The Spirit #26

The masked hero in the blue suit and red tie slumps wounded and bleeding in the arms of a panicked blonde woman — because, as the title blurb announces with theatrical flair, "The Spirit Is Shot!" — while in the background a glamorous dark-haired woman in an evening gown coolly steps forward holding a syringe, claiming to be a doctor. Brian Bolland's cover art for this April 2009 issue stages the scene with his signature crisp detail and darkly comic timing, wringing genuine tension and wry humor out of the question "Is There a Doctor in the House?" The creative team of Uslan, DeSanto, Justiniano, and Wong brings Will Eisner's beloved character into a story titled "Silken's Choice" that already promises intrigue and danger right from this striking image.