Broken Frontier

A trio tales takes the Spirit up against both bad guys and the vagaries of fate.

Some of DC Comics’ most well known writers and artists get a chance to take on Will Eisner’s iconic character in this "Holiday Special" issue.

In the first story, "One Hundred", the Spirit faces down a group of thieves who decide to use his sartorial sense to rob a jewelry store on Halloween. When the jewels end up in a tiger cage, though, only one woman can get them out…but she may have an ulterior motive. In "Family Treasure", the Spirit aids an old woman who immigrated to the United States following an elderly uncle and the promise of a family treasure. Is this fortune for real? One group of thugs thinks so and that could spell trouble for the Spirit. Finally, in "The Cold Depths of the Icicle Heart", the Spirit tangles with the cold, female, leader of a protection racket. When things go wrong, though, the Spirit finds himself out in the cold with only one, surprising group of people willing to help him.

DC has done a terrific job with both the previous Spirit special and this one in choosing writers who have an obvious love of the character and a pretty good grasp of what makes his world tick. Both "One Hundred" and "Family Treasure" feature some fun, twist endings – and each provides a different kind of twist – while "The Cold Depths of the Icicle Heart" takes a story in a different direction. Out of all of the authors here, though, it is Gail Simone on "The Cold Depths" who is perhaps stretching her wings the most. Well known for her sharp and natural dialogue, she instead crafts a nearly silent story.

The art styles differ as wildly as the artists themselves. Eduardo Risso provides a lush, 1940’s feel for his story, boosted by some very cinematic colors from Alex Sinclair while Ty Templeton provides a more rounded look that has some faint echoes of R. Crumb. Of course Phil Hester works with his usual, angular, sharp style but seeing it applied to a Spirit story is a lot of fun.

In the end, there may be nothing here that is new or experimental but there is plenty of fun to be had. Touches of noir, twists of fate and irony abound in a trio of stories that act as a nice break before the new creative team comes on board this title next month. If you’re interested in a title that acts as a fun little anthology while also being a tribute to an influential creator and his eternal character then look no farther than this issue of The Spirit.