The Stop Button

WLXK is a beautifully plotted strip, with lots happening in a very short amount of time. A rather unlikely amount of time, actually, but considering part of the plot has kids listening to the Spirit kick ass on the radio and cheering along… Eisner and studio have all the slack they want.

The strip opens with radio station owner Marion Dale refusing to let fifth columnists threaten her. They’ve promised to blow up the station if she doesn’t report an Eastern European country welcomed their invasion by a certain (still unnamed) bad guy. She reports the truth, and boom goes the station.

Luckily, the bomb goes off during Ebony’s radio serial, which piques the Spirit’s interest, and he goes down to the station. He finds Marion very enthusiastic about his plans to foil the spies, regardless of the scant details. She’s too busy throwing herself at him. Her amorous intentions end up being the proverbial rifle on the wall, to great effect.

After repairing the station by flying new wiring between the antennas in the autoplane, the Spirit reveals his great idea. They’re going to do a radio play about the attempts to silence the station. The idea is all the attention will piss off the wrong people, who will send thugs to the station. At that point, the Spirit will beat them up and get the necessary information to foil the ring.

Lots could go wrong with the plan, but Commissioner Dolan happens to be listening to the radio broadcast with an acquaintance, and—again—the strip moves so well, works so well, has such good fisticuffs—Eisner can get away with pretty much anything. Especially since everyone gets in on the radio play energy, including Dolan. It’s less proof of concept for a Spirit radio series and more Eisner exploring how Spirit’s particular celebrity fits right in with radio’s fictional adventurers.

The art is solid throughout, with some great long shots to move the story along quickly. They slow down for the fight scene, of course; Ebony’s nowhere to be found, but Marion tries her best to help. The strip’s neatest bit is how the Spirit’s fight on the radio plays out with Dolan, who’s as thrilled as the kids listening.

It’s a great one. The end joke is a particular standout, with Eisner hanging onto the moment to get a better bit. Excellent work, start to finish.