The Stop Button

Spirit and Ebony are on the job for the G-men, trying to crack a spy ring planning on destroying munitions factories with “robot planes.” The robot planes, as the Spirit will later explain, are really aerial torpedoes. The villains launch them from Europe with such precision, they don’t need adjustment until they near their target, when a light signal can aim them.

And, so, when it comes time for the Spirit to counter these intercontinental missiles, he will utilize Toy Planes. And Eisner and studio get away with any potential silliness because the art is moody and gorgeous. Turns out the Eisner studio’s really good at dramatic silhouettes and vehicles. Even the fisticuffs are outstanding. Right up until the last page, Planes is a recent art standout. It’s still a recent art standout with the poorly conceived finish, where Spirit has to make his report; that scene just doesn’t deliver narratively or visually.

Not to mention portraying the G-men as flakes, which is a tad odd for such an otherwise jingoist strip (and recurring plot line). Eisner’s still staying coy about the home nation of the baddies, with one named Hogh—is it supposed to be Danish because Denmark was occupied, or is Hogh just a European name?

Still, the strip is getting much bolder about the Nazi threat. These villains aren’t fifth columnists; they’re actual Nazis who fly over in their superior, silent airplanes. They’re planning an invasion. It’s approximately nine months before Pearl Harbor, and the Nazis have flying torpedo planes and silent running. Despite their disbelief at the autoplane, they’ve got better technology, and it might be enough to beat us.

While it’s an action strip, with beautiful art, fantastic action, and the Spirit unveiling his gliding suit, it’s also a comic strip in newspapers telling readers to be on the lookout. Report those potential Nazi invaders. So, you know, it’s like a public service announcement, really.

But they’re still not saying Germany.

Ebony’s around almost the entire strip, helping capture the bad guys, and he’s got a bunch during the toy plane sequence. He’s the Greek chorus for some of the toy vs. robot plane battle, which would be fantastic if not for the (racist) caricaturing. With the caricature… well, there’s a lot going on with Spirit this strip. Lot to think about, lot to enjoy, lot to appreciate, some to question, some to regret.

Well, right up until the end, when it doesn’t go anywhere. Not with the art, not with the alarm-raising, not with anything. Dolan’s been absent before, but his absence has perhaps never been felt more greatly than on this last page. Still a great strip, just got that off finish.