Favorite Panel Friday: Wholly Spirit

You know one of the things I like about The Spirit? He gets the living hell beat out of him on a regular basis.

This is certainly true of Will Eisner's celebrated run with his best-known and oh-so-human character, and it seems as if Darwyn Cooke will continue the tradition in his updated version of The Spirit. Cooke has done a good job of capturing the happy-go-lucky figure of Denny Colt's alter-ego, and in The Spirit #2 he also shows one of the attributes that makes him a hero; he may take a beating, but he never stays down.

And holy crap, does he take a beating. What kind of hoods are these anyway, handing out moral tsk-tsks with their smackdown? That's just adding insult to multiple injuries, man.

Luckily, The Spirit's pain is our reward in what continues to be a well-written, snazzily drawn tribute that still manages to be fun and original. Cooke's work on The Spirit makes me want to go back and read the Eisner stories; believe me, I can't think of a higher compliment.

The Spirit #2: Darwyn Cooke, writer/artist