and a good bit of humor to balance everything out. This book seems like an odd addition to DCs roster of titles, but it stands out as something different from the rest of what the company is publishing and will hopefully serve as a respite from my normal continuity heavy super-hero fare. Read Full Review

Rich Harveys Bold Venture Press specializes in pulp fiction reprints. He was a consulting editor on The Spider Chronicles, an anthology starring the pulp hero, coming in January from Moonstone Books. Read Full Review

But, Cooke is saying, that is the point. A first issue is a declaration, and this issue is a declaration to all of us purists who worship at the altar of Will Eisners creation and who have at least three reprints of The Vortex and Gerhard Schnobble and Meet PGell in our collections. Cooke is telling all of us to relax and enjoy the present. Eisners Spirit is a true classic, but Cooke wont be slavishly devoted to recreating that classic. Instead, like Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino did in Showcase #4, Cooke opts to deliver a new Spirit for the current day. He doesnt channel the ghost of Will Eisner, but the living energetic and thoughtful spirit of Darwyn Cooke. Read Full Review

I hope Cookes approach improves and that this series succeeds. In the meantime, though, I would recommend that anyone who is interested in Eisners character seek out DCs The Spirit Archives (beginning with volume 12) and Kitchen Sinks Will Eisners The Spirit: The New Adventures by Alan Moore and other top-level creators. Read Full Review

I will read issue #2 in the hopes that my above complaints are simply first issue jitters and that things will work themselves out. Fingers crossed on this one. Read Full Review