The Spirit: Fiction House comics covers (Pop Culture Safari)

JFire writes on his/her blog: "I discovered Will Eisner's marvelous Spirit strips when Kitchen Sink was reprinting them in black-and-white magazine form back in the 1980s. But I like seeing covers from earlier reprints of the series, such as this one from Fiction House in the 1950s. Some nice covers here. Were they created by Eisner and staff or the publisher, I wonder?"

Click HERE to see mpre of these amazing Spirit covers!

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AN EVENING WITH JULES FEIFFER MODERATED BY DANNY FINGEROTH

Jules Feiffer, image via Wikipedia

THURSDAY APRIL 15th, 8:00 PM
501 SCHERMERHORN HALL
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
AMSTERDAM AVE. & 116TH STREET
NEW YORK CITY

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
NO RESERVATIONS REQUIRED

Learn how an angst-ridden, impoverished Jewish guy from the Bronx became an acclaimed cartoonist, playwright, animator, screenwriter, novelist, and author of children's books, earning himself a Pulitzer Prize, an Obie, and an Oscar along the way. Join us as he discusses his life and his work as chronicled in his acclaimed new memoir, BACKING INTO FORWARD with comics historian and scholar DANNY FINGEROTH. Q&A to follow.

About JULES FEIFFER:
In 1956, FEIFFER, who began his career working as an assistant to the legendary Will Eisner, creator of The Spirit and father of the modern Graphic Novel, created the eponymous, satirical cartoon strip that would run in the Village Voice for 42 years. A multitalented man who's also enjoyed success as a novelist (HARRY THE RAT WITH WOMEN), playwright (LITTLE MURDERS), and screenwriter (CARNAL KNOWLEDGE), he has in recent years turned to writing and illustrating children's books, including THE MAN IN THE CEILING. The first volume of the “Feiffer” strip compilation EXPLAINERS: THE COMPLETE VILLAGE VOICE STRIPS (1956-1966) was published by Fantagraphics in 2008. His memoir, BACKING INTO FORWARD, was published to rave reviews in March, 2010 by Doubleday/Random House.

Visit IIJS.columbia.edu, email IIJS@columbia.edu, or call (212)854-2581 for more information on the FEIFFER event.

LISTEN! Mr. Media Radio interview with Jules Feiffer!

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The Biography of Ebony White (TheCulturalGutter.com)

Malcolm X via last.fm

by Carol Borden

 

"People don't realize how a man's whole life can be changed by one book."

--Malcolm X / Malik El-Shabazz, The Autobiography of Malcolm X (As Told To Alex Haley)

Running from 1940-1952, Will Eisner's The Spirit was a newspaper insert back when publishers could afford to do such awesome things. It features Denny Colt, a detective who comes back to life to fight crime from his secret hide-out in Wildwood Cemetery. The Spirit is indeed everything good anyone has ever written about it—all the joyful adventure, groundbreaking art and genre play. But then there's Ebony White, the Spirit's African-American sidekick and driver, all eyes and lips and minstrel show dialect. And I can barely look at him, even though I know I should.

But who is Ebony White?

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Kevin Melrose's pick of the week: First Wave #1 (of 6)

I have little to no interest in Doc Savage, or a Spirit by anyone other than Will Eisner (or Darwyn Cooke). Yet I'm still intrigued by DC's "shocking new pulp universe" in which there's no supermen -- or, more specifically, Superman -- largely, if not entirely, because it's written by Brian Azzarello. In addition to being a fan of 100 Bullets, I hold an unwavering belief that Batman: Broken City, by Azzarello and Eduardo Risso, is superior in every way to the "Hush" storyline that preceded (and overshadowed) it. I'll fight anyone who says different. So I'm thrilled to read Azzarello again write Batman -- excuse me, "The Bat-Man" -- especially as a "brash, cocky, inexperienced and daring" vigilante. Also: the under-used, and under-appreciated, Blackhawks! (DC Comics)

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DC Comics’ pulp ‘Wave’ takes the super out of heroes

Image via Wikipedia

By Bill Radford 
The Colorado Springs Gazette
March 5, 2010

It’s a world with heroes — but no superheroes.

