Favourite Comics Moments #4 - The Spirit

The Spirit is justifiably famous for its clever splash pages and it's creator Will Eisner's mastery of storytelling techniques, both of which are on display in this episode: 'Showdown With The Octopus', from 1947.





Every page shows how much Eisner was the boss of his medium: the use of background details to give the story a context on the splash page, Dolan's smoke leading the reader's eye through page 2, the incredible use of a single flashlight source on page 3, framing the action on page 4, the sound effects on page 5, the panel rhythm on page 6 and use of dramatic lighting on page 7.
For some creators this would be the high water mark of their career, but Eisner was just getting started; he would go on to father the graphic novel in the US, produce some of the best Black & white comics magazine work and inspire a whole new generation of comics illustrators. It's not for nothing that comics version of the Oscars is named for him.