The Stop Button

The title gives everything away in this strip: the Central City underworld teams up (principally three gangsters) and successfully captures the Spirit. Not a particularly difficult feat, it turns out. They give Spirit some bad intel, and he walks right into a trap. Art-wise, it’s a beautiful sequence, lots of inky blacks and a fantastic establishing shot of the ominous waterfront. Glorious stuff.

Narratively? Well, given it happens on the second page of the story, another shoe drop seems inevitable. Especially once the gangsters reveal they’re waiting until every criminal in Central City who wants to stop by and see the captured Spirit before they kill him off. They don’t even think to unmask him.

Now, Spirit will eventually take advantage of the delay, but the story focuses on his friends deciding what to do about his capture. The gangsters don’t have a complicated communication system — they just have crooks telling other crooks they’ve grabbed Spirit and to head over for one last look. So the cops hear about it, too, with Commissioner Dolan unable to intercede because the Spirit’s apparently still considered a violent criminal.

I could’ve sworn he was at least not wanted for murder anymore (and has made more friends on the police force than just Dolan). But, no, the cops are thrilled they’ll be rid of the Spirit, and things can go back to them not getting shown up by Spirit solving the cases they ignore. Dolan’s staff sure seems to make his job even more miserable.

Dolan then heads home to find Ellen in tears, Ebony just having informed her about Spirit’s capture and impending execution. She pleads with her father to help; he explains the official position of the Central City Police Department is they’re going to let wanted criminals murder internationally beloved (and wartime government contractor) Spirit.

Ebony hadn’t just been visiting for Ellen’s emotional support; he assumed he and Dolan were going to save the day together. With Dolan out of the picture, Ebony takes it upon himself to get the job done.

Meanwhile, Spirit’s doing social engineering to save himself. Central City’s criminal types aren’t too bright.

It’s an okay enough strip, though, without any narrative weight. Ebony’s rescue attempt is good—and possibly the most inventive story element (Ebony wouldn’t have fallen for a fake tip)—but it’s resolved in a couple of pages, even though it could’ve been the whole thing. Because, instead, Eisner lightens the mood some more. Unfortunately, it’s not straight comedy, which would’ve helped.

The art’s great–good fight scenes (even when Spirit inexplicably disappears from a panel)–and fine (brief) talking heads. The story’s just a little uneven.