The first issue of "First Wave," a six-issue miniseries from DC Comics, arrives in comic book shops this week, ushering in a whole new universe.

The "First Wave" universe has its roots in the pulp adventures of yesteryear. There is a Batman, but there’s no Superman, no Wonder Woman — the "First Wave" heroes are merely mortal.

Standing above the rest of those heroes is Doc Savage — sort of "Superman with a lowercase ’s,’" said Brian Azzarello, who crafted the "First Wave" universe and is writer of the miniseries. Doc Savage may not have powers like Superman, but "physically he’s the best, mentally he’s the best," Azzarello said.

Batman, meanwhile, is the new hero on the scene.

Click HERE to Keep Reading!

Will Eisner Week Educational Materials: Notes on Will Eisner's The Contract With God Trilogy

By Tom Kaczynski 

March 3, 2010 11:42 PM

"Architecture is the simplest means of articulating time and space, of modulating reality, of engendering dreams" - Ivan Chtcheglov, 1953.

With A Contract With God (1978), the earliest book of the trilogy, Will Eisner was inventing a new format: the graphic novel*. The 'graphic novel' coinage was a kind of sleight of hand that turned ordinary comics into works with ambitions of becoming literature. As such it's describing the content, rather than a medium. It was the literary ambition of A Contract With God that set it apart from the cheap children's comic-books that dominated the market at the time. Eisner of course cut his teeth on comic-books having previously drawn the iconic and long running series The Spirit. In creating a graphic novel, Eisner was distancing himself not only from other comic-books, but also from his own formative work. But, new terminology was insufficient to distinguish the work from its cousins and Eisner relied on a number of formal and visual inventions to underscore the difference.

The Spirit (1940-1952) superficially resembled most of the comic-books on the stands at the time. It mostly consisted of colorful 8 page pulp romps full of crime and violence. But, unlike the vast majority of 4-color funnies The Spirit stories were intense nuggets of clever writing, brilliant layouts, and inventive typography. They were packed with innumerable characters and locations. The sheer density of the stories was matched by the density of the art. Pages were filled with 9 to 14 (or more!) panels filled with frenetic action, detailed sets and wrinkled suits.


Click HERE to Keep Reading!

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Judging a book by it’s cover….. another Spirit series (Forbidden Planet International)

By Richard
February 10, 2010

Sometimes there’s some stunningly good cover artwork coming out from the big boys and girls, and the new Spirit series issues 1 & 2 by artist Ladronn are truly great:

The last time DC tried to do something with Will Eisner’s Spirit character they hired Darwyn Cooke & J. Bone to create a staggeringly good dozen issues. Sadly J. Bone couldn’t continue so Cooke walked away from the series, which limped on for a while with a host of very good artists who often just failed to properly “get” the character in the way Cooke & Bone so obviously did. Because there’s something so magnificently unique about Eisner’s mysterious champion, it’s always a double edged sword to hear about yet another revamp or return. The good news with the new Spirit series due from DC, aside from these gorgeous Ladronn covers, is that it’s main feature has Mark Schultz doing the writing. Schultz is one of those modern writers who seems to be a good fit for Eisner’s Spirit. The bad news – three issues is all we get of Schultz. (see this story from CBR). But at least Schultz, with these three issues seems to have the right idea for Denny Colt...

Click HERE to Keep Reading!

Toy-A-Day Day 153: The Spirit (Will Eisner)

The Spirit (Denny Colt) is a crime-fighting fictional character created by writer-artist Will Eisner. He first appeared in Spirit Section #1 (June 2 1940), a seven-page insert into American Sunday-newspaper comics sections. He currently appears in comic books published by DC Comics.

The Spirit chronicles the adventures of a masked vigilante who fights crime with the blessing of the city's police commissioner Dolan, an old friend. The stories range through a wide variety of styles, from straightforward crime drama and noir to lighthearted adventure, from mystery and horror to comedy and love stories, often with hybrid elements that twisted genre and expectations.

