The Spirit #1
The Spirit #1 (Warren, April 1974) marks the formal relaunch of Will Eisner's postwar newspaper masterwork in a format designed for a new, comics-literate generation — the first issue of the longest-running and most ambitious reprint program the character had seen up to that point. By gathering Eisner's intricate, genre-defying seven-page newspaper sections into a large-format black-and-white magazine, Warren gave Bronze Age readers their first sustained, accessible look at stories that had quietly shaped the visual grammar of American comics storytelling. The issue also contains the first comic-format presentation of Silken Floss, the brilliant, glasses-wearing scientist who serves as accomplice to the Octopus — a character significant enough to anchor a major role in Frank Miller's 2008 film adaptation. As the debut installment of a 41-issue run that would eventually pass to Kitchen Sink Press, this issue opened the door to decades of renewed scholarly and fan attention that helped cement Eisner's status as one of the medium's foundational figures.
In "The Last Trolley," Will Eisner delivers a haunting tale as the Spirit, ever the observer of the city’s hidden currents, finds himself drawn into a mystery that defies time and memory. Following a spectral trolley through a storm-lashed city, he ventures into a past that feels eerily like his own — a journey that begins with a single, unexplained ride. The story unfolds with Eisner’s signature blend of noir atmosphere and psychological depth, illustrated with his own precise line work and enhanced by Richard Corben’s evocative colors, all framed by Basil Gogos’s striking cover.
In "The Last Trolley," a man riding the final trolley of the night believes he’s outsmarted everyone—until his confidence begins to unravel in waves of paranoia and mounting stress. The city’s shadows stretch longer as his grip on reality slips, leaving him trapped in a spiral he can’t escape.
In "Escape," the Spirit’s relentless vigilance shadows three fugitives who thought freedom awaited beyond bars—only to find that the world itself is a cage for those who defy justice. With the Spirit always watching, their flight becomes a tense game of shadows and pursuit.
In a world made of stick figures, the murder of Elmer Hay leaves The Spirit perplexed, with Li'l Adam and the mysterious Hector Ghoul caught in the web of clues. As Al Slapp investigates the bizarre crime scene, the line between cartoon and reality blurs in this unsettling, offbeat mystery.
In "El Spirito," the Spirit ventures into the mist-laden streets on a rain-soaked night, drawn by a spectral figure that defies all reason—only to follow it to a place he thought he’d left behind: his own watery grave. The mystery deepens as the line between memory and the supernatural blurs, and the truth of what lies beneath the surface begins to rise.
In "The Killer," a war hero haunted by his past returns to a town that rejects him—until a violent act thrusts him into the shadowy world of The Spirit. The story unfolds with tense, brooding atmosphere as a man's descent into darkness blurs the line between vengeance and belonging.
In "The Partner," the Spirit faces his darkest hour when he's brutally murdered by Slinko Joe Daws, leaving Central City defenseless against the rising menace of Slimy Skinch and his gang. With no hero to stand in their way, the city's fate hangs in the balance—until a mysterious new figure emerges from the shadows.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 13 grades ▾
Find on ebay
Read it digitally
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Warren editor Bill DuBay oversaw the launch of the magazine, channeling the publisher's existing expertise in large-format black-and-white magazines — the home of Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella — toward reprinting Eisner's postwar newspaper sections for an audience that had largely never encountered them. The issue opened with an introductory text page featuring both a photograph and an illustration of Eisner himself, signaling from the outset that this was a prestige reprint effort with the creator's involvement and blessing. Warren published the series through issue #16 before Kitchen Sink Press assumed the title with #17, maintaining the format and numbering, and the complete run ultimately stretched to 41 issues through 1983.
Trivia · 7 facts
- Published April 1974 by Warren Publishing; cover-dated the first issue of a series that ran 16 issues under Warren before transferring to Kitchen Sink Press beginning with issue #17.
- The 76-page magazine reprints eight postwar Will Eisner Spirit newspaper sections, each seven pages long, drawn from the Register and Tribune Syndicate Sunday supplements of the 1940s.
- The issue includes an 8-page color insert — the story 'El Spirito,' originally from February 1, 1948 — with new color work by Richard Corben, one of Warren's signature horror artists.
- Silken Floss, described in sources as a nuclear physicist and surgeon who serves as the Octopus's accomplice, makes her first comic-format appearance (listed as 'introduction' by the Grand Comics Database) in the story 'A Granule of Time,' a reprint of the December 8, 1946 newspaper section.
- The villain Klink also appears in this issue, in the story 'The Criminal,' alongside the seven-year-old antagonist Mr. Sawbuck — a signature example of Eisner's subversive approach to crime storytelling.
- The issue opens with an introductory frontispiece featuring a photo and self-portrait illustration of Will Eisner, framing the magazine as an authorial showcase rather than a standard reprint package.
- The Spirit character himself — alias Denny Colt, a criminologist who fakes his death and operates from Wildwood Cemetery — first appeared in newspaper Sunday supplements on June 2, 1940, and the Warren magazine represented the first major, ongoing effort to bring the postwar peak of Eisner's run to a mainstream comics audience.
Cast · 4 characters
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints The Spirit #3/24/1946 (1946), The Spirit #12/8/1946 (1946), The Spirit #1/26/1947 (1947), The Spirit #3/2/1947 (1947), The Spirit #4/13/1947 (1947), The Spirit #7/20/1947 (1947), The Spirit #11/2/1947 (1947), The Spirit #2/1/1948 (1948)
Reprinted in Der Spirit #[nn] (1977), Spirit #1 (1981), Spirit #3 (1987), Illustrators Special Issue #14 - First Edition (2022), Seriemagasinet #187
Key issues in The Spirit
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.