Will Eisner’s The Spirit #5

Will Eisner's The Spirit #5The fifth issue of Dynamite Entertainment’s twelve-issue maxi-series Will Eisner’s The Spirit opens with Ebony White and Sammy Strunk caught in the Octupus‘ death trap while the Spirit searches for both his missing friends and answers about his own disappearance as he continues to let his friends (and enemies) believe the masked vigilante is dead.

I’m coming in a little late to the party with issue #5, but Matt Wagner provides the kind of story I want to see the hero tackle, and I enjoyed artist Dan Schkade’s version of the character balancing his bright blue coat and hat with the noir shadows that surround his world. The pairing of Wagner and Schkade works well to offer fans an old school version of the character (particularly important with the creator’s name in the series’ title).

Still leaving plenty of story to be told, the issue gives us the Spirit using his detective (and intimidation) skills to find his missing friends as well as a confrontation between our hero and his most hated adversary. I’m curious to see where the series goes from here. Worth a look.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]