Click HERE to Keep Reading!

Sucking "The Spirit" Out of Will Eisner's Vision (The Stute)

Image by Steve Rhodes via Flickr

My city screams...for better plot development

Matt Neuteboom

3/20/09

Did you manage to catch a viewing of "Watchmen" while on Spring Break? If you're a Stevens student, that should be an automatic "yes." While I would love to sit down and dissect the ups and downs of that brilliant movie, this week it is my unfortunate privilege to review a different comic book movie: "The Spirit."

I wish "The Spirit" was half as awesome as Watchmen, but the two simply cannot be compared. "The Spirit" is Frank Miller's creative reinterpretation of Will Eisner's post-WWII comic about an ex-detective named Danny Colt who returns from the dead as the superhero The Spirit (Gabriel Macht). The Spirit seems to be some sort of weird Batman spin-off, except for the fact that he walks around in broad daylight and his closest friend is a cat.

Click HERE to Keep Reading!

Michael Avon Oeming Talks The Spirit (ComicBookResources.com)

Image via Wikipedia

by Shaun Manning, Staff Writer
March 25th, 2009
ComicBookResources.com

Issue #30 of “The Spirit,” DC Comics' modern take on Will Eisner's classic masked crimefighter, will feature story and art by Michael Avon Oeming, co-creator of Icon’s “Powers” with Brian Michael Bendis. On sale in June and sporting a Kevin Nowlan cover, “The Spirit” #30 is a one-off tale that finds the Spirit caught in the middle of a gang war, and it's down to Denny Colt to save his beloved city.

CBR News caught up with Oeming to discuss the issue, following in Eisner's footsteps, and his support for the Hero Initiative, the non-profit group dedicated to helping comics creators in financial or medical need.

“The city is caught in a war between the Yakuza and Triads, it's tearing the city apart and the Spirit has to find a peace,” Oeming told CBR, explaining the premise of his “The Spirit” #30 story. “Not to get all Zen, but it's a story about balance. Crime/Cops, the law/vigilante etc. There's lots to play on in the world of the Spirit.”

Click HERE to Keep Reading!

Missed it: Will Eisner Studios artist Gene Bilbrew

From the blog of J. Winkel comes this post about Gene Bilbrew, who he says replaced Jules Feiffer in Will Eisner's studio. I never heard of Bilbrew before, so this was an interesting find...

New York City was a good place for an illustrator in the early 1950's, in particular one with the obvious but quirky talents of Gene Bilbrew. The comic market was exploding...the Kefauver Senate hearings had yet to dent their sales to vulnerable youth, Mad Magazine was getting off the ground and lurid pulp magazines requiring sexual humor were booming. Demand for less than tasteful "adult" humor was in demand. (Remember "cocktail napkins") In fact, one of Bilbrew's first jobs as an artist was replacing the recently drafted Jules Feiffer in the studio of noted cartoonist Will Eisner, who not only created the well-known comic strip "The Spirit" but also was one of the founders of the institution now known as the School of Visual Arts.

Click HERE to keep reading!

‘The Spirit’ Producers Explore The Origins Of Will Eisner’s Femme Fatales, And We Get The Scoop! (Splash Page MTV)

By Rick Marshall
February 10, 2009
Splash Page MTV

This week, the producers of Frank Miller’s big-screen adaptation of “The Spirit” return to Will Eisner’s classic hero with a three-part story that kicks off in issue #26 of DC’s ongoing “The Spirit” comic book series — but this time, their focus will be on the hero’s notorious femme fatales. MTV News sat down for a chat with film and comics veteran Michael Uslan and his longtime creative partner F.J. DeSanto to discuss their upcoming run on “The Spirit” and why an examination of the series’ leading ladies is way past due.

“This is the most daunting, challenging, terrifying thing I have ever done in my career,” said Uslan of taking the reins on DC’s “The Spirit” series — no throwaway remark, given Uslan’s role as producer of all the various Batman movies (as well as many other comics-inspired films of the last few decades) and his long list of comics writing credits.

