The Stop Button

Satin is an incredible strip. It’s a mostly action strip, with three master thieves planning a team-up heist in Central City. They’re all displaced from Europe: Cedric’s British, Anton’s French, and Satin’s… Satin. They’ve also got an American sidekick monikered “Asphalt,” who doesn’t figure in much except during the setup.

The strip opens with men all waiting for Satin to arrive; she shows up with a bullet wound. They all get excited watching her dig it out before getting down to the heist planning.

The main action takes place at a ball; the thieves are going to do a switch on a famous medal, only the Spirit’s wise to them. He interrupts Satin dropping off the goods, and they get into a multi-page fight scene. By the second page, it’s clear they’re both enjoying it, which is a vibe from the weekly newspaper comic strip for the whole family. To be clear–Introducing Silk Satin is neither sexy nor horny, but Spirit and Satin clearly think rolling around with one another is sexy. And Eisner knows how to visualize it, which is accomplished, albeit arguably unnecessary. Though without Spirit’s pent-up frustration at loving to wrestle with the lady criminal but knowing it’s wrong, there’s not much to the strip.

The setup seems another of The Spirit’s WWII-aware but not directly referenced strips, but once the rolling around starts, it’s all about flexed muscles, exposed flesh, and unexpected lust. Spirit and Satin’s first rumble seemingly leaves him addled and vulnerable, which she exploits, only to discover she too is unable to dismiss her feelings.

It’s the most human Spirit’s been in ages, partially because he’s clearly losing control.

Art’s great, the comic bits are awesome—their tussle gets interrupted, leading to a turning point but also a good comedic beat amid the action—and the other thieves are always mugging out at the reader to emphasize the humorous potential in one moment or another. Again, it’s accomplished, but it’s accomplished at being about the good guy and the bad girl getting horny for each other.

And it’s infinitely impressive how well Eisner and studio pull it off.

Ebony pops in for the last few panels to give the story a postscript but also wonder why Spirit’s not in a friendly mood. Will Satin return? Perhaps… and it’ll be interesting to see if Eisner’s able to find a narrative more “Sunday Funnies” than late-night cable.

Magnificent comics.