Issue Description

The Comic

This comic was a 16 page full size comic that was inserted into newspapers back in the 1940's. This issue as many in the beginning featured the Spirit as the main story but also had two additional stories for characters Lady Luck and Mr. Mystic.

The Spirit

The Spirit is the main story and is longer that the other two. This is a pinnacle issue because the relationship between the Spirit and Commissioner Dolan changed when the Spirit is accused of murder and is forced to confess to the crime he didn't commit. This changes his whole relationship with the New York City police.

We also find out that the Spirit has a very rare A-1 blood type. He has to go to a unfriendly city that is searching for him so he can save a young woman's life who shares the same blood type. This will not be the same for the Spirit after this story.

Lady Luck

Lady Luck seeks out a child who ran away from home because her parents were getting a divorce. Lady Luck then help the young girl blackmail her parents into getting back together by threatening to never come home unless the get back together.

Mr. Mystic

Mr. Mystic returns an amulet to it's people. While in the country he becomes embroiled in an attempted Coup d'tat and he does what he can to put a stop to it. He sides with the king and attempts to keep the king in power.

The Spirit (1940)

Publisher

Register and Tribune Syndicate

Volume Description

The Spirit was a weekly comic book that was inserted into newspapers across the country like Detroit, Minneapolis and Chicago during the 1940's. Newspapers at the time wanted to grab a hold of some of the attention comic books were getting at the time. So to compete they wanted to add a full comic to their sunday newspaper. The Spirit was created by Will Eisner and Everett Arnold at the request of Henry Martin, a sales manager for the Des Moines Register and Tribune Syndicate. It began as an eight page insert and grew, at it's largest to a seventeen page full color comic insert. Will Eisner was drafted in 1942 to fight in World War II. Durning that time due to the contract Eisner had they hired ghost writers to write the comic but Eisner maintained rights to the Spirit even after returning from war. The stories typical revolve around the character The Spirit (Denny Colt) a detective who went in to suspended animation and when he awoke became the crimefighter The Spirit. Some featured other storied in the same comics like Lady Luck and Mr. Mystic. These books however were eliminated when the comics went to eight pages and it only told Spirit stories. Will Eisner wrote this book with the intention of a departure from superheroes in mind as also with an older more mature audience. The series lasted 645 issues.

The issue numbers for this series are not always easily visible. To find the number of a book check out the date and look it up at this checklist.

http://www.angelfire.com/art/wildwood1/downloads/checklist.pdf

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Status: Not in Collection