“To me, The Spirit is the greatest creative work ever to come out of the comic book industry,” Uslan told MTV News. (Read on for more from Uslan and DeSanto on their three-part story arc in “The Spirit.”)

Click HERE to Keep Reading!

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‘The Spirit’ DVD And Blu-Ray Specs Released, Including Alternate Ending & BD Live Features (Splash Page MTV)

By Rick Marshall
February 2, 2009
Splash Page MTV

It feels like just yesterday we were telling you about this upcoming film based on Will Eisner’s “The Spirit” comics, but time flies when you’re covering the goings-on in the comics and movie scenes.

The last we heard from “The Spirit” crew, they were discussing the sequel potential for Frank Miller’s interpretation of Eisner’s classic character and his universe. Now, we have all the specs for the film’s April 14 release on DVD and Blu-Ray posted after the jump — including an alternate ending for the film and the debut of “Lionsgate Live” online elements. What a world, eh?

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INDEX to MR. MEDIA INTERVIEWS

TV Stars * TV Producers * Movie Stars * Movie Directors, Producers, documentary Filmmakers and Screenwriters * Politicians and Political Writers * Stand-Up Comedians * Health Experts * Magazine Editors * Radio Stars * Bloggers, Podcasters and Web Producers * Novelists * Musicians and Music Journalists * Sexuality Experts * Culture and Society Experts * Food Experts * Biographers, Historians and A.J. Jacobs * Athletes and Sports Experts * Photographers * Journalists * Crime Experts * CEOs and Business Experts * Comic Book Creators * Cartoonists * Will Eisner Co-Workers, Friends and Experts

Creatively Speaking: Will Eisner’s Spirit Speaks! (Mental Floss)

Will Eisner image via Wikipedia

by David K. Israel

Mental Floss

January 7, 2009

Will Eisner, the creator of The Spirit comic series, is in the house today. Well, not exactly. As you might know, Will died some years ago. But we were fortunate enough to get an interview with the man who runs Will Eisner Studios, the curator of his estate, Will’s nephew Carl Gropper. Frank Miller (Sin City, 300) has a new film out based on the Eisner character, so we thought it would be a good time to learn a little more about the man some credit with creating the first graphic novel, the man who the comic industry awards are named after (The Eisner). Check out the interview with Gropper below.

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TV Stars * TV Producers * Movie Stars * Movie Directors, Producers, documentary Filmmakers and Screenwriters * Politicians and Political Writers * Stand-Up Comedians * Health Experts * Magazine Editors * Radio Stars * Bloggers, Podcasters and Web Producers * Novelists * Musicians and Music Journalists * Sexuality Experts * Culture and Society Experts * Food Experts * Biographers, Historians and A.J. Jacobs * Athletes and Sports Experts * Photographers * Journalists * Crime Experts * CEOs and Business Experts * Comic Book Creators * Cartoonists * Will Eisner Co-Workers, Friends and Experts

"The Spirit" movie coverage in The New Yorker

Image via Wikipedia

By Tad Friend

The New Yorker

“The Spirit,” based on an obscure Will Eisner comic strip from the nineteen-forties, was Lionsgate’s attempt to build a tent-pole franchise. Frank Miller, the celebrated comic-book author, had written and directed a moody, snowy, sumptuous film about a masked charmer with a self-healing body who lives to protect his city. Palen produced a crescendo of three trailers, and everything from “Spirit” trading cards to snow globes to iPhone applications.

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TV Stars * TV Producers * Movie Stars * Movie Directors, Producers, documentary Filmmakers and Screenwriters * Politicians and Political Writers * Stand-Up Comedians * Health Experts * Magazine Editors * Radio Stars * Bloggers, Podcasters and Web Producers * Novelists * Musicians and Music Journalists * Sexuality Experts * Culture and Society Experts * Food Experts * Biographers, Historians and A.J. Jacobs * Athletes and Sports Experts * Photographers * Journalists * Crime Experts * CEOs and Business Experts * Comic Book Creators * Cartoonists * Will Eisner Co-Workers, Friends and Experts